POSITION PAPER: POWER, POLITICS, AND CULTURE

Emotional Intelligence (Professional Development Program)

People have different personalities and different people react differently to situations facing their lives. There are those who can control their emotions which are brought on by the situations in their lives. There are also those people who are not able to control their emotions whenever they are confronted by a problem or an issue. Emotional intelligence occurs when a person can recognize and understand their feelings as well as the feelings of others (Bradberry, Greaves, 2009). A person who has emotional intelligence knows how to react during a challenging situation to ensure that he/she is not affected negatively by it and also understands how their emotions affect those people who are around them. The manner in which people react to their emotions determines how they behave as well as the decisions they make in different situations. The perceptions of people on others may also be shaped by our emotions regarding different situations or occurrences.

Emotional intelligence encourages human beings to make decisions which are favorable to their situations and also to the people around them. Companies are adopting emotional intelligence as a way of promoting the development of their workers. Employees are a key component of any organization, therefore, it is necessary for organizations to ensure that they have been able to foster growth and development of their workforce so that the growth of the organization can be realized. Emotional intelligence is essential and useful when it comes to improving the behavior and actions of the employees because it can affect their productivity. When creating a professional development program, it is necessary for organizations to consider the emotional intelligence of their employees and the role it plays in promoting hard work, employee engagement, and loyalty to the organization.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Motivation

United Airlines’ employee performance and job satisfaction can be influenced and improved by management in different ways. Emotional intelligence building blocks are necessary when it comes to employee performance and job satisfaction. One of these blocks is self-regulation, which is the ability of an employee to control their emotions and impulses. This block affects an employee’s performance from the standpoint that if they can control their emotions, they can control their anger. If they can control their anger, they make better decisions. Self-regulation ensures that an employee can think before making a decision or before acting (they are averse to impulsive decisions). Another block which is very critical is self-awareness, which means that the employees understand their emotions and are confident, and this block can also improve their job performance. Confidence is essential, as it helps an employee to control themselves and act as required by the organization. People who understand themselves can work effectively and efficiently, and naturally, this improves their performance as well.

Another block of emotional intelligence is empathy. Employees who are empathetic can understand the feelings and needs of others. Empathy is important in that it helps employees relate to each other and work as a team. A team who practices good team-work improves job performance and the overall productivity of employees. Empathy helps employees to treat others according to their emotions, and the result of this is better inter-relations among employees. Having good social skills demonstrates some level of empathy, and an employee with good social skills can create beneficial ties with co-corkers and they have the ability to build proficient networks. When employees have built strong networks among each other, they can assist one another and learn from one another, and ultimately, this results in employees improving their skills and knowledge. This improves workers performance. These blocks impact the ability of management to improve satisfaction and employee performance within the organization.

Motivation is also very critical when improving employee performance and job satisfaction. Emotional intelligence helps an employee to motivate themselves naturally and encourage themselves to work harder and more diligently (Kite, Kay, 2012). Management can also motivate its employees through rewards and incentives. For example, the salary which the employees are given can be a motivator or a demotivator. If employees are given salaries which are fair and satisfy them, they will be motivated to work since they have a sense of job satisfaction. Another example is where United Airlines rewards employees with exemplary performance, as this not only motivates rewarded employees to continue to perform, it motivates those who weren’t rewarded to strive for better performance lest they be rewarded as well. Motivation is very critical when it comes to promoting employee performance and job satisfaction.

EI and Social Skills and Decision Making

There is a relationship between emotional intelligence and the social skills of an employee and the decisions they make. United Airlines can use emotional intelligence to influence the social skills of their employees and influence the decisions they make. As discussed, one of the components of emotional intelligence is empathy. When an employee is empathetic, it means that they understand the emotions of their fellow employees. An empathetic employee is able to react effectively to the emotions of other employees which reduces employee conflict and builds cohesive relations. If employees understand each other’s emotions, they are more prone to build friendships and their social skills are enhanced.

Self-regulation is also critical when it comes to enhancing social skills. Emotional intelligence allows an employee to keep their emotions under control (Goleman, 2009). This means that whenever there is a situation which makes an employee angry or jealous, one can control those emotions and they are less prone to act on impulse. The result of self-regulation is that one can think and make the right decisions when the situation warrants. One can react accordingly to the behavior of other employees. Self-Regulation also ensures that employees avoid mistakes which could further tarnish United Airlines’ image. The public image and reputation of United Airlines is very essential for growth and development. Development of employees’ emotional intelligence can ensure that this is achieved.

