Strategic Alignment of Emotional Intelligence with Project Management: A Framework for Enhancing Project Success and Team Performance ()
1. Introduction
This study comprehensively covers the fundamental and essential aspects of emotional intelligence and its profound effects on the effective management of projects (Fareed et al., 2021; Tang et al., 2020; Sunindijo & Maghrebi, 2020; Luong et al., 2021) . The major underlying theme of this thought-provoking essay is to critically evaluate and deeply explore how emotional intelligence can be strategically utilized to effectively manage, streamline, and lead projects. In order to successfully accomplish this, we will initially provide a comprehensive and concise definition of emotional intelligence. Solely equipped with this knowledge, we will delve into the strategic implementation of emotional intelligence in project management by elucidating how it can be harnessed to astutely gather and accurately interpret the multifaceted requirements involved in project execution. Furthermore, we will meticulously examine the pivotal role of emotional intelligence in skillfully assigning the most suitable individuals to respective roles and tasks, fostering a harmonious and cohesive working environment. Additionally, we will thoroughly analyze how emotional intelligence empowers project managers to confidently act, make well-informed decisions, and effectively navigate the intricacies associated with project execution. Last but not least, this essay will enlighten readers on the invaluable role of emotional intelligence in igniting inspiration, sparking motivation, and successfully leading a team towards the attainment of project goals. The profound insights and invaluable information incorporated into this essay have been meticulously sourced from esteemed fields such as project management, psychology, as well as various authoritative and reliable internet sources. However, it is important to note that this essay assumes a foundational knowledge of what constitutes a project, as well as a basic understanding of project management theory. Nevertheless, we shall briefly address these fundamental concepts in the opening paragraph to ensure that readers are sufficiently informed and engaged right from the outset.
2. Literature Review
IT projects that are intended for public service is an obvious example of a project that involves the national organisational culture concept. Peng and Kim (2007) stated that the project to modernise the US tax systems by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was abandoned due to cultural problems and intense political influence in the country. Peng discovered the main problem of that project was the American citizens’ and corporate strong disagreement with IRS tax policies and it was too expensive to change even though it would significantly increase the tax collection rate. Although Peng did not specifically mention culture, he illustrated the differences in perceptions and ideologies between the IRS and the American citizens to be the cultural problem. This example provides a lesson learned for project managers who want national-scale projects to conduct comprehensive cultural research and political situation in order to respond to any disparities like what had been written in PMBOK 4th edition (2008).
Hofstede (1998) observed that the exchange of culture in an organisation was a process of collective sense making. It is through this navigating process that culture can be used as a tool by its members to achieve collective commitment (Denison, 1996) . While Schein (1985) suggested culture is the certain way of thinking in the mind of group members, by reminding the members that this is the way to think and feel in the solving their problems. Basically, culture is the combination of knowledge and characteristics of certain groups. Social scientists detect the influence of culture on a nation’s mentality through studies upon teaching history to high school and primary school students.
2.1. Emotional Intelligence in Project Management
The concept of emotional intelligence is regarded highly by businesses and project managers. But what exactly does it bring to project management? Why is it so important? Emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to distinguish between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior (Salovey & Mayer, 1990) . These include five key elements: self-awareness—the ability to understand one’s own emotions, beliefs, and preferences and their effects; self-regulation—the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods and the propensity to suspend judgment and think before action; motivation—a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money or status and a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence; empathy—the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people and the skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions; and social skills— a proficiency in managing relationships and building networks and an ability to find common ground and build rapport.
2.1.1. Definition and Components of Emotional Intelligence
Drawing on data from a study of 450 executives in 15 countries, they found that the primary components of EI included: 1) Self-awareness, 2) Self-regulation, 3) Motivation, 4) Empathy, and 5) Social skill. These results were also confirmed in a separate study consisting of managers in a variety of companies in which it was found that higher levels of emotional intelligence competencies resulted in higher team performance. This can be seen in the way the EQ has an impact on how we make decisions. High EQ individuals make better decisions as they can simulate the likely outcomes of their various options. Simulation requires an individual to imagine things as they are or are likely to be. This means that an individual who has emotions that can be easily swayed may make a decision they will regret. This also has an impact on the actual decision-making process. When it comes to looking at how a decision was reached, the emotionally influenced decision will not have sound reasoning behind it as it may have seemed a good idea at the heat of the moment. A high EQ individual will make a decision and will then be able to explain the reason for making that decision, weigh the pros and cons of their decision against those of an alternative decision and can also more easily accept a negative final decision. This is seen by the act of reversing a decision which is also something that a high EQ individual can readily do. An individual with a low EQ will make a decision and stick with it. This is especially problematic when it comes to a manager who has to make decisions that will affect his team.
Two theoretical general approaches exist: the ability model and the trait model. Daniel Goleman’s model falls within the mixed model category, which is a combination of both ability and trait EI. The psychometric properties of Goleman’s mixed model are more difficult to determine than those of the ability model, which has led to criticism of Goleman’s model.
2.1.2. Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Project Management
Therefore, emotional intelligence (EI) is essential in successful project management, where teams are often under pressure and there is a need to achieve a productive and motivated working environment. It is important for project managers to understand the effects of their behavior on the performance of their team. A project manager who shouts when a team fails to meet a deadline is likely to make the situation worse, leaving the team feeling demoralized and even less likely to meet the next deadline. The same manager delivering the same message, however, in a concerned tone will motivate the team to not make the same mistake again. The manager needs to be aware of the best way to act in order to inspire the appropriate response from their team. This requires an ability to understand and control their own emotions. EI is also a tool to help managers understand the needs and concerns of the team, allowing them to better aid in the resolution of disputes both between team members and with clients. The ability to see the bigger picture in this way is a marked characteristic of project managers with high EI.
