Intelligence is a complex and multifaceted concept that awards an individual the ability to acquire and apply knowledge, reason, solve problems, and adapt to new situations. Further, Barreiro & Treglown (2020) defines emotions as complex, multifaceted psychological and physiological response that involve a range of thoughts, feelings, and physiological responses. Consequently, emotional intelligence is coined from the two terms to mean the ability to identify and understand individual emotions and that of others and to allow this information to control a person’s thinking and behavior. Despite the idea of emotional intelligence being first conceived by Howard Gardner, the concept was well understood after psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer introduced it in 1990. The two defined emotional intelligence as the ability to recognize, understand, and manage individual emotions as well as the ability to recognize, understand, and use this information to influence the emotions of others. The concept of emotional intelligence continues to evolve as researchers explore various dimensions and models of emotional intelligence. It is notable that emotional intelligence has become an important subject in psychology and organizational behavior. The primary role played by emotional intelligence is boosting relationship building and maintenance and enabling individuals to make sound decisions, thus becoming able to navigate social situations effectively. Hence, it is an essential factor in various aspects of human ranging from career growth to personal relationships and leadership. However, Chong et al. (2020) note that measuring emotional intelligence is challenging but believes that emotional intelligence is the largest single predictor of success in modern times. Due to growing interest in the study area, various studies have focused on the subject matter to gather more knowledge to equip individuals and ward their capacity and skills to succeed. The purpose of this discussion is to identify six scholarly works that discuss emotional intelligence, the research results, and the potential of using the findings in non-profit workplaces.
As more research continues being available, building on Goleman’s work, the concept of emotional Intelligence has been largely connected to happiness, career success, academic success, and leadership prowess. Additionally, the concept of emotional Intelligence has been found to have a strong connection with the Intelligence quotient. As such, studies have found that individuals who post high scores of emotional intelligence have also demonstrated the ability to regulate themselves, show empathy, remain motivated, and have a high level of social skills. Cavaness et al. (2020) note that despite the possibility of innate emotional Intelligence, the skills can be enhanced through practice in different areas.
In workplace success, emotional Intelligence plays a critical role in determining individual and group success. A study by Falcon (2016) observes that non-profit organization plays a critical role in American society in addressing societal needs by availing public services when the private and public sectors are unable to offer those services. However, the approach employed in any research is important, and this study opted to gather data using online questionnaires. Additionally, this study opted to employ a quantitative methodology as the approach is objective and uses numerical data for statistical analysis, which makes it simple and boosts credibility. Survey participants were selected using a random sampling from the charity rating website Guidestar.com on non-profit organizations and their identified leaders. From these prices, a sample of 1,090 organizations/leaders were selected. However, the study was limited due to a lack of adequate time and a low response rate. Through this approach, the study observed that the current trend in the collapse of non-profit organizations due to unspecified reasons has raised eyebrows as they also disappear from the tax registers. The study observes that most of these entities succumb to and notes that an estimated $40 billion is lost to fraud on a yearly basis in the United States. In this case, the study seems to claim that these occurrences are associated with lower emotional Intelligence. Accordingly, emotional Intelligence allows individuals to understand other’s emotions and to allow this information to control a person’s thinking and behavior. Hence, non-profit organization leaders who have high emotional Intelligence are better equipped to make decisions that are considerate of the public good. Further, they are able to navigate social complexities, make sound decisions, and establish transparency and accountability within their organizations. Therefore, the numerous fraud cases observed in non-profit organizations are blamed on low emotional Intelligence that yields corruption due to failure to lack empathy and care for the legitimate beneficiaries of the resources awarded to individual organizations. Therefore, there is a positive correlation between non-profit leaders who reported high levels of emotional Intelligence and how they implemented board governance. Hence, emotional Intelligence has been proven to be a key factor in influencing the sustainability and effectiveness of non-profit organizations.