The decision-making efficacy of management is also influenced by emotional intelligence. When management has empathy, they can make empathetic decisions when it comes to their employees since they understand the needs of their employees. Decisions which are related to the workforce are best made when the needs of the workforce are well known to management. This means that any policies made will not only address the issue at hand, but they will do so in a way which will lead to a motivated and productive workforce. Management that possesses good social skills can relate well with their employees, and as such, they make their employees feel that they belong to the organization. The sense of belonging can go a long way to improving employee performance, especially if the organization they are in is a successful one (when they feel like they belong, they feel as if they are directly responsible for the organizations’ success).

The decision-making process of an organization is very critical. This is because it influences how the company operates. Growth and development are only achieved by a company which uses emotional intelligence to make decisions. The decisions made by management also determines the process of promoting professional growth within a company. When professional development is achieved in an organization, members can make decisions which have a positive impact on United Airlines’ progress.

Effective Teams

For an organization to grow and develop effectively, it is necessary to have effective teams which can carry out their duties in a successful manner. Employees should be able to work as teams to achieve United Airlines’ goals and objectives. There are various attributes of teams which represent effective ones. One of the traits of an effective team is clear goals and objectives. A team which understands its goals and objectives remains focused, and they can work hard to achieve those goals. Effective teams also have unity of purpose where members of the team work together to achieve the common goals of the organization (Kohn, Connell, 2007). Effective teams generally (and usually) have an inspiring leader and a leader who is committed. Members of successful teams often look to their leader for direction and inspiration in carrying out their duties. Effective leaders are able to clearly convey the team and organization’s vision and they lead by example. Effective teams usually have a clear and effective communication process. This means that members know the procedures to follow and also their roles are well communicated. Team members should also be free to interact which each other and their leader. This ensures team building and ultimately – a stronger team.

There are various other team dynamics which can benefit our organization. Effective teams are usually diverse ones. This means that teams comprised of different races, gender, age brackets, skills, years of experience and even level of education can directly impact teams positively since diversity has been shown to improve the effectiveness of a team. Team members should also be taught how to handle their differences so that they can work together to resolve them (both internally and when it comes to dealing with customers).

Reward systems

The organization should establish reward systems which increase employee motivation and improves employee performance. Employees should be given salaries which are above the average wages and salaries of their counterparts who are employed by our competitors. This will encourage employee retention and motivation. United Airlines should also ensure that employees with stellar performance are given rewards like bonus paid leaves and cash incentives to encourage others to work harder (Deeprose, 2006). Our reward system should also include benefits like free child care for employees with children, pension programs, and again, paid leaves and holidays in addition (bonus) to those already afforded to employees.

Ultimately, the reward system we develop should be able to motivate employees to remain dedicated to their work. Motivation may also be viewed from an intrinsic angle. This is where United Airlines’ management would motivate employees through involving them in the decision-making process. Doing this would make our employees feel as if they are a valued part of the organization and will therefore be motivated to follow the rules and execute policies.

Executive Summary

Emotional intelligence has been established as one of the key things which can help promote professional development within our organization. United Airlines management needs to apply emotional intelligence when making decisions and also when dealing with the needs of employees. Companies which apply emotional intelligence can improve the employee performance and also job satisfaction of employees. Employee performance is a key component of the growth and development United Airlines. Every organization’s desire is to increase profits – one way for them to do this is to focus on their goals and objectives which will lead to growth. Professional development is a key component of an employees’ growth.

Motivation is also an important aspect when it comes to professional development. United Airlines should ensure that our workforce is motivated as this will ultimately increase their productivity. Motivation and employee productivity are directly related, so every act which increases the motivation of employees improves their performance, and increased performance results in increased productivity. Some factors which increase motivation include employee benefits, training, fair salary and also employee inclusion in decision making.

Team work is also essential for professional development (Sheckley, Keeton, 2011). United Airlines should ensure that effective teams are developed within our organization. Team work ensures that employees can learn from one another and they work together to achieve the goals and objectives of the company. United Airlines should also embrace emotional intelligence when developing the professional development program. United Airlines should focus on self-regulation, self-awareness, motivation, and empathy. This will help develop professionalism within our organization and ensure success for years to come.

References

Bradberry, T. & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. San Diego, Calif: TalentSmart.

Deeprose, D. (2006). How to recognize & reward employees: 150 ways to inspire peak performance. New York: AMACOM.

Goleman, D. (2009). Working with emotional intelligence. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Kite, N. & Kay, F. (2012). Understanding emotional intelligence: strategies for boosting your EQ and using it in the workplace. London Philadelphia: Kogan Page.

Kohn, S. & Connell, V. (2007). 6 habits of highly effective teams. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press.

Sheckley, B. & Keeton, M. (2011). Improving employee development: perspectives from research and practice. Bloomington, IN: 1stBooks.