2.2. Strategic Alignment in Project Management
The idea of an aligned strategy permeates through to every level of an organization and is executed through multiple projects supporting the strategic goals. In a project management context, this necessitates a high degree of project management maturity aligning every project throughout the project life cycle with the organization’s strategy (Crawford, 2006) . The implementation of emotionally intelligent project management to reinforce the strategic alignment of projects is particularly significant to the PMO and executive management who are looking to see project outcomes that directly support the business strategy. Cascio and Shona suggest that the higher up the organizational hierarchy one goes, the more one can find evidence of political behavior and the need to manage emotions to ensure decisions go the right way (2007). At senior levels, it’s reasonable to assume that project decisions are emotionally driven and without the language to address this, it’s unlikely it can be admitted. Studying the complexity of emotion in decision-making in this environment would be an interesting area of research for the future. By agreeing that emotions can impact project decision making, it can further be agreed that by managing these emotions, we can ensure better quality decisions. This will provide a platform to begin aligning study with specific project outcomes. The provision of a clear and concise job structure is a basic requirement for most people wanting to know where they are going and how to get there in their career. This is supported by Goleman who says that clarity is a fundamental part of emotionally intelligent leadership (2002). A recent study showed that organizational change fails 70% of the time with better leadership and clearer vision cited as a possible solution (Kloppenborg, Tesch, & Manolis, 2014) . This further reinforces that the ability to align projects to strategic goals is vital as most change is executed through projects. By improving leadership quality and addressing the emotions attached to change with EQ competencies, it’s reasonable to assume we can improve the success rate of project-based change initiatives.
2.2.1. Definition and Key Principles of Strategic Alignment
A profound understanding of what it means for an organizational entity and activity to be aligned can be achieved by examining the concept of strategic alignment (Lissillour et al., 2020; Beese et al., 2023; Wiedemann et al., 2020) . This is a key element in SWOT analysis and is deployed by the superior entity to direct the other party to modify their internal environment in order to better support the entity’s objectives. Strategic alignment can take place through HIT, where the dependent entity changes its internal environment to be more compatible with the superior entity. A common example of this is when functional strategies are developed to support business strategies. This level of alignment is difficult, and changes to the dependent entity are often met with resistance. Failure to make the changes can result in a breakdown of the strategic alliance. High-level strategic alignment is essentially an integrative mechanism that aims to align and move resource commitments and actions between two or more interdependent entities. It involves creating a formal agreement on what is to be achieved, and how and when it is to be accomplished, which often involves the formation of a joint venture. This form of alignment is at the core of project management and is the force behind the attempt to manage scope. This agreement of what is to be achieved is an essence encapsulated in the concept of a project of strategic target.
2.2.2. Benefits of Strategic Alignment in Project Management
Strategic alignment is the process of connecting an entire organization’s vision to tactical objectives and actual projects at ground level (Al-Surmi et al., 2020; Kitsios & Kamariotou, 2021; Zimon et al., 2020; Li et al., 2021) . There should be clear links between higher-level strategic objectives and the projects designed to implement them. The first steps in strategic alignment involve clarifying the various goals, synthesizing them into a single vision, and then prioritizing the required steps to reach it. The next step is to translate these goals into action. It is widely accepted that project management is the best way to execute planned change, and it is here that EI can make its first direct influence on the planning process.
Strategic alignment is critical in today’s corporate environment (Al-Surmi et al., 2020; Kitsios & Kamariotou, 2021; Zimon et al., 2020; Li et al., 2021) . A tough business environment, transitions in information technology, and a sudden surge in bureaucratization have made it difficult for corporations to execute strategy. The disappointment rate for implementation of these strategies is high, and many have concluded that traditional management methods are no longer effective in today’s fast-moving and dynamic environment. Project management offers a potential solution to this dilemma. At the same time, increased competitiveness and complex environments are calling for a more emotional and behavioral approach to management. Though there is quite a large amount of literature and theoretical discussion surrounding the topic of emotional intelligence and its relationship to management, very little of it provides a concrete link between the two or a how-to guide for implementation of it.
3. The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Project Success
Since emotional intelligence deals with understanding of emotions, it may help in explaining why some intelligent people fail in project management, while other less intelligent ones succeed (El Khatib et al., 2021; Doan et al., 2020; Fareed et al., 2021; Supramaniam & Singaravelloo, 2021; Reshetnikov et al., 2020) . It will no doubt involve eventual success in management of project and in determining who shall be realistic, positive, work focused, persevering in times of trouble and pressure, and who shall manage their behavior, manage time and information and solve problems (i.e. who shall be an effective project manager). This is what our argument revolves around i.e. successful project management and effective project manager. It will be difficult to establish with precision the nature of the relationship between emotional intelligence and effectiveness in project management. This is primarily due to the fact that researchers are only beginning to understand the behaviour that is involved in effective project management and have only just started investigating the emotional intelligence of project managers. Since successful project management will involve a variety of different skills and will depend on the nature of the project being managed, it is likely that the relationship between emotional intelligence and success in project management will be complex and will vary from one project or manager to another. At this stage it is difficult to do more than speculate about the different ways in which emotional intelligence might influence success in project management. Based on what is understood about the behaviour involved in managing a project, it would seem that the range of emotional intelligence abilities, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management will all be important, if not essential for success. A project manager who is low in self-awareness will not be realistic about what they can and cannot do and will set themselves up for failure. A project manager who is unable to manage their emotions will become stressed and lose ability to think clearly. A project manager who is low in social awareness will not pick up emotional signals from others in the project team and thus will be unable to prevent bad feeling or disharmony.
