Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Work Life Balance – A Global Perspective

Abstract

The increasing work pressures, globalization and technological advancement have made work-life balance an issue with both sexes. Life includes various pursuits like wealth, career, family, social obligation, spirituality, health etc. A perfect balance life for an employee needs a careful synchronization and juggling of the mentioned quests, and this juggling leaves the employee stressed. Most people in organizations today undergo emotions of crumbling trust, jarring uncertainty, stifled creativity, distance between managers and co-workers, and vanishing loyalty and commitment. Thus emotions play a vital role in our life. These emotions need to be well known and managed by reason. Emotional Intelligence is the conscious management of our own emotions. Its Knowledge and practice can provide personal and interpersonal benefits. Emotional Intelligence calls upon the employees to increase their emotional self-awareness, emotional expression, creativity, increase tolerance, increase trust and integrity, improve relations within and across the organization and thereby increase the performance of each employee and the organization as a whole. " Emotional intelligence is one of the few key characteristics that give rise to strategic leaders in organizations ". It determines the potential for learning the practical skills that are based on its five elements: self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, empathy, and adeptness in relationships. Emotional intelligence helps improve individual and organizational performance. It plays a significant role in the kind of work an employee produces, and the relationship a person enjoys within the organization and outside. This paper is an attempt to review the various researches in the field of Work Life balance and how Emotional Intelligence plays a significant role in balancing work and family related outcomes.

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Journal of Exclusive Management Science – March 2014 -Vol 3 Issue 3 - ISSN 2277 – 5684
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Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Work Life Balance – A Global Perspective
*Janet Bina Money
**Dr. A. John Peter
*St. Joseph’s College, (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli- 3
**St. Joseph’s Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli-3
Abstract
The increasing work pressures, globalization and technological advancement have
made work-life balance an issue with both sexes. Life includes various pursuits like wealth,
career, family, social obligation, spirituality, health etc. A perfect balance life for an employee
needs a careful synchronization and juggling of the mentioned quests, and this juggling
leaves the employee stressed. Most people in organizations today undergo emotions of
crumbling trust, jarring uncertainty, stifled creativity, distance between managers and co-
workers, and vanishing loyalty and commitment. Thus emotions play a vital role in our life.
These emotions need to be well known and managed by reason. Emotional Intelligence is the
conscious management of our own emotions. Its Knowledge and practice can provide
personal and interpersonal benefits. Emotional Intelligence calls upon the employees to
increase their emotional self-awareness, emotional expression, creativity, increase tolerance,
increase trust and integrity, improve relations within and across the organization and
thereby increase the performance of each employee and the organization as a whole.
“Emotional intelligence is one of the few key characteristics that give rise to strategic leaders
in organizations”. It determines the potential for learning the practical skills that are based
on its five elements: self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, empathy, and adeptness in
relationships. Emotional intelligence helps improve individual and organizational
performance. It plays a significant role in the kind of work an employee produces, and the
relationship a person enjoys within the organization and outside. This paper is an attempt to
review the various researches in the field of Work Life balance and how Emotional
Intelligence plays a significant role in balancing work and family related outcomes.
Introduction
Globalisation, new technologies and business restructuring, challenges long
established patterns of paid work imposing new burdens on families, individuals and
households. Consequently, men and women are questioning the impact of factors such as
long working hours, high stress levels, low energy, extended travel, etc., in a society filled
with conflicting responsibilities and commitments; work/life balance has become a
predominant issue in the workplace. Traditionally, men have performed career and
economics jobs. Women have engaged with household duties to help the family (Barnett and
Hyde, 2001). However, this trend has changed with the dual – career households. When they
are occupying multiple roles, they are more likely to experience inter-role conflicts (Boyar,
Maertz Jr., & Pearson, 2005). According to Cole (2004), this conflict can be happened when
the employees put more efforts to fulfill their work demands instead of fulfilling their family
demand or vice versa. This conflict may occur as work to family conflict or family to work
conflict. Adebola (2005) stated that excessive work demands are the main cause for work
family conflict and it affects for negative family outcomes. On the other hand, family demand

