Although many companies have been successful over the last few decades the changing business landscape will bring new challenges; particularly because of the shifting demographics of the workforce. By the same token managers who are deficient in emotional intelligence and diversity appreciation are more likely to fail than managers who incorporate these concepts. I plan to share details on current development and appraisal processes and how emotional intelligence factors into this as the corporate environment transforms.
I would like to start with a common scenario we come across more in this new epoch. Ken a young man who just graduated from a top university in Texas was hired on at a local call center as a supervisor. Amongst Ken’s numerous responsibilities he had the privilege to coach and develop a team of twenty-two telemarketing representatives. The demographics of his subordinates were broad. Ken had college students, retired folks that needed extra cash, and people that worked for a second income all reporting to him. This type of business setting is becoming more widespread in this century as baby boomers get closer to retirement age and generation Y’s enter into the job market.
First let’s address some of the challenges Ken may have while developing his assorted group of employees. Each person on his team will need to be evaluated, and coached in a different manner in order for their reviews to be effective. Without a well-organized performance appraisal plan Kens’ team may work below expectations which could be grounds to remove Ken from his position and put him back in the unstable job market. According to the Wendell L. French author of Human Resources Management “organizations with strong performance management systems are nearly 50 percent more likely to out perform their competitors.” (French, 2007) A performance management system is “The process through which companies ensure that employees are working toward organizational goals,” (French, 2007)
Without hesitation lets evaluate some ways we can keep Ken employed and his team performing at a high level. To begin with Ken should provide constant feedback to his workers. “One of the key differences between a simple appraisal system and a management system is that feedback and opportunity for improvement is continuous, with the focus being on development as opposed to evaluation.” (French, 2007) As explained in the textbook there are many reason companies appraise performance, but the two main justifications are “evaluation goals and coaching and development goals” (French, 2007) Feedback provided to employees will have an impact on the individual as well as the organization as a whole. Additionally there are many aspects that Ken will have to take into account while developing his performance reviews for his members of staff.
For example there are legal requirements that need to be considered, also what type of method will be used during the process. The author of Human Resource Management brings our attention to the different techniques to obtain data for their assessments. Supervisor appraisal “appraisal by immediate supervisor” (French, 2007) Self appraisal “subordinates appraise their own performance.” (French, 2007) Peer appraisal “performance is reviewed by fellow workers.” And, 360 degree feedback which is currently the most popular approach “40 percent of companies used 360 degree feedback in 1995, by 2000, this figure jumped to 65 percent.” (French, 2007) The 360 degree feedback allows direct reports, customers, colleagues, and supervisor all to provide information for the employee’s evaluation.
In addition to the proper system, Ken will require the appropriate approach for each individual. Understanding what style to use while presenting workers with feedback will require emotional intelligence (EI).
“Emotional Intelligence (EI), often measured as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ), describes a concept that involves the ability, capacity, skill or (in the case of the trait EI model) a self-perceived ability, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups” (Wikipedia, 2009)
According to Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis authors of the article Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership “The concept of emotional intelligence continues to occupy a prominent space in the leadership literature and in everyday coaching practices.” (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008) However this is a fairly new development in psychological research. Accordingly it is even more important that leaders are cognizant of the employee emotive state when they provide feedback. As mentioned earlier in this paper the makeup of organizations is shifting we have baby boomers working next to Generation Yers. Each group requires a different methodology when providing appraisal reviews.
The authors of Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership provide details on a study that was performed to help illustrate the importance of EI in the work place.
“In a recent study, our colleague Marie Dasborough observed two groups: One received negative performance feedback accompanied by positive emotional signals—namely, nods and smiles; the other was given positive feedback that was delivered critically, with frowns and narrowed eyes. In subsequent interviews conducted to compare the emotional states of the two groups, the people who had received positive feedback accompanied by negative emotional signals reported feeling worse about their performance than did the participants who had received good-natured negative feedback. In effect, the delivery was more important than the message itself. And everybody knows that when people feel better, they perform better.” (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008)
These recent discoveries are different then the long-established motivation programs of the past that worked on the baby boomers. So, as a manager in order to get the optimum execution out of your employees you must have an effective system and an EI approach while leading your team. “The old carrot-and-stick approach alone doesn’t make neural sense; traditional incentive systems are simply not enough to get the best performance from followers.” (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008)
In conclusion in order for firms to progress into the new era of business they will need to recognize the changing dynamics of the workforce. The aforementioned articles provide practical strategies that leaders can use to develop multigenerational groups of workers. I believe the type X managers are becoming extinct and a new age of EI leadership will transform the way we work. Companies that do not move with the change will be left behind as the next generation takes over in the age of leadership.
Works Cited
French, W. (2007). Human Resources Management. In W. French, Human Resources Management (pp. 359-365). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Goleman, D., & Boyatzis, R. (2008). Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership. Harvard Business Journal , 9.
Wikipedia. (2009, March 10). Wikipedia®. Retrieved March 10, 2009, from Wikipedia®: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence
