”I don’t want to work for a robot, but for a human” : Emotional intelligence in leading an IT organization
Laurila, Emilia (2020)
2020
Journalistiikan ja mediatutkimuksen maisteriohjelma - Master's Degree Programme in Journalism and Media Studies
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2020-01-16
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202001141262
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202001141262
Tiivistelmä
This case study focuses on how emotional intelligence is perceived by employees and managers on all levels (employees, mid-management, top management and CIO) of an IT-organization. The research questions for the thesis are “What kinds of thoughts do themes of emotional intelligence bring up in the managers of the organization?” and “What kind of relevance do the employees see in using emotions in the leadership of the organization?”. The hypothesis of this study is that there is a difference in how themes of emotional intelligence are experienced between the employees and management. This study aims to elevate discussion on emotions in the working life and to challenge the traditional idea of leading with only reason.
Earlier research on emotional intelligence has focused on defining what emotional intelligence is and how it can be applied to different work and life settings. This study utilizes Daniel Goleman’s theory on emotional intelligence, which divides emotional intelligence into five subcategories: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. The subcategories enable the analysis of, both, personal and social abilities.
The material for this study was collected through an anonymous questionnaire aimed at the employees as well as through semi-structured interviews conducted with eight of the managers in the organization. The collected questionnaire material was then analyzed and the interview answers thematized and analyzed with assistance from Goleman’s theory. The questionnaire’s responses formed a base for the understanding of the organization’s current situation and the interview answers elaborated on the topics.
The study shows that emotional intelligence is mostly considered important by all levels of the organization. Through the analysis of the questionnaire answers as well as the interviews, a difference in views between the different organizational levels can be seen. The employees and mid-management had similar experiences of the top management not showing sufficient emotions in their leadership. The top managers see the relevance of emotions in leadership, but the expression of emotions was acknowledged difficult. The differences of views in the organization could be attributed to the lack of needed communication, issues in hierarchy or the difference in perceptions of emotional intelligence.
The findings contribute to a larger societal discussion on how leadership and management are perceived. The findings suggest further and deeper research through analyzing, for example, the role of linguistics in emotionally intelligent organizations, the impact of culture, age and gender for emotional abilities and the enablers for an emotionally intelligent organization. Further research would produce even more discussion on the role of emotional intelligence in personal and the working life.
Earlier research on emotional intelligence has focused on defining what emotional intelligence is and how it can be applied to different work and life settings. This study utilizes Daniel Goleman’s theory on emotional intelligence, which divides emotional intelligence into five subcategories: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. The subcategories enable the analysis of, both, personal and social abilities.
The material for this study was collected through an anonymous questionnaire aimed at the employees as well as through semi-structured interviews conducted with eight of the managers in the organization. The collected questionnaire material was then analyzed and the interview answers thematized and analyzed with assistance from Goleman’s theory. The questionnaire’s responses formed a base for the understanding of the organization’s current situation and the interview answers elaborated on the topics.
The study shows that emotional intelligence is mostly considered important by all levels of the organization. Through the analysis of the questionnaire answers as well as the interviews, a difference in views between the different organizational levels can be seen. The employees and mid-management had similar experiences of the top management not showing sufficient emotions in their leadership. The top managers see the relevance of emotions in leadership, but the expression of emotions was acknowledged difficult. The differences of views in the organization could be attributed to the lack of needed communication, issues in hierarchy or the difference in perceptions of emotional intelligence.
The findings contribute to a larger societal discussion on how leadership and management are perceived. The findings suggest further and deeper research through analyzing, for example, the role of linguistics in emotionally intelligent organizations, the impact of culture, age and gender for emotional abilities and the enablers for an emotionally intelligent organization. Further research would produce even more discussion on the role of emotional intelligence in personal and the working life.