3.1. Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Project Success
The concept of success in project management is very subjective. It is the accomplishment of pre-defined goals within certain constraints. Thus, the focal point in the issue of project success is striving to understand what are the causes and consequences of success and failure in projects (Elmezain et al., 2021) . Sitkin suggests that a successful project’s outputs may be derived from efficiency and/or effectiveness in managing the project and integrating it into the environment. From the efficiency and effectiveness of project management itself, it can be derived from the project manager and team capabilities in doing their tasks. A project manager who is able to finish their tasks and delegate them to their team will have more opportunities to attain project success. Here, the more complex the project, in terms of the number of tasks and involving more people, it would need higher management abilities from the project manager. Meanwhile, the team’s effectiveness in doing their tasks is always associated with behavioral aspects, so we can assume there are very strong correlations between the team’s behavior and the project’s success itself.
3.1.1. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
Enhanced communication and collaboration is the ultimate goal of emotional intelligence. Communication is probably the number one factor in project management stress, allowing teams to work better and more efficiently together, not to mention reducing the unnecessary stress involved in fixing problems that occur as a result of communication breakdown. Studies including Hodgetts et al. (2005) have shown the general importance of emotional intelligence in the ability to communicate effectively. Being able to understand, empathize, and be assertive are all key traits of the emotionally intelligent person. Understanding and empathy are consistently rated as the most important communication skills (Senge, 1990; Goldring & Sims, 2005) , and assertiveness, while often having negative connotations, is important in expressing feelings and wishes in a way that does not offend others. Guesswork and passive aggression do not constitute effective or efficient communication of task requirements (Mayer, 1996) . Project managers who communicate well are strong in seeking clarity and understanding from their employees, have fewer problems caused by misunderstandings where too often it is assumed that a task has been understood or that the requirements are clear, simply due to a lack of discomfort in asking for an explanation in fear of looking incompetent. Clear communication greatly reduces the amount of revisions that need to be made as a result of errors and can effectively eliminate the “Chinese whispers” syndrome where a message or requirement becomes gradually more distorted as it is passed from person to person. The result of effective communication is a transfer of information that is understood exactly as it was meant to be, and this is the “Holy Grail” of minimizing project error (Kania et al., 2020; El Khatib et al., 2022) .
3.1.2. Effective Leadership and Decision Making
This links with an EI competency of motivational propensity. This is defined as a “passion for work for reasons other than money or status and a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence” (Görgens-Ekermans & Roux, 2021; Saha et al., 2023) . This was quite evident in Jack’s former supervisor, who wanted the new LIS to be an award-winning system and therefore hired Jack to be the project manager. This supervisor had attempted to poke Jack with a sticking to increase his motivational propensity. He believed in Jack’s potential, though Jack was unwilling to relocate to Florida to take the job. This contrast in motivational propensity proved to be a cause of the project failure as Jack did not have enough drive or perseverance to see the project through and achieve the goal. An increase in Jack’s motivation for the task was needed and would have been achieved by consultation with his supervisor to identify to change the system and how both parties would believe it to better serve NHS employees. This would have allowed Jack to take his supervisor’s goals and develop a plan to reach them. With reference to the case study, the most suited leadership style is the transformational leadership. Transformational leaders do “the right things” by developing a shared vision with followers, the ability to better serve both internal and external customers, and identifying the need for change with a willingness to engage in the processes. Leadership can be defined as the process of influencing others to achieve group or organizational goals. Effective leadership is, therefore, necessary in order to achieve the project goal and avoid project failure. From the case study, it was evidenced when Jack was appointed the project manager and failed to create a partnership with upper management or decision-making autonomy, hence, his leadership was ineffective and he did not influence others to achieve the goal. Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been identified as contributing to effective leadership. EI competencies are linked with various effective leadership styles, vision, empowerment, change catalyst, and customer/constituency focus. Daniel Goleman (1998) has identified a six-style framework for effective leadership.
3.2. Case Studies on Emotional Intelligence and Project Success
The PM/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) study was conducted with 43 top management teams in a major aeronautics and space organization. The study showed that teams with high EI outperformed teams with low EI. Specifically, there were three higher EI teams and three lower EI teams which were measured by the Emotional Competence Inventory. The higher EI teams were more successful on all accounts than lower EI teams. The first measured account was for fuel cells versus solar cells. PM picked the successful higher EI teams because they chose to go with the team who would be more successful monetarily in the long run. In both cases, an adequate supply of power was assured for the initial phase of the plant by connecting the power outlets to a supply of electricity from local utilities. Subsequently, the cells were to provide power to electrolyzers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This led to a test utilizing fuel cells and solar cells at an existing energy storage device. A team of engineers who used the technical knowledge of various types of fuel cells to determine the type that would be most efficient for this application followed. In all these cases, the higher EI teams were more successful. In the second measure, the more successful teams were those that consisted of engineers of essentially equivalent technical competence, though they were differentially receptive to instruction on how to select among alternative designs and to assess their impact on system safety and health. In these later cases, the desired procedure was carried out and it was found that the most successful mode of operation was the mode that engineered the cells. For this task, the higher EI teams were equally successful but were less likely to endanger the recommended change with a build decision. Finally, success was measured by the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium, which must be destroyed in order to promote world peace and a safer environment. This task proved to be most successful with the solar cells decision, with an expanded mode of operation and a simulation in all cases. The EI teams were more efficient in these cases but achieved the desired result in the last case only, due to changes in company management in an unstable industry. The AT&T case study is also able to draw many parallels between high EI and increased project success. This paper will attempt to draw these parallels and show how this academic paper can be used as a reference for project managers on the topic of EI. This case study examines the Performance of Teams and Leadership in AT&T using the EQi as a means of assessing EI. This is an important study since AT&T is viewed as a leader in the telecommunications industry and studies on top-performing companies are useful for gauging the future significance of a topic.
