Ashlea Clare Troth

Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution: Implications for Human Resource Development

The problem and the solution. There continues to be strong interest regarding the emotional intelligence construct,primarily because of the construct’s potential as a predictor of workplace behavior in organizations. Little research has been conducted, however, that considers the implications of emotional intelligence for organizational change and human resource development in organizations.The study outlined in this article explores the connection between emotional intelligence and preferred styles of conflict resolution and examines the implications for human resource development and micro level organizational change specifically. One hundred and thirty-nine respondents were administered the Workgroup Emotional Intelligence Profile, a measure of group members’ emotional intelligence when working in teams, as well as the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model Instrument. The results consistently showed that individuals with high emotional intelligence preferred to seek collaborative solutions when confronted with conflict. Implications for human resource development and organizational change are also discussed.

Work‐place bullying: A group processes framework

Work-place bullying is primarily conceptualized in the literature from an individual or interpersonal perspective with a focus on the victim. The impact of the broader organizational context on bullying has also been considered to a lesser extent. Only a small amount of research exists, however, regarding the group-level processes that impact on the incidence and maintenance of bullying behaviour. We adopt a group level perspective to theoretically discuss and explain the processes involved in the occurrence and maintenance of work-place bullying behaviours. Using Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and Social Rules Theory (Argyle, Henderson, & Furnham, 1985), two conceptual frameworks are presented that consider work-place bullying at the intra-group and inter-group levels. Several propositions are put forward regarding the likelihood of bullying in work groups. Suggested directions for empirical research are addressed and practical implications are also discussed.

Emotional intelligence and conflict resolution in nursing

Abstract How nurses maintain relationships and resolve conflict in the workplace is considered an important skill in the nursing profession (Hillhouse & Adler, 1997). In this paper we explore the utility of emotional intelligence in predicting an individual’s preferred style of conflict resolution. Theorists such as Goleman (1998) have proposed a strong link between emotional intelligence and successful conflict resolution. A preliminary analysis of our empirical study indicates that individuals with high emotional intelligence prefer to seek collaborative solutions when confronted with conflict. Implications for the nursing profession are discussed.

Testing the links between emotional intelligence and motivation

The emotional intelligence construct is still the focus of substantial controversy. In this paper we contribute to the current debate regarding the factors that comprise the emotional intelligence construct. While some authors argue that emotional intelligence consists of a number of social and emotional competencies including self-motivation (Goleman 1995; 1998), others maintain emotional intelligence abilities are restricted to abilities that directly link emotions to cognition (Mayer & Salovey 1997). This latter view does not include motivation as a factor, but acknowledges it as a separate, related function. We conducted an empirical study to test these two different conceptualisations. One hundred and thirteen individuals completed measures of emotional intelligence and McClellands (1987) three motivational needs. Structural equation analyses clearly supported Mayer and Saloveys (1997) conceptualisation that motivation is a factor related to emotional intelligence but is not a component part of the emotional intelligence construct. Implications are discussed.

A review of emotion regulation and development of a framework for emotion regulation in the workplace

Research in industrial and organizational psychology demonstrates that the regulation of negative emotions in response to both organizational stressors and interpersonal workplace interactions can result in functional and dysfunctional outcomes (Cote, 2005; Diefendorff, Richard, & Yang, 2008). Research on the regulation of negative emotions has additionally been conducted in social psychology, developmental psychology, neuropsychology, health psychology, and clinical psychology. A close reading of this broader literature, however, reveals that the conceptualization and use of the term “emotion regulation” varies within each research field as well as across these fields. The main focus of our chapter is to make sense of the term “emotion regulation” in the workplace by considering its use across a broad range of psychology disciplines. We then develop an overarching theoretical framework using disambiguating terminology to highlight what we argue are the important constructs involved in the process of intrapersonal emotion generation, emotional experience regulation, and emotional expression regulation in the workplace (e.g., emotional intelligence, emotion regulation strategies, emotion expression displays). We anticipate this chapter will enable researchers and industrial and organizational psychologists to identify the conditions under which functional regulation outcomes are more likely to occur and then build interventions around these findings.

Emotional Intelligence, Communication Competence, and Student Perceptions of Team Social Cohesion.

Students generally report poor experiences of group work in university settings. This study examines whether individual student perceptions of team social cohesion are determined by their level of emotional intelligence (EI) and whether this relationship is mediated by their communication skills. Business students (N = 273) completed the 16-item self-report Workplace Emotional Intelligence Profile—Short Version (WEIP-S; Jordan & Lawrence, 2009) before forming teams. Students worked in teams for 8 weeks to complete group work. Afterwards, peer ratings of student communication appropriateness and effectiveness were collected as was each student’s self-report perceptions of the level of team social cohesion. The effect of management of others’ emotions on team social cohesion was mediated by communication effectiveness. The authors discuss the implications of EI training and student team allocation as possible ways to improve student team cohesion.

Effective Teaching in the Multicultural Business Classroom

Abstract Universities continue to attract growing numbers of international students, so addressing how teachers deal with cultural diversity in the classroom has become increasingly important. This paper outlines the development of a program aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of teaching a university business course in the multicultural classroom. Initially, data were collected from focus groups comprising international students and experienced teachers. Following these focus groups, the problems experienced by teachers working with international students in business tutorials were further explored by collecting survey data from experienced teachers. These data were then used to develop a training program with the aim of improving the skills of teachers in the multicultural classroom. The training program focused on four broad areas: recognition of different teaching models; communication; improving participation and assessment strategies.

Trust antecedents: emotional intelligence and perceptions of others

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine if teachers’ trust in others is predicted by their perceptions of others and their emotional intelligence. Employees need to trust others to achieve outcomes, and a lack of trust can have a negative impact on workplace performance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper surveys a sample of 84 employed teachers. Findings – Our findings show that perceptions of others’ ability, benevolence and integrity are strongly and positively associated with trust. The emotional intelligence ability to perceive emotions is also related to trust. Regression analysis showed that perceptions of others (ability and integrity) and an individual’s emotional intelligence (perceiving) combined to predict a large portion of the variance in trust. Research limitations/implications – This study was limited by a small sample size and the use of a cross-sectional design. These issues were addressed in our analysis. Originality/value – The majority of trust research examines employe...

Perceptions and emotional experiences in differential supervisor-subordinate relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine how employees perceive the differential quality of relationships with their supervisors, and their emotional experiences within the leader‐member exchange (LMX) process for these differential relationships.Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative study presents the interview findings of 25 full‐time employees working within five teams in two organizations.Findings – The qualitative results revealed a consistent pattern of descriptors used by employees to differentially describe their high‐quality and low‐quality LMX relationships. A range of positive and negative emotions were experienced within the context of the LMX relationship and individuals reported different levels of positive and negative emotions for high‐quality versus low‐quality LMX relationships.Research limitations/implications – A limitation is the reliance on self‐reports of the subordinate (not leader) in terms of the role of emotions in the LMX process.Practical implications – Th...

Positive affective tone and team performance: The moderating role of collective emotional skills.

Research on affect as a group-level phenomenon has shown that over time, individual members within a group become highly similar in their affect (i.e., members experience and display similar emotions and moods), and often become similar enough that the aggregation of individuals’ affect can meaningfully represent the “affective tone” of the group. It is generally assumed that a more positive affective tone will lead to better team performance. We challenge the conclusion that positive affective tone is always good for team performance, suggesting that the relationship between positive affective tone and team performance is subject to moderating influences. Across two studies, we demonstrate that the self-reported collective emotional skills of team members play a crucial role in determining whether positive affective tone is beneficial or detrimental to team performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.