BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS

The theory of emotional intelligence (EI) grew out of research at the intersection of emotion and cognition and originally focused on individual ability and self-perception of ability. We argue that to fully understand how EI influences work-related outcomes in organizations, in addition to these individual variables, we need to examine how organizational factors create opportunities (or barriers) for the enactment of emotionally intelligent behavior (EIB). We discuss three groups of organizational factors: leader EIB, team EI climate (group behavioral norms), and organizational culture (values and practices). We present a model describing how these organizational factors moderate individual potential to shape EIB as a proximal outcome, which in turn predicts distal outcomes related to work well-being, interpersonal effectiveness, and performance. Directions for future research and practical applications for how organizational psychologists and consultants can boost both individual potential and organizational opportunities for EIB are discussed.