Akshay Pande is preparing to takethe StateLevel Forest Servicesexamination.Hehad a background ofphysicsand chemistryingraduationbutnowforthisexamination he hasto beproficientinecology. He is trying hard to understand the legal framework which governs management of biosphere reserves and national parks and other contemporary issues. The examination is three months away and before two weeks his mother has developed some health problems for which the consulting physician has advised Catscan to be sure about whether there is a cancerous growth causing the present problem. In the family, she is the only lady managing household affairs. So, Akshay is not able to concentrate on his studies all the time thinking whether his mother has got cancer and if so what will be the consequences as the disease unfolds. He has started feeling that there is no hope forsuccess in the examination this time.
What is your assessment of Akshay’s emotional problem?
1. It does not make sense to talk about his emotional problem. His apprehensiveness is understandable as cancer, after all, is a deadly disease and most of the time incurable.
2. Akshay does not need to presume at this time that his mom has got cancer. If that is something going to happen worrying will not prevent its occurrence.
3. Losing hope is the worst thing that can happen to an aspirant in a competitive examination. Hope is a strong motivator. By losing hope one guarantees failure.
4. Both (2) and (3)
The fact that cancer is a deadly disease is well-known. Some anxiety therefore, is not out of place or context. However, this anxiety should not get out of control and pervade Akshay’s mind. At this time, at worst that is a possibility but diagnosis is yet to come. He should not think it is given and sure. One outstanding Guru of positive thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, used to pray that God give us the capacity to distinguish between situations where our actions matter and where they do not. We need to focus all our energy on the first set of conditions and accept the second. Calm acceptance is the first step necessary before looking for solution. Worrying about cancer at this time cannot change the diagnosis and therefore, not much thought should be given to the possibility except trying to get the tests done from the right place and getting the right medical advice. Thus answer choice (1) is not correct but (2) is appropriate.
The point made in (3) is apt. In the west, scholars have made many studies about the temperament and behavior of Olympic winners and great sports stars. Great champions share a common mindset in that they have high hopes about eventual success. That goes to explain how great sports persons come back to win even after initial setback in a competitive event. They quickly analyse the causes of setback, make immediate adjustment and start the next round with renewed vigour never ever losing hope. Akshay is losing hope for no good reason. He must not allow that to happen. Hence answer choice (3) makes a valid point.
Thus (4) is the right answer choice.
After these illustrations, we give two brief summaries which Howard Gardener gave of his thoughts on emotional intelligence.
Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand other people: what motivates them, how they work, how to work cooperatively with them. Successful sales people, politicians, teachers, clinicians, and religious leaders are all likely to be individuals with high degrees of interpersonal intelligence. Intrapersonal intelligence … is a correlative ability, turnedinward. It isa capacity to form an accurate, veridical [true] model of oneself and to be able touse that model to operate effectively in life.
In another formulation, Howard Gardener mentions that the core of interpersonal intelligence includes “the capacities to discern and respond appropriately to the moods, temperaments, motivations, and desires of other people”. In intrapersonal intelligence, the key to self-knowledge, he included, “access to one’s own feelings and the ability to discriminate among them and draw upon them to guide behaviour.”
Howard Gardener’s approach to intelligence has remained cognitive. He emphasises that one should understand the motives and habits of work of others so that one can get along better with them. His focus is also on self-understanding so that one can live a productive and happy life. This approach is based partly on the doctrine of behaviourism – first propounded by Watson and made
popular in 1960s by B.F. Skinner. They argued that only behaviour which is observable can be a subject of scientificstudy. As we know,sciencedealswithmatterswhich areobservable,measurable and verifiable. Human behaviour, such as blushing, can be studied by observing physiologicalchanges
i.e. change of skin colour of cheeks. However, we cannot observe feelings and things going on in the minds of people. Hence, behaviourists banished study of mental life from science. However, Howard Gardener included them in his studies.