3.2.1. Case Study 1: Emotional Intelligence in a Successful Project
Case study 1 was conducted in a high technology company in California, which focused on emotional intelligence training for upper management. The managers identified key items to work on for the year, one of which was to develop an internet technology infrastructure to take the company into the next century. This was a substantial change for the company and had a large risk factor in it. A project manager was assigned to this task and he identified that the biggest risk factor in the project was failure. With this in mind, he gathered a team of project managers whom he believed to be the best candidates for the job. He then went to the company president and reassured him that the project would be a success. This immediate commitment to the project’s success was essential and served as a condition for taking the next step, without it they would have pulled the plug at the first sign of trouble. A six-month time frame was set and the project managers began planning. Unfortunately, arguably the best project manager was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to continue working. This was a great loss to the team and the project manager stepped in to fill the empty space. The project was a huge task because the company had outdated technology and little expertise in the area. The project manager realized the increased need for support and sought help from an outside source. A consultant was brought in to give advice and support to the team. This was a long and arduous project with many ups and downs. A time frame and cost analysis was done at the beginning of the project and proved to be an inaccurate measure with the finish line constantly being moved further away. In its toughest time, the team was reprimanded by the company president due to the cost increase and they almost lost their support of the project. In the end, the project was a success, and in light of learning the hard way with many errors and few good tools, it was agreed that they would do a similar project but use all the knowledge and tools gained to do it right the first time.
3.2.2. Case Study 2: Lack of Emotional Intelligence and Project Failure
A group at XYZ Construction Company was created to look at the strategic alignment of emotional intelligence with project management. The major finding is that emotional intelligence is a key ingredient in project management success. This study took place at a large construction company that builds power stations. The stations have a set of agreed best practices for the operations and maintenance of the different types of power stations and quite complex plants. It was a 5-year project to develop training packages and assessment tools and materials to build capacity in operating and maintaining the plant. Throughout the project, there were regular changes of project personnel and little consistency in the project team. This was a double case of lack of emotional intelligence as there was unstable leadership and inability of the team to form a social network.
4. The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Team Performance
The last two sections have illustrated the importance of emotional intelligence in guiding behavior and affect and in influencing the emotional climate. While the theories and empirical findings supporting these connections are quite compelling, the argument that emotional intelligence is related to performance is still somewhat tenuous. To provide a more conclusive link between emotional intelligence and performance, the research must demonstrate that emotional intelligence actually leads to superior performance. The framework outlined in the introduction proposes that emotional intelligence can influence performance by affecting the individual’s effort, choice of different strategies and self-efficacy, and by impacting various aspects of the work situation. An influential stream of research in social psychology has demonstrated that beliefs about emotions can have a profound effect on how we feel and how we perform. Individuals who believe that emotions are bad, for example, tend to be anxious about emotions, try to suppress them, and are more likely to ruminate about events that invoke negative emotions. This is particularly relevant to people with low emotional intelligence who predominantly employ the lower levels skills of suppressing and disengaging from their emotions. These strategies can have several detrimental effects. A study on the emotional intelligence of doctors, for example, found that those who scored higher on emotional intelligence tended to use more effective coping strategies and thus experienced less burnout. Failed attempts to suppress negative emotions can also lead to emotional contagion by causing others to pick up on the person’s bad mood and thus affecting the emotional climate.
4.1. Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Team Performance
A study and analysis of 5 eldercare teams was taken by Druskat and Wolff (2001) . Their aim was to understand factors that facilitate or hinder team effectiveness in the field of healthcare. They defined effective teams as a group of employees and a supervisor responsible for closely related services to a particular client or group of clients. The team’s effectiveness was found to be variable in the quality and maintenance of the client’s service, team members’ satisfaction and well-being, and the existence of a learning environment. An emotional intelligence team-building intervention was assessed and resulted in a great increase in team performance, although its effect was varied depending on the mix of high and low emotional intelligence.
Proceeding on, emotional intelligence can create an uplift of performance within teams. This should theoretically be the same in a project management environment. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are able to assess multiple perspectives within a situation and make an informed decision based on the overall best outcome. Furthermore, these certain individuals are able to make a decision that may not suit them personally, yet they will do so if it is the best outcome for that particular situation. Consistent decision making is vitally important in upper management roles within project teams. Project managers would expect a certain level of consistency within their decision-making process from the team members, maintaining goal focus and achieving the desired outcome. An emotionally intelligent team member would be significantly more capable of pulling off consistent decision making when compared with a lesser emotionally intelligent counterpart. One of the key steps in decision making is problem-solving, and emotionally intelligent individuals are better at assessing the various levels of a problem and providing a solution. This is particularly relevant to project managers, as the decision in which to allocate a manager will often depend on the nature of the problem and the urgency of the solution. Often the allocation of a manager to a particular team will decide whether the project manager achieves the desired outcome.
4.1.1. Improved Team Dynamics and Cooperation
The ability of team members to set aside individual differences and personal biases in order to work towards the achievement of a common goal is fundamental. High emotional intelligence in a team will facilitate this through encouraging understanding of the various work styles of each member (Mindeguia et al., 2021; Goleman, 2021; Jordan & Troth, 2021) . An effective method to gauge understanding each other in a neutral manner is through a team charter. A team charter is a document that clarifies the team’s mission, purpose, and goals. It defines how the work will get done: the decision-making methods and the expected conduct of the team members. By planning the charter in several meetings and considering feedback from each member, a team with high emotional intelligence will better understand the reasoning behind certain behaviors and decisions. This allows more room to accept behaviors that are unlike one’s own, as it is understood that the difference in behavior is derived from personality and upbringing. This will decrease the frequency of judgmental attributions of another person’s behavior, which are a common cause of interpersonal conflict.