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primarily affects for family work conflict and it predicts negative work outcomes. Ultimately,
these conflicts negatively affect for the work attitudes, work outcomes and family life.
According to Grant-Vallone & Donaldson (2002) “increased levels of stress, depression,
physical ailments, somatic complaints, lower life satisfaction, lower quality of family life,
lower energy levels, poor job performance, psychological distress, lower job satisfaction, lower
organizational commitment, lower life satisfaction, withdrawal behavior, (Balmforth &
Gardner, 2006; Britt & Dawson, 2005) , burnout (Brough et al., 2005), poor health and
wellbeing (Mesmer-Magnus & Viswesvaran, 2005; Noor, 2004 ) are the effects of work family
conflict.
Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal (1964) have given first definition for the
work family conflict and conceptualized as “the interrole conflict people experienced between
their work roles and other life roles.”
(Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985) Later suggested that “work-family conflict occurs when
demands from one role affects one’s ability to meet the demands associated with another role
in another domain”.
Other researchers considered work family conflict as two different but related forms of
interrole conflict. It focuses the interference of the work to family and family to work (
Netemeyer, Boles & McMurrian, 1996). Netmeyer et al., (1996) have provided two separate
definitions for work family conflict and family work conflict. They defined work family
conflict as “a form of interrole conflict occurring as a result of general demands and strain
created by the job interfering with one’s ability to perform family related responsibilities”. And
he defined family-work conflict “as role conflict resulting from general demands and strain
created by the family interfering with an employee’s ability to perform responsibilities related
to work” (Netemeyer et al., 1996). Frone et al., (1992) found that two separate construct are
part of main work family construct because there was a strong relationship between work-
family conflict and family-work conflict. Other researchers have supported this idea (Casper,
Martin, Buffardi & Edwinds, 2002; Grzywacz & Marks, 2000; Kirchmeyer, 1993; O‟Driscoll,
Ilgen, & Hildreth, 1992).Based on these findings, it can be concluded that work family
conflict is a bi directional construct (Frone 2003; Grzywacz & Marks, 2000).
There is no single framework or perspectives universally accepted which describes the
work family intersection research (Pitt-Catsouphes et al., 2006).
The knowledge regarding work-life balance relies on various theoretical frameworks
which include spillover, compensation, resource drain, enrichment, congruence, work-family
conflict, segmentation, facilitation, integration, and ecology theories (Clark, 2000; Edwards &
Rothbard, 2000; Frone, 2003; Frone, Russell, & Cooper, 1992; Greenhaus & Powell, 2006;
Zedeck & Mosier, 1990).
(Googins, 1991) believed that an approach to work and family that includes all parties and
shared responsibility will yield greater results in both domains than solutions created in
isolation.

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Balancing work family role is the best strategy that can be used to minimize the work family
conflict.
Studies show that emotional competence accounts for as much at 75% of success in
work and social life. Many of the factors evaluated in the assessment centers past and
present include social and emotional competencies including communication, sensitivity,
initiative, and interpersonal skills (Thornton & Byham, 1982)
The changes in society and work organization which have taken place over recent
years, and which are continuing, mean that there are new requirements of today’s and
tomorrow’s organization leaders and members, and they all demand emotional intelligence.
Figure 1.1 sets out the societal changes and the new organizational requirements to which
they are giving rise.
• Globalization + Competition Need for Higher productivity
(From fewer staff working better together)
• Competition + Rate of change Need for Creativity and flexibility
• Team working Need for Relationship management
• Collaborative working Need for Relationship management
• Movement from things to people Need to Move from management to leadership.
• Labor mobility + People as assets Need to Motivate
• People as assets Need to Develop
• Specialization (e.g. customer service) Need to Engage whole of fullyrounded person.
• Delayering + Stress Need for Self-management
• Removal of bureaucracy and hierarchy Need for Self and relationshipManagement.
Fig. 1.1.Societal Changes and New Organizational Requirements
Research on emotional intelligence can be traced back to the Gardner’s research on
multiple intelligences (1983), although the term was originally submitted in an unpublished
dissertation (Payne, 1986). Mayer and Salovey went on to define emotional intelligence (EI) in
cognitive-emotional terms and designed a model that focused on individual abilities. In 1995,
Daniel Goleman opened the eyes of the world about the concept of Emotional Intelligence. He
defined Emotional Intelligence under the trait perspectives or mixed model as “one’s ability to
motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustration; to control impulses and delay
gratification; to regulate one’s moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think; to
empathize and to hope. In 1997, Goleman redefined Emotional Intelligence as “the capacity
for recognizing our own feelings and those of others for motivating ourselves and for
successfully managing emotions in ourselves and in our relationship with others”.
The most widely accepted scientific definition of EI is “the ability to monitor one’s own
and others’ emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one’s
thinking and actions” (Salovey & Mayer,1990, p. 189).
Emotional intelligence is the basis for personal qualities such as self- confidence,
personal integrity, knowledge of personal strengths and weaknesses, resilience in times of
change or adversity, self- motivation, perseverance and the knack of getting along well with
others. In work environments that constantly change, high levels of EI are required for

