The Network Approach: Developing Organizational Emotional Intelligence

The 90s was a pivotal decade not only for the growth of economies but also for enlightened thought around workforce management and productivity, a decade when the concept of emotional quotient was first introduced. Since then, enterprises and the concept of emotional intelligence have matured significantly. However, enterprises still struggle to inculcate emotional intelligence in teams, and this is largely due to the fast-changing dynamics of the workplace.

Prior to the 1990s, most of the jobs were algorithmic in nature. There were clear instructions on what needed to be done and what outcomes were expected. This made work dependent on productive individual contributions. In the post-1990 era, there was a rise of heuristic jobs that did not have a set algorithm and needed creative thinking. People had to work in teams to achieve optimal outcomes, making the concept of individual emotional intelligence crucial. In the modern era, tasks are not only getting more heuristic but are getting optimized exponentially due to the democratization of technology. This has made economies extremely competitive, forcing enterprises to perform at unprecedented scales. To add to this madness, employees and enterprises now have to work in complex networks of individuals.

Rapid globalization of enterprises and normalization of hybrid work have given rise to this new era of work where old methods of building EQ might not work. However, applying concepts of social network science to workforce management might provide a useful solution.

Social Network Science: A Primer

Recent research on social network science tells us that ideas become viral when three criteria are met. First, the idea must originate from the periphery of the network. Second, the idea must find adoption within a cluster of the network. Third, the networks must be connected to diverse individuals for further adoption. At the core of this network is the individual who sparks the idea. Taking a leaf from this concept, building sustainable emotional intelligence within an organization must follow a three-pronged approach.

1. Developing Individual EQ
   Emotionally intelligent individuals can be developed by building an ecosystem that primes individuals towards emotionally intelligent behaviors. One way to do this is by building a reframing ecosystem. Reframing is an exercise where an individual is open to different perspectives on a specific situation. This can be done by nudging individuals to think of the other side. For example, if an employee constantly cribs about a client, we can indulge in reframing by nudging them to think from the client’s perspective. Such exercises develop empathy within individuals while also training them to think of multiple perspectives to solve a problem.
2. Connecting Individuals Across Teams
   Once an individual becomes emotionally intelligent, the team in which they work becomes emotionally intelligent as well. However, what is essential is to leverage this to make other teams emotionally intelligent. Connecting emotionally intelligent individuals with other teams helps an organization leak the EQ quotient of one team onto another. However, cross-functional teams in an organization are usually hostile to one another because of our tendencies to make in-groups and out-groups. One way to break this is by building a process of positive confrontation. Building a norm where confrontation is taken as positive feedback rather than an attack helps build the bridge between the understanding of the emotions of different teams. This coupled with appreciation of other teams for their achievements, helps reinforce a positive environment and synergy between different groups within an organization.
3. Empowering Collaboration
   Productivity can only be achieved when emotionally intelligent behavior develops collaborative actions. However, collaboration has a majoritarian flaw. Ideas of the majority usually supersede ideas of the minority, despite the latter being better. This is where perspective-taking as an exercise becomes important. Perspective-taking is a practice of understanding where the minority is coming from and what is the core of their ideas. This is important because, in an ever-changing business environment, majority and minority dynamics often change. In this context, hearing everyone’s voice becomes important for team morale and also to understand what the people are thinking.

Creating a culture with this three-pronged approach can build an emotionally intelligent network for an enterprise. The power of building such a network is that they are persistent. Regardless of changes in business cycles or changes in leadership, these networks remain creating an endless productive loop of high EQ for the organization.