Recognizing, understanding, and managing emotions in a positive way creates a synergy among team members. This enables them to align their personal and collective goals with the project vision. It is not enough to just hire talented team members; they must be able to function well together. A key aspect of team dynamics involves motivation. A motivated team will always outperform a group of individuals. Team motivation can be negatively affected by many things such as member-to-member conflict, poor leadership, and unclear goals. When a team has high emotional awareness, it can effectively monitor the emotional dynamics of the team, identify the strengths and weaknesses of each team member, and prevent conflict before it escalates. With shared knowledge of each member’s strengths and weaknesses, team members can play to individuals’ strengths and thus accomplish more, which will increase motivation as the team sees that they are making real progress.
4.1.2. Higher Team Motivation and Productivity
Individuals with high emotional intelligence are more effective in making others feel comfortable and to build rapport among the team. They are adept at averting misunderstandings, conflicts, and assisting the team to stay focused and on track. To develop team motivation and productivity, it is vital to realize the implications of motivation and job satisfaction of individuals on team performance. There is a substantial body of knowledge on the link between job satisfaction and job performance. It is widely recognized that a happy worker is a productive worker. Recent research indicates that emotions are closely linked to employee motivation. Emotions influence whether employees approach their jobs with an enthusiastic and energetic attitude or whether they are hesitant and withdrawn. Upbeat moods prompt more favorable evaluations of situations and more creative problem-solving activity. The affective link to creativity and the fact that motivated employees devote more effort to their tasks suggests that EI should be associated with increased effort and creativity on the job. EI’s relationship with job performance has implications for team productivity. Considering that there is a link between individual job performance and team performance, it is likely that emotionally intelligent employees will be valuable resources for enhancing team performance. EI will contribute to enhanced performance in team-based activities as emotionally intelligent individuals are more adept at creating the conditions that make effective collective activity possible. They can do this by facilitating shared understanding of goals and the development of a shared identity. Emotionally intelligent individuals are also better leaders and are able to utilize effective leadership styles. So it is likely that an emotionally intelligent team member can affect team performance through leadership. All these factors make it highly probable that emotionally intelligent individuals make above-average contributions to the organizations that hire them and that they will be identified as high-potential employees. An interesting model that illustrates how emotional intelligence can enhance team performance is the Trait Meta Mood Theory. Salovey and his colleagues developed this model to explain how moods can affect cognitive processes. This is an important theory as much of what we call team performance is just a reflection of individual cognition. The theory states that it is the individual’s interpretation of their moods that affects their cognitive processes and subsequent behavior. The better the individual is at attending to, changing, and understanding moods, the more effective the mood will be in changing the individual’s cognition and behaviors. This suggests that individuals who are skilled in understanding and managing emotions (i.e., high EI individuals) will be able to direct the moods of their teammates in a way that improves their cognitive processes and, finally, team performance. An example of this might be a high EI individual recognizing that his teammates are becoming frustrated at a difficult problem and using humor to lighten the mood and help the team to stay on task.
4.2. Case Studies on Emotional Intelligence and Team Performance
Begun in 1998, a two-year study of a multinational software development company might be the most extensive case study to date. The study was conducted by the Hay Group, a consulting concern consisting of managers and human services professionals in twenty-one nations around the world. The Hay Group has manufactured and validated a competency stock which was conducted on almost one thousand business leaders across ten business functions in fifteen global companies. The analysis and findings from this study replicate EI theory as it was found that the most prized leaders in the organizations sampled possessed a wide array of emotional competencies. An analysis-of-variance technique revealed that the twenty competencies made a significant difference between company managers. Eighteen of the competencies were correlated with the amount of efficacy, which is the ability to produce a desired effect. The competences that show the most significant effect on efficacy are achievement drive, developing others, self-confidence, and cognitive ability. This is what the EI model is all about. The competencies displayed in this study are change catalyst, customer service, leveraging diversity, influencing others, political awareness, and teamwork and collaboration; all displayed how a leader manages and motivates his or her team to get the desired results. This Hay Group study also included multi-rater competency assessments concerning bosses’ performance. This is where it was found that the higher up the leaders were, the less open they were to negative feedback. This is significant, as it’s the leaders who most need to be open to feedback who are the least likely to get it. Finally, within the Hay Group study, the most involved case was a six-month analysis of Newe Power Systems, a startup energy company in the United States. During Newe’s lucratively growth phase, Hay Group consultants proceeded to aid Newe’s leadership team to overcome many obstacles to growth and develop a more effective business in terms of methodology and bottom-line results. A survey results discovered a strong return on the leadership team’s development efforts with regards to improved leadership behaviors and enhanced business performance. This case was not too different from the U.S. Air Force case and other studies in which EI coaching was deemed a major contributor to improved leadership team effectiveness.
4.2.1. Case Study 1: Emotional Intelligence and High-Performing Teams
Dr. S provided the research team with a detailed description of the problems that the team had experienced over the last two years. At the request of the research team, he then engaged his team in an exercise to assess the EI of the team using the Goleman EQ model. The team collectively scored the highest on the self-regard subscale and the lowest on the empathy subscale. The team was given these results and an explanation of what they meant. A discussion then ensued as to whether the team felt that this was an accurate portrayal of them. The team agreed that it was and were eager to know how they could use this information to improve their effectiveness and resolve the issues that had been identified by their leader. They were aware that there was an abundance of research that correlated a leader’s EI with the effectiveness of the team that they lead. At this stage, Dr. S was the only member of the team who had a defined leadership role within the practice. He agreed to work through a parallel process with the research team to improve his EI and its impact on his team.
