Introduction In the current business context, companies are struggling with rapid change, with finding competitive advantage in a globalized economy, and in finding, keeping, and motivating talent in a changing workforce. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is emerging as a critical factor for sustaining high performance in this environment. World-leading organizations, such as FedEx, HSBC, the US Air Force, and the International Finance Corporation, are turning to the science of emotional intelligence as part of human capital strategy. What's driving this interest? Is emotional intelligence "just a fad," or does the science offer new insight and tools that genuinely affect performance? And if EQ is so important, how do leaders find their way to the value amidst the hype? The Harvard Business Review (HBR), one of the most prestigious sources of business-best-practice, has released several articles on emotional intelligence. Their 1997 article on EQ by psychologist and author
If over 70% of the top issues in the workplace are tied to leadership, 2 it’s no surprise that organizations are urgently looking for the cutting edge science that helps leaders understand how to work with and through their people.
Daniel Goleman ranks as their most requested article ever. This popularity led the HBR to re-examine the data on emotional intelligence again in 2003. Their conclusion: "In hard times, the soft stuff often goes away. But emotional intelligence, it turns out, isn't so soft. If emotional obliviousness jeopardizes your ability to perform, fend off aggressors, or be compassionate in a crisis, no amount of attention to the bottom line will protect your career. Emotional intelligence isn't a luxury you can dispense with in tough times. It's a basic tool that, deployed with finesse, is the key to professional success." 1 As “emotional intelligence” becomes part of mainstream vocabulary (at this point there are 7.7 million hits on Google, and 695,000 results on Google’s
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White Paper The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence
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