Validation of the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale for Chilean Managers
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Suma Psicológica 26(2) (2019), 110-118 Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14349/sumapsi.2019.v26.n2.7 SUMA PSICOLÓGICA http://editorial.konradlorenz.edu.co/suma-psicologica.html Validation of the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale for Chilean managers Julio César Acosta-Pradoab*, Rodrigo Arturo Zárate Torresc a Universidad del Pacífico, Lima, Perú b Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia c Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración, Bogotá, Colombia Received 19 July 2019; Accepted 13 January 2020 KEYWORDS Abstract The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, WLEIS, is one of the most widely Emotional intelligence used instruments for measuring emotional intelligence in the world. This scale was designed scale, WLEIS, for the work context and evaluates the assessment and expression of a person’s emotions, the Chilean managers, assessment and recognition of emotions in others, the regulation of a person’s emotions, and factor analysis the use of emotion to aid performance. However, in the Chilean context, there have been no studies on the validity of WLEIS for senior management within firms. The present study seeks to obtain evidence of validity based on WLEIS’ internal structure using a sample of 100 Chilean managers. This is an instrumental type study. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the dimensions of WLEIS, which presented adequate levels of reliability. The av- erage scores in the factors were then compared according to age, sex, and level of educational. The implications of these findings are discussed in the last section. © 2019 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC- ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/). Validación de la Escala de Inteligencia Emocional de Wong y Law en gerentes chilenos PALABRAS CLAVE Resumen La Escala de Inteligencia Emocional de Wong y Law, WLEIS, es uno de los instrumen- Escala de inteligencia tos para la medición de la inteligencia emocional más utilizados en el mundo. Esta escala fue emocional, WLEIS, diseñada para el contexto laboral y evalúa la valoración y expresión de las emociones propias, gerentes chilenos, valoración y reconocimiento de las emociones en otros, regulación de las propias emociones análisis factorial y el uso de las emociones para facilitar el desempeño. No obstante, en el contexto chileno no existen estudios sobre la validación del WLEIS en altos mandos gerenciales dentro de las empresas. El presente estudio busca obtener evidencias de validez basada en la estructura interna del WLEIS en una muestra de 100 gerentes chilenos. El estudio es de tipo instrumental. A través de un análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio, se corroboraron las dimensiones de WLEIS, que presentaron niveles adecuados de fiabilidad. Luego, se compararon los puntajes * Autor para correspondencia. Correo electrónico: [email protected]; [email protected] http://dx.doi.org/10.14349/sumapsi.2019.v26.n2.7 0120-0534/© 2019 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. Este es un artículo Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-ND (http://creative- commons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Validation of the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale for Chilean managers 111 promedios en los factores según edad, género y nivel educativo. Las implicaciones de estos hallazgos son discutidas sobre la literatura existente en el campo. © 2019 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. Este es un artículo Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/). Bar-On (1997) mentions that emotional intelligence (EI) and job performance (Acosta-Prado & Zarate, 2017; Jordan, has been proposed as an important and potential con- Ashkanasy, Härtel, & Hooper, 2002; Law, Wong, & Song, struct for human resource management. Likewise, Anand 2004), and others imply that there is a relationship between and UdayaSuritan (2010) note that EI empowers managers EI and individual and group development (Livingstone, Nad- with the ability to sense what others need and want, which jiwon-Foster, & Smithers 2002). allows them to develop strategies to meet those needs According to Ashforth and Humphrey (1995), studies on and desires. EI has been linked to individuals’ personal and business management suggest that there has been a relative professional performance. Dabke (2016) claimed that vari- neglect of the role played by emotions in everyday business ous facets and components of EI contribute to success and life as this is more often attributed to a human relations productivity in the workplace. Bar-On (1997) states that EI perspective. The emotional can certainly alter the rational helps employees