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successful interfacing among professionals and improving productivity. Most of the authors
on the topic note that in order to be a well society (or family member, spouse, employee, etc.),
one must possess both traditional intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence.
Fig 1.2 .Daniel Goleman – EQ Model.
Goleman (1998) concludes that the major qualities differentiating successful from
unsuccessful executives are the competencies underlying (or presumably nested within) EI.
Failing executives, apparently, have poorer emotional control, despite strengths in cognitive
abilities and technical expertise.
The Three Layered Cake: Emotional Intelligence is like a three layer cake
The Top Layer represents the overall part of us. What we do? Specific, learnable,
Behavior patterns. It can be easily changed by attending training course, adept new patterns
of behavior etc. The Bottom layer represents the fixed parts of us. It includes behavior that
are inborn or the result of very early learning. It can be changed but involves many years of
psychotherapy or personal development.
The Middle Layer is where the essence of Emotional Intelligence resides. It includes
one’s beliefs, values, attitudes etc. It is changeable.
A Model of Health Happiness and Success
Emotional Intelligence is the key and that health, happiness and success are
generated by the two related factors Self Esteem and Self Confidence.

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Fig.1.3. Model for Health, Happiness and Success.
Emotional Intelligence leads to Overall Performance.
Emotional Intelligence integrates Feelings, Thinking and Doing. It is the habitual
practice of thinking about feeling and feeling about thinking when choosing what to do.
Fig.1.4.
The connection between good life outcomes and emotional intelligence:

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 Emotional intelligence is composed of intrapersonal intelligence and interpersonal
intelligence.
 Intrapersonal intelligence is what you need for effective self-management.
 Interpersonal intelligence is what you need for effective relationship management.
 Effective self-management plus effective relationship management leads to effective overall
performance.
Therefore, emotional intelligence leads to effective performance.
Carmeli (2003) found that highly emotional intelligent senior managers handle work
family conflict more carefully than the low emotional intelligent managers. Sjoberg (2008)
found that emotional intelligence has significant negative relationship with work to family
conflict and family to work conflict. As a result of that emotionally intelligence has positively
associated with better life and work balance. Similarly, Biggart, Corr, O‟Brien and Cooper
(2010) pointed out that “fathers who are able to regulate their emotions experience less work–
family conflict.”
According to Lenaghan, Buda, and Eisner (2007) the ability of the individuals to
perceive, understand and manage their emotions would help to balance the work family life.
Akintayo (2010) found that emotional intelligence workers can manage their work family role
conflicts effectively in work organizations in Nigeria. Mikolajczak, Menil, & Luminet, (2007)
suggest that “high trait emotional intelligent individuals employ better emotional responses
in dealing with and managing stressful effects of emotional dissonance experienced at work”
because in general, emotional intelligent employees are highly motivated with their work and
family activities. They can meet their role demands without experiencing much stress. These
individuals can understand others‟ emotions”. They can make better bonds with people
around them and also they are empathetic towards others. Therefore, they can balance their
work – family activities.
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