However, the application of emotional intelligence requires a methodology to achieve the best results. In the study by Hess & Bacigalupo (2013), incorporating emotional intelligence skills into decision-making processes can make non-profit leaders attain an advantage in impacting decisions and ultimately improving the quality and effectiveness of their choices. In this case, the study proposes the application of emotional intelligence skills to leadership in decision-making within non-profit organizations. Goleman’s and Boyatzis’ essential elements of emotional intelligence and their associated behavioral competencies are identified as the guiding parts in the implementation of emotional intelligence skills. Hence, the four elements of emotional Intelligence and the 20 associated behavioral competencies are utilized to create a methodology for the application of emotional Intelligence by non-profit organization leadership. This is achieved by a review of relevant literature on emotional Intelligence and decision-making to provide a checklist that is meant to assist non-profit leaders in improving emotional intelligence awareness and enhancing their decision-making processes.
The model uses a checklist of questions and observations to ensure non-profit leaders continue improving their emotional intelligence awareness and apply these skills to enhance the quality of their decisions within non-profit organizations. Emotional intelligence requires that leaders develop self-awareness, which increases the accuracy of their decisions, makes them aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and can leverage the attributes of others in the decision-making process. Additionally, the ability to understand others’ emotions can attract positive reactions to the decisions made, which improves sustainability. In leadership, the study notes that relationships play an important role in decision-making, and emotional perspective leads to better outcomes. Having positive relationships improves conflict management skills, which is an important skill of emotional Intelligence in determining the success of the decision-making process. However, the study recommends more research to enable a full understanding of the impact of emotional intelligence behaviors on the success of the non-profit sector.
Emotional Intelligence is critical in high-level decision-making organs such as the governance board. Hopkins et al. (2007) investigated the association between emotional Intelligence and effective board governance. The study accomplished this objective by applying a model of emotional intelligence competencies to school board practice domains. The model was used as it provided guidance on the study topic to ensure relevance and reliability. In this case, a questionnaire to measure board practice domains for the utilization of 18 emotional intelligence predefined competencies was used. The process required current and former school board members in two urban areas to give their views on the priorities of critical emotional intelligence competencies. The focus was on the effectiveness of a governance board due to following the priorities they gave and offering their explanations for their choices. The study finds that emotional intelligence is critical in attaining effective school boards.
Among the identified core competencies for a board member include initiative, transparency, organizational awareness, achievement, conflict management, teamwork, and collaboration. However, the study notes that a single model is not adequate to inform decisions and recommends studies on additional models to enable effective board practice. However, various studies have criticized the nature of the emotional intelligence construct. Additionally, the single model cannot be used to generate generalizable results for all governance boards, both in the public as well as in the private sector. However, the research was keen to identify a novel application of Emotional Intelligence to improve leadership competencies for effective governance boards. Therefore, the study was able to accomplish its investigative duty and found that emotional intelligence competencies are connected with effective board governance and emotional intelligence competencies. Therefore, more research should be encouraged to increase the knowledge base in this area, which is critical for the overall performance of economies and societies.
In Rethinking Governance in a Dynamic Environment, Freiwirth (2017) used data from the Alliance for Non-profit Management’s 2015 national conference research to practice sessions, which contains findings from various keyboard chair leadership studies and research of new shared governance approaches whose focus is beyond the structure of the normative, unitary board. Other studies have also found a lack of preparation for the board leadership role and noted that most board chairs fail to interact with their general communities. The study observes a constantly changing non-profit landscape, which has attracted new challenges and new approaches in the models of governance and board leadership. However, many non-profits are noted to be dysfunctional as they continue using traditional models of governance that mainly focus on the roles and responsibilities of board members. However, modern governance principles are required to be backed by research as the trends have indicated a shift to shared governance research. Therefore, despite applying best practices in the traditional governance approaches, the study observes that individuals fail to practice emotional intelligence. The position is identified as individuals in the traditional approaches presenting their personal views without considering the views of others. It shows that these models were much of a man show, which caused their failure.
In another study that investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and Commitment among Non-profits, among other factors, Shubert (2014) found significant relationships between emotional intelligence and work commitment among non-profit organization employees. In this, the study used a quantitative research method to investigate the relationship between the predictor variable and work commitment. As such, the sample of the study was 273 non-profit employees working in non-profit organizations in the United States who were 18 years and older. Data was gathered through an online survey, which had measures of emotional intelligence and commitment. The study believes that these findings can be of great importance in providing knowledge of how to strengthen non-profit organizations through employee commitment and the associated emotional intelligence informing the commitment. Hence, non-profit organizations can be able to retain motivated and committed staff members through deliberate efforts. In this study, emotional intelligence is seen as a main player in boosting employee commitment. The practicability of this emotional intelligence can be on the management side or on the employee side. For instance, a management team that uses emotional intelligence skills will be able to increase employee morale through empathy and positively impacting their feelings. Further, employees who practice emotional Intelligence are equipped better to deal with the work environment and stay motivated.
