EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Organizational Behavior I
Prof. Arthur P. Brief
February 26, 2000

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

Group IV –
Alvin Garibaldi
Cheryl Gomez
Richard Gualandi
Kevin Kovitz
Ashley McIntire
Goleman, Daniel. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.

The premise of the book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman is that people are influenced

in their lives by their emotional intelligence as well as their intelligence quotient (IQ). To simply analyze

people based on their IQ ignores a significant part of what makes a person a successful member of

society. In essence, we are born with a certain innate intelligence and inherent emotional make-up. Our

emotional make-up was developed through evolution to prompt reflexive actions toward survival. These

actions are pre-wired in our brains but, in our early development, can be adjusted to allow for a healthy,

or unhealthy, set of responses in later. Emotional intelligence “includes self control, zeal and persistence,

and the ability to motivate oneself.” Structuring this emotional environment for optimal wiring early in life

prepares a person for a successful, satisfying life regardless of their intelligence potential. There are five

major parts of the book and they are summarized in order below.

Part I – The Emotional Brain

Goleman introduces his idea of emotional intelligence through a scientific explanation of the

brain’s processes and its evolution. The brain stem, common across species, evolved earliest and is the

most primitive part of the brain, controlling reflexes and the most basic life functions. Later, a ring-like

structure, the limbic system, developed, adding two abilities, “learning and memory.” Those animals

possessing the limbic system not only react but also discriminate the good from the bad and draw on

experience. Even later, in higher animals, the covering neocortex or thinking brain developed, allowing

the “addition of nuance to emotional life” and enabling us to exist in a more complex social environment.

Emotional intelligence begins developing early in life when “interactions . . .lay down a set of

emotional lessons.” This early imprinting sets the basis for how we react throughout our adult lives.

Fortunately, we can control the primitive or limbic responses from the amygdala by having the neocortex

influence our actions through the prefrontal lobes. Essentially “the amygdala proposes the prefrontal lobe

disposes.” However, while the neocortex can moderate responses, intense emotional responses can

“hijack”the response and interfere with intellectual activities. Therefore, there needs to be a strong and

fluid working relationship between the intellect and emotional intelligence.

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 Part II – The Nature of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence has a strong influence on how we succeed in life. There are numerous

examples of people with very high IQs who are unsuccessful. While IQ is relatively fixed, emotional

intelligence can be improved, particularly in young children. The degree of standard intelligence does not

necessarily prepare us to deal with the wide-ranging situations in life. We are best served by what the

author quotes Howard Gardner as describing as a “wide spectrum of intelligences, including interpersonal

and intrapersonal intelligence.” That is, people have to be able to understand those around them,

understand themselves and moderate their activities to be effective. Emotional intelligence needs to be

coupled with IQ in order to be most successful. With a high emotional intelligence level, people are

“socially poised, outgoing and cheerful, positive about themselves, and adapt well to stress.” The pure

high IQ cannot adapt as well and is more anxious. Obviously people are a mix between the two and the

stronger they are on both levels, the better.

Goleman identifies several emotional abilities of the human brain of which include self-awareness

and worry. These abilities determine how we interact with others using empathy, our ability to recognize

emotions in others, and our ability to handle relationships with others. Self-awareness provides the basis

for all other levels of emotional intelligence. It allows us to deal with and direct strong effects of our

emotion in the most appropriate manner. The premise for self-awareness is that “emotional life is richer

for those who notice more.” It is important for us to be able to soothe our own anxiety so we are not

chronically emotionally unstable. Worry can be good. By worrying about things, especially those things

that have little chance of occurring, we can give ourselves positive feedback about our control of events

and we can distract ourselves from other problems. Although worry can ease anxiety, “chronic worries

are self-defeating”because the underlying problem is never remedied. Some people protect themselves

by regularly denying significant feelings that may have negative physiologic impact. These people may

appear “unflappable” and calm under pressure whether or not they truly are calm on the inside. Such

people sacrifice a degree of self-awareness.

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 We have an area of “working memory” that allow us to work through even significant emotional

difficulty and move on to the appropriate impulse to “cope with the frustrations of life”. When seen in

children, this ability to control impulse can translate into higher success later in life and free up our

intellect for accomplishment. Though anxiety may cause some to freeze in an activity, anxiety is not

necessarily bad. Anticipatory anxiety can be used positively to prepare to accomplish something. Some

anxiety is necessary to successfully accomplish a task but too much anxiety may prevent the

accomplishment. Another form of control is optimism or positive moods, the belief that one will succeed.

Strong expectations and the belief in control of one’s fate encourage success. Some are naturally more

optimistic than others.

A significant concept is that of flow. Flow refers to a state where everything comes together and

people exceed their usual accomplishments. When people enter flow, “the emotions are not just

contained and channeled, but positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand.” It is a self-

rewarding process. People enter flow by either being highly focused or entering into a task at which they

are skilled, a task that suits but stretches their abilities. It is a very positive time in which things seem to

happen effortlessly and “the zone of flow and optimal performance seems to be an oasis of cortical

efficiency.”