to succeed in their jobs when they face aspect of the organization. Argyris (1985) called it the great demands and pressures. paradox of business conduct as the rational functions of a According to Salovey and Mayer (1990), the term EI is task and can be affected by emotional barriers: a manager defined as a subset of social intelligence that involves the can directly affect a company’s emotional climate. More- ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings, distin- over, Hogan and Kaiser (2005) mention that recent research guish and classify them, and then use this information to shows 65% to 75% of employees believe the worst aspect of guide our emotions, thoughts, and actions. In this sense, their job is their immediate boss. This fact is more related EI helps to understand and value our own emotions; this to the undesirable qualities of managers (their personality helps us when using our emotions to solve our problems and defects) rather than the lack of desirable qualities. regulate our behaviour. Leslie and Van Velsor’s study (1996) identify some unsuc- Mayer and Salovey (1997) later redefined EI as the abili- cessful managers’ emotions: coldness, arrogance, and poor ty to accurately perceive, appraise, and express emotions; interpersonal skills. The authors mention that these emo- the ability to access and/or generate feelings when they tions betray the trust of others and mean that these managers facilitate thought; the ability to understand emotions and find it difficult to work with others. Similarly, Butler and emotional knowledge; and the ability to regulate emotions Chinowsky’s study (2006) identifies that the weaknesses of to promote emotional and intellectual growth. EI are linked to interpersonal skills including lacking empa- Some authors (Abdullah, Omar, & Panatik, 2015; Acos- thy, weak relationships, and poor social responsibility. ta-Prado & Zarate, 2017; Cooper & Sawaf, 1997; Goleman, Several authors have studied the relationship between 1996; Mayer & Salovey, 1993, 1997; Salovey & Mayer, 1990) EI and managers. The studies say that EI helps managers reinforce the definition of EI as a degree of ability to per- to make decisions (Schwartz, 1990), articulate a vision, ceive, to interpret one’s own benefit using others’ emo- provide encouragement to employees, and create employee tions, and as the ability to understand and manage one’s initiative (Gardner & Stough, 2002). Also, EI influences man- own emotions. This involves only 20% of the factors that agers’ behaviour through the characteristics of the tasks determine success; the remaining 80% corresponds to the performed, the performance level, and the feedback pro- factors that are related to what is called EI (Goleman, 1996). cesses (Fisher & Ashkanasy, 2000; Goonan & Stoltz, 2004), As part of efforts made to agree on the definition of which will result in lowering employee’s stress and, at the EI, Schulte, Ree, and Carretta, (2004) mention that the same time, increasing their job satisfaction, willingness to inclusion of variables that are not capabilities to be able change, and health. to construct EI may have affected their scientific rigor as Despite the previously-mentioned studies, some man- a different construct. Davies, Stankov, and Roberts (1998) agers still believe they can make employees carry out described EI as an elusive concept and also state that the activities regardless of their emotional characteristics measures related to EI are the same used in studies of (Ashkanasy & Rush, 2004). According to Smollan and Parry personality. Acosta-Prado, Zarate, and Pautt (2015) point (2011), employees take note of how managers respond to out that, based on these relationships and having made their emotions; thus, a manager who does a good job makes several exploratory factor analyses, the EI construct was it more likely that employees will share their own emotions. weak. Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso (2000) defined EI as an Managers can make employees copy the expression of their ability to process emotional information accurately and effi- emotions (Sanchez-Burks & Huy, 2009), which takes place ciently, including the ability to perceive, assimilate, under- through mirror neurons (Rizzolatti & Craighero, 2004) that stand, and regulate emotions. The current study uses this replicate managers’ emotions (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008). definition as an operational definition of EI. Fullan (2001) mentions that the responsibility of future gen- Recent studies show EI as a variable that determines em- erations of managers will be EI, successful social relations, ployee’s performance. Dabke (2016) mentions that it has and managing change. been claimed that different facets and dimensions of EI have Cartwright and Pappas (2008) state that The American contributed to success and productivity in the workplace. Society