Measuring Emotional Intelligence At Workplace

You may have heard that what is even more important than a person’s IQ is their emotional intelligence(EI or EQ). Broadly speaking, emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage emotion. Yet, can this be measured? There are many free quizzes readily available to measuring emotional intelligence at Workplace, but as is explained shortly, such self-report measures are not always accurate. Ability tests of EQ are far better. In this article we shall explore the details of emotional intelligence testing.

Emotional Intelligence Tests

Well, put simply, an EI test is developed differently. It is based on the premise that EI consists of a group of skills that are employed in order to solve emotional problems. Therefore, as explained by leaders in the research area, EI is a diverse ability that can be measured objectively. There are a number of tests that are likely to measure EI at workplace settings.

Let’s examine these different measures.

The Emotional Quotient Inventory

• This test is the most widely used, EI assessment worldwide. It is a self-report measure for people aged 16 years and older and can be delivered online. It takes around 30 minutes, and the attendees are required to respond to questions created to assess key aspects of emotional skills related to life and workplace performance. Such skills have been shown to affect performance in areas such as conflict resolution and planning.
• The results can provide respondents with information about emotional skills they can improve as well as those areas that they exceed in, which can then lead to individuals having the capacity to use their strengths to amplify performance in daily tasks. Once an individual completes the test, a report is produced that takes the form of an inventory. Although taking this test is free, in order to carry out the test a practitioner must meet its requirements.

Profile of Emotional Competence

• This is another test for measuring emotional intelligence at workplace that provides separate measures of intra-personal and inter-personal EI. It looks at the main emotional competencies : understanding, identification, regulation, expression and use of emotions in the self and others. It has been extremely popular and is available free of charge for research and clinical purposes.
• The full PEC consists of 50 items and takes around 1- 15 minutes to execute, and the short form includes 20 items and takes 5 – 10 minutes to complete. Though PEC is a self-report measure, it needs to be administered by a psychologist who is familiar with the emotional intelligence and emotional competence research and theory.

The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire

• This questionnaire is presented to gather ratings from observers. It consists of 75 items which are responded to on a 5-point scale and looks at the nine distinct facets of trait EI in children.

Wong’s Emotional Intelligence Scale

• This is a self-report measure of EI based on the four ability dimensions that make up EI. It consists of two parts: The first part includes 20 events. Respondents choose the option that most closely reflects the reaction they are likely to have in each event that is described. The second part is made up of 20 ability pairs. Respondents are required to select one of two types of abilities that best shoe their strength.

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) refers to one’s ability to identify and manage their own emotions and the emotions of others. Measuring emotional intelligence at workplace before hiring, help employers identify which candidates have better relationship management skills and who can be aware of and in control of their emotions. Emotional intelligence tests also guide decisions on which candidates to select for leadership positions.