Abstract Case study 1 is on a young general medical practitioner. Dr. S is the leader of a team that is involved in managing primary health care in a changing and unstable environment. His team has been described by everyone in the practice as excellent. Over the last two years, Dr. S has noticed that the person he sees as his team’s administrative leader has been regularly reporting incidents of conflict with other members of the team. He also feels that his own relationship with the administrative leader has been strained during this period. At the same time, morale has dropped and he has received several anonymous complaints about the atmosphere within the team. This has taken its toll on Dr. S, who has at times contemplated leaving the team to work elsewhere. He is concerned and wants to know how to resolve the problems that exist within his team.
4.2.2. Case Study 2: Emotional Intelligence and Team Conflict Resolution
Case Study 2 demonstrates the positive impact emotional intelligence can have on resolving conflicts within a team. A project manager found that two of her top software designers were having difficulty working together, which was causing frustration and resentment that manifested itself in the quality of their requirements and designs. The project manager held a private meeting with each person, using her understanding of the emotional undercurrents to address each one’s concerns about the other. By using statements of the form “I sense that you are feeling X about Y because of Z,” she was able to accurately uncover each person’s feelings and perceptions. In the first meeting, the project manager was able to act as a catalyst for change in one of the designers. This designer had been feeling angry that his partner was not pulling his weight, and that frustration had caused him to be overly critical of his partner. His increased awareness of his own feelings and a little EI coaching allowed him to see that he was projecting his concerns about the project into personal attacks, and that he had in fact been avoiding confronting his partner and showing any leadership within the design pair. With the second designer, the project manager had to spend a good deal of time working through his feelings of frustration and a desire to just avoid the other person. This in itself was a useful exercise in bringing buried emotion to the surface. At this point, both designers were able to have a productive joint meeting to work out their differences and they were able to enlist the aid of the project manager as a mediator. Using her high level of social awareness, the manager was able to create a safe and respectful environment for the discussion and to keep the focus on constructive criticism and positive change. The meeting was a success and the positive resolution of their conflict left the designer feeling optimistic and much more trusting of each other. Throughout these discussions, the increased awareness of individual and others’ emotions was a key factor in identifying the root causes of the problems and in finding solutions that were agreeable to all. This in turn raised the morale of the entire design pair and allowed them to produce higher quality work.
5. Framework for Enhancing Project Success and Team Performance
A leader using emotional intelligence strategies would enhance how team members are feeling in order to have an effect on their performance. The five categories of emotional intelligence are all methods which may be used to influence the emotions of a given person or situation. By using self-awareness, a leader can monitor his own emotions and decide the best course of action to take. A leader with high self-regulation is effective at managing his emotions and will not take out his anger or frustration on other team members. Empathy is the ability to understand how someone else is feeling and can be useful for understanding the needs or difficulties of a team member. This can be related back to motivation of where a leader can use his understanding of the team member in order to increase the team member’s confidence or determination to complete a task. Finally, a leader using social skill can create a positive atmosphere for his team by using his effective communication skills and conflict resolutions in order to promote teamwork and cooperation.
This section serves as a guide to team management using emotional intelligence. There is a wealth of data supporting the argument that a primary factor in the successful management of a project is due to the use of team-based learning techniques. Data is collected showing the effects of a value team learning in both traditional project management situations as well as complex or poorly defined situations as defined by the PMBOK (BPPM). Data shows that the encouragement of learning has a positive effect on team performance, and it has been argued that one of the core competencies of team-based learning is the ability to manage the team’s emotions. This is due to the fact that learning is largely influenced by emotion; a positive, can-do attitude is likely to increase efficiency in understanding and completing a task, whereas a negative, defeatist attitude will impede the learning process. By managing the emotions of the team, learning is facilitated which in turn increases task comprehension and completion. This serves to enhance team performance which is the primary goal of project management (Jordan & Lawrence, 2009) .
5.1. Integration of Emotional Intelligence in Project Management Processes
The most widely accepted model of team development is Tuckman’s stages of group development. According to this model, a group will go through the stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing on its way to the completion of a task or objective. At the forming stage, team members are usually on their best behavior but some are anxious about what lies ahead. Clarity of purpose is weak, and the team will have to rely on the direction of a manager to get started. An emotionally intelligent manager will be able to recognize this and provide more direction to the team than usual, giving them a sense of leadership and security. At the storming phase, individuals will start to resist control by the group and leader, which can result in various emotional responses and resistance to the task. This can be a particularly difficult time for the manager who may have to deal with power struggles and emotional outbursts. The manager must continue to be empathetic and supportive but also firm in his guidance to move the team to the next level.
5.1.1. Stages of Development
Effective team development is essential to project success. A project team is a collection of individuals working together to achieve a common goal. When individuals are assembled into a group to accomplish a task, there is a high probability that the task will fail because the stages of development were bypassed. A project manager will use emotional intelligence in team development to gauge the emotional and developmental needs of the team at any one point and pick the most appropriate course of action to move the team to the next level.
1) Developing Project Teams
The process of integrating emotional intelligence in project management processes involves making project teams more effective through considering the emotional needs of all the project stakeholders. Executive teams, project managers, and members will find many opportunities to apply emotional intelligence in all of the project management processes, which ultimately provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace. A few examples of how emotional intelligence can be used in project management processes are identified in developing project teams, project planning, project communication, managing project changes, and project leadership. This paper will focus on developing
2) Emotional Intelligence in Project Planning
Often in project planning, we are faced with uncertain and ambiguous situations and decision-making processes. Characterized by intra-team or inter-team conflict, our aim here is to make a decision that satisfies all parties. Realistically, this is not always the case and compromises must be made. The ability to understand the implications of the available options and the skill in making the right decision based on that understanding is a highly valuable competency. High-level competencies in achievement orientation and adaptability are also desirable for it is almost inevitable that plan changes will occur, and a plan may have to be abandoned because it is no longer the best option. With a rate of change that is so high in today’s modern fast-paced working environments, it is common for people to experience stress.