Another import factor of emotional intelligence explored is empathy. We live in a society where

we not only need to understand our own emotions but those of the people around us. The more

understanding we are of these emotions, the more we can be effective in navigating them. Most

emotional messages are non-verbal, so we have to be finely attuned to non-verbal cues. Some people

are simply born more empathic than others. A child can be influenced, however, to develop empathy by

letting the child know that “emotions are met with empathy, accepted, and reciprocated.” Simply noticing

the emotions of others around us is not enough. We must be able to balance this ability as overly alert

people may develop personality disorders. People who are psychopathic lack the ability to feel empathy.

Other emotional issues may cloud empathy. Empathy implies that there is a stable and receptive brain to

experience it. The author believes that morality develops from empathy because by sensing those

around us, we also can help determine what is right and what is wrong.

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 We can take all these abilities listed above and apply them to improve our interpersonal

intelligence. The effective person can lead and organize a network of people, mediate solutions, connect

with people and experience empathy. They can have a good understanding of how others feel and can

not only calm their own anxieties but also calm the anxieties of others. A balance of these abilities with a

proper sense of needs and self-understanding enables an individual to lead a satisfying life. Children

learn from each other and from adults around them how to develop the ability to do these things. Those

who cannot pick up an ability to read non-verbal cues suffer from “dyssemia” and do not succeed. Such

children are out of balance. They either take control of a situation too soon or out of sequence with what

is going on in a situation.

Part III – Emotional Intelligence Applied

Children learn to discuss emotions differently. Boys learn to minimize discussion and solve

things independently. Girls learn to discuss emotions and work in groups. As a result, men and women

develop different ways to deal with emotions. When these different ways are tested by stress in a

relationship, the relationship deteriorates. Relationship conflict will often show a woman who is trying to

work things out and a man who is withdrawing. There is an “emotional gender gap. Men and women

have a different way of disagreeing and this is more stressful than the specific disagreement. Criticism of

an action may be constructive as a complaint, but criticism of a person is destructive to a relationship.

There are studies that show that if couples show contempt or criticize each other personally rather than

criticizing an action, they are less likely to survive a relationship. This can be taken to another level

where criticism isn’t even manifested and the person just stonewalls. This can be the death knell for the

relationship. In a dysfunctional relationship, negative thoughts perpetuate themselves and problems are

not resolved. With an optimistic approach, a relationship can survive when a bad event is written off, but

a relationship is doomed when every event is viewed as a reinforcement of a prior negative event. To

survive a relationship, it is important to avoid personal attacks, not take criticism of action as a personal

attack, and to listen. It is possible to fight appropriately. A fight that is narrowed to one topic, where each

participant demonstrates listening and is empathetic and tries to de-escalate tension will potentially be

productive. The most successful will be able to soothe themselves and their partner minimizing flooding

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and allowing a cool down period. Successful people will have an understanding of their own thoughts

and be able to catch and diffuse self-destructive thoughts.

Part IV -- Windows of Opportunity

We can mold emotional intelligence at an early age. The well-trained individual can temper innate

tendencies carried over from birth. What we learn has lifelong consequences and are more difficult to

change later in life. Some parenting styles are emotionally problematic. Some parents ignore feelings

and thereby miss the opportunity to teach a child how to deal with an emotion. Others notice feelings but

take a hands-off approach or, conversely try to sooth everything. Clearly good parental teachers will

have strong emotional intelligence themselves. Children who are raised with emotional intelligence are

likely to be more successful. The most emotionally intelligent child and the one most able and ready to

learn in school has the following characteristics: confidence, curiosity, a wish to be effective, self control,

ability to interact with others, capacity to communicate; and the ability to balance individual needs with the

group.

It is difficult to fix what is developmentally problematic. However, unlike the IQ, the emotional

responses can be relearned. If fear creates a response, over time we have a “natural relearning” and this

fear diminishes. In those with post-traumatic stress disorder, this relearning fails. However, since

relearning is in the higher brain, even those with post traumatic stress disorder can heal and relearn.

Sometimes, and this is especially true in children, problems can be overcome by reliving them in a safe

way, leading to desensitization or the ability to fantasize a better outcome. This can also allow children to

talk and relive their feeling so that they can be calmed. Judith Lewis Herman suggests there are three

objectives to overcome trauma: reach a sense of safety, remember and mourn, and resume a normal life.

Emotional problems can be dealt with by therapy, which “teaches your neocortex how to inhibit your

amygdala”. We may have a reaction to an event that is not desired but we can control how long it takes

to recover from it. Therapy leads to less anxiety over an emotional response and more effective outward

responses.

Part V - Emotional Literacy

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 Societal problems are perhaps significantly related the lack of emotional literacy. Children

develop; withdrawal or social problems, are anxious and depressed, have attention or thinking problems,

or may be delinquent and aggressive. The more aggressive the child, the more problems there will be

later on. The impulsive child is less successful in the long run. Significantly, the consequences of their

actions do not occur to them. It is important to intervene early to try to change these attitudes.