Some psychologists like Thorndike recognised the concept of social intelligence. He regarded socialintelligence as one aspect of emotionalintelligence.Socialintelligenceis the abilityto understand others and to act wisely in human relations. However, in the 1960s, the mainstream psychologists were sceptical of the concept of social intelligence and thought it useless. As we saw, the tide turned withthe advent of Gardener’s ideas. Changesin businessenvironment, as we shall see, also brought emotional intelligence to the fore.
Two psychologists, Peter Salovey and John Mayer, proposed a comprehensive theory of emotional intelligence in 1990. Daniel Goleman has also written extensively on emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman has conceptualized emotional intelligence on the basis of five main aspects.
Self-awareness
This is the ability to accurately assess our feelings at any given time, and to take decisions according to our preferences. Another dimension of self-awareness consists in making a realistic assessment of our capabilities and acquiring an adequate degree of self confidence.
Self-regulation
This aspect implies control over emotions so that they help and do not hinder the task at hand; it also implies sincerity of purpose and the willingness to delay gratification of tempting immediate pleasures; finally it means that one is able to bounce back quickly from emotional stresses.
Motivation
Thisinvolvesrelying on our strongest preferences to guideand move us towardsourcherished goals; it strengthens andencouragesour drivestowards self-improvement; and it makes us persevereeven when faced with heavy odds and grim prospects.
Empathy
This is the ability to sense what others are feeling; it enablesone to look at thingsfromthe perspective of others; it implies readiness to have rapport and adapt to diverse groups of people.
Social skills
These consist in the ability to handle emotions in relationships; accurately understanding social situations and networks; behaving smoothly with people; using these skills to lead and persuade; to negotiate and resolve disputes; and to promote cooperation and team work.
The above aspects of emotional intelligence virtually cover the whole of one’s personal, social and official life. They apply to children, youth and the aged. An enormous literature has developed covering emotional competencies and their applications in different contexts of life. But for our purposes it is sufficient to consider the essential points and their applications especially in work situations. We present cases to show how aspects of emotional intelligence or competence come into play in work situations. These are also known as soft skills. Students should learn the process of analyzing situations using concepts of emotional intelligence.
Changes in Business Environment and Emotional Intelligence
Inrecentyears,emotionalintelligencehasbecome a majortopicin managementstudies.Its emergence marks a major shift in thinking. Earlier managerial models, based on hierarchical systems, placed senior executives on a high pedestal. The boss used to keep his distance from his subordinates fearing that familiarity would breed contempt and lower discipline. Sensing the emotions of the subordinates was considered dysfunctional. For generally organizational goals differed from personal goals, and trying to satisfy individual aspirations or needs interfered with realisation of an organization’s objectives. The personal feelings of employees did not matter. Top managers were reluctant to lend their ears to “sob stories”.
We live in a different business world now. The twin forces of globalization and information technology have radically transformed the operating environment of businesses. This transformation also altered the emotional environment within organizations. Corporate heads are no longer the ‘manipulative, jungle fighter’ stereotypes. They can no longer produce results by dominating or ordering subordinates around. They have to be virtuosos in interpersonal skills. Senior managers have to understand the feelings of their subordinates who are to be treated as fellow workers. They have to prevent differences from escalating and enable people to comfortably ‘move with the flow’ in organizations.
In any organization, work is done cooperatively in a team. Nowadays, the teams are made up of knowledge workers with specialized skills. In these situations, managers have to evaluate the work done by others and offer constructive criticism for its improvement. This is an everyday activity in any organization at almost all levels. But managerial behaviour here is marked by common dysfunctionalities. Managers fail to clearly indicate specifically how to improve any piece of work produced by subordinates. They criticise the work in general terms without indicating any line of improvement and launch personal attacks on subordinates, laced with malicious comments. Such behaviour creates among subordinates confusion, resentment and a tendency to avoid work and contact with the manager.