In an attempt to understand the role of emotional intelligence in the hiring processes within non-profit organizations, Brewster (2020) conducted a qualitative study to explore the hiring process in non-profit organizations. An in-depth review of existing literature offered significant knowledge about the topic. However, the study established that many non-profit leaders are unaware of the concept of emotional intelligence in the business world. But it is also established that despite their unawareness, emotional intelligence is employed during the hiring period of organizational leaders. Hence, the relevance of emotional intelligence requires that non-profit leaders learn about the concept. Through this study, gaps have been identified that can allow the injection of new knowledge into the study topic and explore the reasons for the desirability of emotional intelligence in non-profits. The refined Goleman model of emotional intelligence framework was used in data analysis, and the study finds that the considerations during the process of hiring managers in non-profit organizations circulate around the three qualities associated with emotional intelligence: adaptability, empathy, and bond building. However, a lack of resources was found to be a significant challenge in gaining in-depth knowledge about the concept. Therefore, the study identifies a need for alternative means of injecting emotional intelligence into non-profit organizations. There is a clear indication in the study that non-profit leaders must recognize the critical role played by human resources in the success of non-profit organizations. The approach will enable the effective usage of emotional Intelligence in their organizations. It is the position of this study that the potential benefits of emotional intelligence in non-profit organizations require more studies to gain an in-depth understanding of the study topic.
Conclusion
From the above information, it is clear that the concept of emotional intelligence is older than the term itself. Notably, emotional intelligence is so critical that some organizations use it without their knowledge in pursuit of desirable qualities. In the non-profit world, emotional intelligence has been demonstrated as a key player in establishing harmony and ensuring success and sustainability. Moreover, a lack of emotional intelligence among board members has caused a heavy burden on societies, organizations, and the economy. Hence, decisions that are meant to affect many people should be modeled in conformance with emotional intelligence requirements. Notably, emotional Intelligence has been associated with better decision-making abilities alongside career success. The fact that emotional Intelligence considers the feelings of others also attracts the concept of sustainability as individuals and entities will choose the commodity or individuals who have considered their interests and feelings. Hence, responses from an emotionally intelligent decision are most positive and likely to create harmony and improved performance. Overall, emotional Intelligence is viewed as a core tool for success in future non-profit organizations. The fact non-profit organizations try to bridge the gap left by public and private entities in the delivery of essential services provides the foundation of emotional Intelligence in non-profit organizations.
References
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Brewster, T. (2020). Emotional Intelligence, Turnover Intention, and Commitment Among Non-profit Employees.
Cavaness, K., Picchioni, A., & Fleshman, J. W. (2020). Linking emotional intelligence to successful health care leadership: The Big Five model of personality. Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, 33(04), 195-203. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1709435
Chong, S. C., Falahat, M., & Lee, Y. S. (2019). Emotional intelligence and job performance of academicians in Malaysia. International Journal of Higher Education, 9(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n1p69
Falcon, K. A. (2016). Non-profit Leader Emotional Intelligence and Board Governance-A Correlative Study.
Freiwirth, J. (2017). Rethinking governance in a dynamic environment: Board leadership and governance beyond the boundaries of the board. Journal of Non-profit Education and Leadership, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.18666/JNEL-2017-V7-I1-8021
Hess, J. D., & Bacigalupo, A. C. (2013). Applying emotional intelligence skills to leadership and decision making in non-profit organizations. Administrative Sciences, 3(4), 202-220. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci3040202
Hopkins, M. M., O’Neil, D. A., & Williams, H. W. (2007). Emotional Intelligence and board governance: Leadership lessons from the public sector. Journal of managerial psychology, 22(7), 683-700. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710820109
Shubert, M. (2014). Emotional Intelligence in non-profit hiring practices: a new criterion.
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