Depression is also found to be significant in our young. Those affected tend to have a problem in relation

with others and tend to interpret all deficiencies in ways that promote their depression. The hope is that

with proper emotional intelligence, we can not only treat but also prevent depression.

Emotional competence is a better marker for success than family and economic factors. It leads

to the ability to survive troubling situations. The key ingredients to emotional literacy include self-

awareness, impulse control and delayed gratification and self-soothing, reading cues in others, listening,

and understanding what is acceptable and what others expect.

The author recommends teaching emotional competence as part of the child’s education.

Emotional literacy courses exist and are commonly practiced today. The question is what are the best

courses and how are they applied. Children can be taught to learn to cooperate and resolve conflict. It is

important for students “not to avoid conflict completely, but to resolve disagreement and resentment

before it spirals into a fight”. Learning to master emotions and actively listen can be taught in formal

classes or intermingled in a standard curriculum. The most successful lessons are taught throughout the

child’s development in an age-appropriate way. They should also be especially reinforced at times of

significant adjustment for the child such as transitions between levels of schools such as grade school to

junior high school or transition into puberty. The ability to recognize and resolve conflicts, when taught to

the child, can spill out into other areas of their existence. In essence, students are taught to “think

differently about disagreements in the first place”. In this way levels of violence can be decreased and

children can be more successful in the long run. Schools need to be more and more involved in teaching

emotional intelligence. Parents should also be included in this education to teach emotional literacy at all

levels of society.

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 Applicability to Management

Goleman’s idea of emotional intelligence has great implications for managers on many levels.

While most adults enter the workforce with an established level of emotional intelligence, they can

improve upon or enhance these skills through further training to become more effective leaders. The

well-developed interpersonal skills associated with emotional intelligence are important qualifications of

successful managers. Specifically identifies three crucial characteristics of an emotionally intelligent

manager: “being able to air grievances as helpful critiques, creating an atmosphere in which diversity is

valued rather than a source of friction, and networking effectively”.

While giving criticism is one of a manager’s most difficult tasks, it is also one of the most powerful

tools he can use. An emotionally intelligent manager can effectively motivate and evaluate employees

while maintaining them as loyal followers. Attacks on an individual can be destructive and can negatively

impact an employee’s satisfaction and motivation levels. Emotional intelligence allows managers to give

well-focused, calm suggestions or criticism, while focusing on an individual’s past accomplishments and

potential.

Emotionally intelligent leaders are sensitive to diversity and work to break down barriers through

on-going inclusion. These managers encourage a diverse workplace that fosters a creative, productive

work environment. We live in a diverse environment and we have to be able to act as if we do not have

prejudices whether or not we have them. Further, we need to act decisively to show our intolerance for

discrimination. The emotionally intelligent will know when and how to speak up against discrimination.

We can help a situation by having basic ground rules that we support and using tools such as

“perspective taking” to develop and understanding for others and learn to control ones prejudices and

actions. All these skills must be applied to help people to work together. Groups that harmonize work

best together. Having extremes of people at either end tend to be negative to groups even if one of the

extremes is highly talented. The ability to work together is the most important for success.

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 Based on Goleman’s research, emotionally intelligent people are more inclined to build strong

networks in their lives, leading to a greater level of success. Both formal and informal networks are

necessary for success. Networks that are important allow for communication, expertise and trust. The

best are connected on all levels. The communication network allows interactions to take place; the

expertise network identifies someone to turn to for appropriate advice; and a trust network gauges to what

level information can be shared. The most effective manager has wide ranging networks. This allows

him to have access to information early and possibly outside the formal flow of information in an

organization. Such a manager can respond more effectively to changes in the environment since they

are expected and he knows whom he can trust and who has the ability to execute the task.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the premise of Daniel Goleman’s book, “Emotional Intelligence,”is that there is

more than the intelligence quotient in determining our success in life. Success is represented as

academic achievement, interpersonal and intrapersonal achievement and has various other measures.

Emotional intelligence provides the ability to understand oneself and moderate one’s responses. These

responses can be directed as soothing oneself to prevent anxiety or responding appropriately to others.

In order to respond appropriately to others, we need to be empathic and understand another’s feelings.

We can use all these skills to control and focus our emotions, and to work well with others. Basic

intelligence, measured by the intelligence quotient, is innate and relatively fixed. Emotional intelligence,

although having some genetic predispositions, can be formed and developed especially in early life. It

can be re-educated later in life, although this is more difficult than the early development. It is the

emotional intelligence that truly affects whether or not we succeed. We all know highly intelligent people

with a high IQ who do not succeed. It is that person who is most developed emotionally who can best

succeed. The author emphasizes that we must focus on our children’s emotional development early in

life to lead to a more productive individual and a better society as a whole.