Abstract

The article discusses the significance of emotional intelligence in effectively managing organizational change. It emphasizes the various aspects of emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, and how they contribute to successful change leadership. Additionally, the article explores how emotional intelligence helps build a strong team capable of implementing change initiatives and addresses potential resistance to change.

Key themes: emotional intelligence, change leadership, organization, resistance, change recipient

 

Introduction

Basically, as in the age of globalisation, the demand on organisations and institutions to change in order to survive and remain relevant cannot be overstated. As a result, leaders in the 21^st century hold large responsibilities for successfully leading change in their organisations. However, the transformation process is emotional because no one wants to give up the comfort of the status quo or whatever they value. Despite this, leaders must succeed in the midst of these hurdles, including the emotions of individuals who will be touched by the change. As a result, there is a greater emphasis on emotional intelligence in leadership managing the transformation process. In regards, people enjoy comfort, thus change always involves some type of emotional reaction. Change, on the other hand, interrupts this comfort, causing anxieties and uncertainty among change recipients. For example, when change touches on issues close to the hearts of those affected, they will most likely react emotionally due to their minds constantly over thinking about what will happen; additionally, when change affects individuals’ assumptions, values, beliefs, and, to a large extent, identities, change recipients may be reluctant to accept the proposed status.

 

Perspectives of Emotional Intelligence: As defined by MacCann (2012), emotional intelligence is the ability of individuals to understand, manage and use their own emotions in a positive way for stress-reducing, effectively communicating and understanding others empathically. There are three understandings on the concept of “emotional intelligence”: The “ability model” focuses on an individual’s “ability to process emotional information and use it appropriately within the social environment,” the “trait model focuses on behavioural dispositions and self-perceived abilities,” and the “mixed model describes the combination of mental abilities, dispositions, and traits” Kaila and than gavel (2012). The characteristics viewpoint, for example, focuses on “emotion-related predispositions”; it entails.

 

Change leadership and emotional intelligence: The extent to which the leader is able to convey the need for change to members of the organisation is a crucial indicator of the level of success in any circumstance of change. Hence, one of the criteria of change outlined by (Bourne, 2017). is “dissatisfaction with the status quo,” and so the leader’s capacity to successfully convey the need to change the status quo will affect the amount to which members of the organisation will accept the idea of change.

 

Building a Team/Coalition to Affect Change: Similarly, change in the current century necessitates a collaborative effort to create and explain the vision to a large number of people, overcome resistance, generate short-term victories, and incorporate the changes into the organisational culture (Kotter, 2012). Leaders who try to make changes alone are more likely to be ostracised and are subject to fail in the process. As a result, the leader’s task is to put together a winning coalition to support the organization’s effective change, coalition members must be enthusiastic, committed, and credible (Kotter, 2012).

 

Overcoming Resistance in Change Leadership: During the organisational transformation process, certain followers are hesitant to join in the change activities. Resistance has been classified into two types: rational resistance and illogical resistance. According to deJager (2001), rational resistance encompasses followers’ feelings of non-involvement, but irrational resistance refers to resistance from members for the sake of resistance. According to the author, reasoned resistance followers are more likely to be persuaded to engage in change attempts. Furthermore, Gaubatz and Ensminger (2017) discovered that, some members who resist change may be “contentions” and are more likely to derail change efforts due to feelings of resentment or fear of not being recognised for the value they bring to the department or organisation.

 

Conclusion

Given the issues that leaders face in the twenty-first century, I believe that teaching future leaders to acquire emotional intelligence will go a long way towards appropriately preparing them to offer successful leadership. Furthermore, leaders cannot expect people to change if they are unwilling to change themselves. “Emotional intelligence” was the influencing factor in the difference identified in “the performance of principals of two schools” (Dye, 2013).

 

For example, “the principal’s self-awareness in the functional school demonstrated an understanding of his moral purpose as a principal to the learners in his school” (Dye, 2013. Leaders cannot expect others to change if they are unwilling to change themselves. Emotionally intelligent leaders demonstrate a willingness and aptitude to change by displaying adaptability, self-confidence, ingenuity, and initiative, as well as serving as change catalysts (Madhivanan and Riasudeen, 2018).

 

References

 

McCann, C. 2012. Further examination of emotional intelligence as a standard intelligence: A latent variable analysis of fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, and emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(5), pp.490–496.

Bourne, P. 2017. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence- A Book Review. COJ Nursing & Healthcare, 1(2).

Dye, C. 2013. Healthcare leadership: essential values and skills. Chicago, Il: Health Administration Press.

Madhivanan, S. and Riasudeen, S. 2018. An analysis of the mediating effect of emotional intelligence between self-evaluation traits with emotional and spiritual well-being. International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 6(2), p.149.

Foltin, A., & Keller, R. (2012). Leading change with emotional intelligence. Nursing Management, 43, 20-25. doi:10.1097/01. NUMA.0000421675.33594.63de Jager, P. (2001).

de Jager, P. (2001). Resistance to change: A new view of an old problem. The Futuristic, 35, 24-27.

 

Author: IRENE O BANAHENE

Director/Leader at G&G/HE Student