Project planners need to be aware of the emotional needs of all stakeholders, particularly when negotiating and resolving conflicts over resource allocations and work priorities. The ability to understand their viewpoint and to have empathy for their position is invaluable. Creating a positive and supportive working environment can improve individual and team performance. Emotions, positive or negative, have a direct effect on work performance. Understanding the causal connection between cause and effect is an important part of the self-management EI area. Staff that are motivated will work effortlessly, and those with a high level of commitment will not cease until they have completed work to the best of their ability.
It is said that one minute of planning saves ten in execution. This is especially true in project planning where a lack of precision and clarity can cause confusion, wasted effort and time, and can lead to unnecessary failure. Project plan development can be a complex and time-consuming activity, yet the quality of it is a critical success factor over the life of the project. A typical project requires a detailed breakdown of the work, coordination of interdependent activities and resources, and an estimation of timescales and resource costs.
5.1.2. Emotional Intelligence in Project Execution
Project execution is the most intensive phase of the project where the plan is put into action and potential problems reveal themselves. Many of these problems have their roots in poor teamwork and bad interpersonal relationships. Emotionally intelligent project managers are able to recognize these problems as they begin to emerge and nip them in the bud. Team members with high emotional intelligence will be better able to get along with one another and the project manager, creating an environment which is more conducive to teamwork and more likely to be successful. EQ has been found to be a significant predictor of job performance for teamwork and leadership. This has important implications for project managers who can use these findings to build a team of higher performers. Using standard selection techniques such as interviews or aptitude tests, it is difficult to find out if a person is a high performer in these areas. High EQ, on the other hand, is easier to measure and it has been shown that personality-based interviews can be an effective way of assessing a person’s EQ. Once a team of high performers is in place, the emotionally intelligent manager will be better equipped to motivate and lead them towards the final goal. EQ competencies such as achievement, adaptability, and optimism are directly tied to motivation and the ability to overcome obstacles. An emotionally intelligent leader will be able to use his own example to inspire these qualities in his team members. Finally, in times of crisis or unavoidable failure, the manager with high EQ will be more resilient and a better source of reassurance to his team. EQ has been linked to effective coping and a strong manager will be a key factor in keeping a troubled project on track.
5.2. Strategies for Developing Emotional Intelligence in Project Managers and Team Members
Development of intrapersonal competences is the essential beginning for each individual in the context of emotional intelligence development. Team members first need to know what emotional intelligence is and what it means for them. This can be achieved through self-assessment, increased self-awareness, and understanding the impact of their behavior on others. Appraisals and inventories can be used for team members to show them their level of EI and which areas they need to develop. For example, a project manager can create awareness by using emotional intelligence evaluation surveys and interviews to assess the organization’s emotional climate. This provides clear feedback for what needs to be improved. Self-assessment in the form of comparisons with someone who is perceived as handling a similar situation well can also be a strong motivator to change. This can be difficult to swallow for individuals whose current behavior is seen as ineffective. A situation in which the team or individual has experienced a negative outcome such as conflict or a problem is a prime time to reflect and learn from mistakes. This involves determining what they could have done differently and understanding the link between their actions and the outcome. To enhance self-awareness and recognize the connection between actions and outcomes, individuals could benefit from keeping an emotional diary to analyze situations, identify triggers, and explore alternative responses. Training is the most common method for increasing emotional intelligence. This can range from formal courses incorporating a wide range of theoretical knowledge to on-site emotional intelligence coaching. High-quality training has been shown to be effective in raising levels of EI so long as it involves adequate time, theoretically based methods, and practice (Freedman, 1998) . Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) describe a model for EI coaching which teaches individuals to identify their emotional competencies and work to develop them using a wide range of resources over a two-year period. This is most applicable to project managers or individuals in leadership roles who have the most potential to make a positive impact on those around them.
5.2.1. Training and Development Programs
While the onus is on the leaders of project teams to increase their own EI competency, it is only logical that they will, at some stage, require assistance in improving these skills. The next section will take a look at some of the ways they can tap into the resources available to enhance overall EI competency, either on a personal level or if need be, for the sake of a project team. From the above, it’s clear that there is evidence to suggest that project managers could benefit from training in EI competencies, or in some cases, training aimed at improving a specific competency for the purpose of enhancing project performance.
If we compare competencies deemed important for leaders with those deemed important for project managers that were shown in the Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee article in the MIT Sloan Management Review, we can see a distinct overlap between the two figures. For example, the ability of project managers and leaders to work under very stressful and high-pressure situations is almost a direct parallel from one set of data to another. This shows us that the relevance of EI concepts to project management is equally, if not more, important to the skills needed to be an effective leader. With a higher demand for more complex personal skills, training and development of EI competencies is only logical.
The Malaysian Institute of Management offers a module called “Emotional Intelligence for Project Leaders”. In Australia, the Centre for Project Management has been conducting “Project Management and Leadership” seminars which also touch on EI skills. Though a few of these programs have little concrete material, they are a beginning and it is expected that the trend of EI training will increase in the future. At the University of Texas in the year 2000, a study was done by Cross and Carillo on PM and Leadership competencies which state that in the future across the next five years complex personal skills like empathy, self-confidence, and influence will become seen as increasingly important as cultures become more diverse.
5.2.2. Coaching and Mentoring Initiatives
In a completely separate literature, emotional intelligence has been found to be an important factor in determining the success of an individual in a learning environment. The theory is based on the idea that emotions impair judgement and decision making, but that individuals who are able to understand and control their emotions will be less likely to make the wrong decision. In a study of MBA students, a test group was given coaching in emotional intelligence theory over a period of two years. At the end of this period, the students were found to possess a significantly greater understanding of their own emotions and the emotions of others, and showed improvement in the ability to manage these emotions. The coached students also adapted more effectively to various environmental and task-induced moods, and those with high ability in the understanding and management of moods were found to perform better than those with low ability. This study has important implications for both coaching initiatives and the recruitment of project managers possessing high emotional intelligence.
Coaching and mentoring initiatives are of growing importance in project and change management. In short, initiation relies on the provision of help to the project manager by a more experienced manager or consultant. This help can take the form of directive coaching, in which the coach provides specific advice on how to handle various events and issues in the project, or mentoring, if the coach helps the project manager to reflect on his or her own experiences in order to draw out learning which can be applied to future events. Studies have found that the dominant style of coaching and mentoring sought by project managers was developmental, which involves the critical analysis of the behaviour of the project manager, and reflection on how it can be adapted to exhibit more effective performance in the future. Owing to the complex and infrequent nature of coaching and the difficulty in finding an appropriate mentor, various national and international project management associations have recently begun to develop coaching and mentoring schemes with mixed success. A PMI survey found that just 41% of project managers working in organisations with coaching and mentoring schemes were actually participating in them.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, emotional intelligence represents an important set of skills that individuals can acquire and develop. It can allow us to detect how well we are managing our behavior, cognition, and emotions. Teams with a high degree of emotional intelligence are in touch with the feelings of others. They are adept at picking up the mood of the squad but not easy to set up. Someone may say that he or she is good at gauging other people’s feelings, but that person may be using emotional intelligence to determine how the other individual feels. This squad is more likely to collaborate and complete a task because they are concerned with how the work gets done, and not just the work itself. A squad at this level will conduct postmortems on finished projects to determine what went right and what went wrong. They are highly concerned with constant improvement. The focus of emotional intelligence and project management may well be how to get a team that is not very concerned with the work of the project to go through the steps and finish the specified work. This group of individuals will need to be persuaded and motivated as they will first try to determine if the project is worth doing, and then will try to establish if the project is worthy of their involvement.
6.1. Summary of Findings
However, the results (B1) and (B2) were both somewhat unsupported. Intercorrelation studies of the TMMS with personality tests indicate that EI has a unique relationship with mood-oriented constructs, compared to mood being an external outcome. The TMMS was expected to relate more strongly with mood than abilities-based measures. This being the case, the contribution of the mood improvement finding was not significant enough in proclaiming the vast importance of trait EI. Perhaps a more compelling result was generated with study (B3). EI-based training programs are designed to increase the awareness, understanding, and regulation of emotions. In the training group, participants displayed a greater use of empathy and a reduced amount of avoidance interpersonal coping strategies. Measures were associated with a quick facilitation towards identification and satisfying of emotional needs. This finding was supported by similar results in study (B4).
The result (A3) also accords with our predictions. Controlling for demographics and pre-existing mood, EI was a significant predictor of mood in that improvement in all four EI-based intervention programs generated an increase in positive affect and a reduction in negative effect.
The results (A1) and (A2) accord with our predictions. EI correlated positively with transformational leadership for all four attributional composites. As predicted, the four EI-based composites exhibited significant relationships with the charisma dimension of transformational leadership. However, two of the EI-based composites (clarity and repair) exhibited a significant relationship with both the leadership style dimension and the originality dimension. The composite for regulation had a significant relationship with leadership style alone, and lastly the other awareness composite did not exhibit significant correlations with any dimensions of transformational leadership. These findings are extremely supportive of EI having a strong tie with specific aspects of transformational leadership, particularly the charisma style of leadership.
6.2. Implications for Project Management Practice
The primary emphasis of this paper is upon the alignment of project management practices with emotional intelligence, using the Genos model of emotional intelligence to develop specific strategies for project management actions and behaviors. It has been noted that emotion is an inherent aspect of human decision making and judgment, and it plays an important role in team dynamics and leadership effectiveness in project management. Drawing on a widespread body of knowledge in the field of emotional intelligence, this paper indicates that there are numerous ways in which emotionally intelligent behavior affects the outcomes of project management actions. This research breaks new ground by addressing an important gap in the literature. To date, most research considering emotional intelligence in the context of management and leadership has been general in nature. This paper, however, presents a treatment of emotional intelligence that is highly specific to the professional discipline of project management. This specificity is important because it is widely recognized that effective project management is a critical factor in the success or failure of organizational initiatives and changes. Project management has become a core management methodology in many organizations, and because success or failure in a single project can frequently have a significant impact upon an organization, it is important to understand how project management practices can be improved. A clearer understanding of what constitutes emotionally intelligent behavior in the context of project management is the first step towards this improvement.
6.3. Recommendations for Future Research
The mandates of its stakeholders assure its effective implementation and use. Moreover, it is not known at present whether organizations and their members differ in their capacity and readiness for developing emotional competencies, nor whether higher levels of emotional intelligence adversely affect performance of some types of tasks. Longitudinal research is also needed to establish if training interventions sustain or enhance levels of emotional intelligence and to identify the most effective methods for developing specific competencies. Finally, it is important to establish the impact of emotional intelligence on important work outcomes, such as job performance, leadership, and team effectiveness, and to identify the threshold values of emotional intelligence at which it begins to have a positive effect on such outcomes.