Managing conflict with emotional intelligence: abilities that make a difference

The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship Between Conflict Management Styles and Burnout among Firefighters

Background

While the organizational factors that account for firefighters' burnout have been extensively explored, the individual factors related to how they regulate interpersonal conflicts and emotions remain to be investigated. Previous research has demonstrated the association between emotional intelligence and conflict management styles and burnout, but no study has looked at the interrelationships among these factors in high-risk sectors. The present exploratory study aimed to fill this research gap by investigating the relationships between conflict management style, emotional intelligence and burnout in a sample of firefighters.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 240 French firefighters. Measures comprised validated scales of conflict management styles, emotional intelligence and burnout.

Results

Results showed that the integrating conflict style reduced burnout. They also revealed the effects of emotion regulation on burnout, whereby the awareness and management of one's own emotions reduced burnout. Moreover, awareness of one's own emotions moderated the relationship between integrating conflict resolution style and burnout, whereby the effect of integrating style on reduced burnout was higher when awareness of one's own emotions was high.

Conclusion

These results reveal that strategies used by firefighters to regulate their emotions in order to meet the emotional demands specific to their job are important for reducing the emotional exhaustion component of burnout. Training programs for conflict and emotion management are needed to preserve the mental health of firefighters and ensure the safety of interventions.

Inteligência emocional e gestão de conflito na interação pedagógica

Vários estudos mostram a relação entre as capacidades da inteligência emocional e a gestão de conflito nas relações pessoais. No entanto, são escassos os que investigam estes constructos na interação professor-aluno. Para colmatar esta lacuna, este estudo teve por objetivo investigar como as capacidades da inteligência emocional do professor influenciam as estratégias usadas para gerir o conflito na aula. Entende-se por estratégias de gestão de conflito os tipos de comportamentos que se adotam para gerir o conflito. A amostra incluiu 431 professores, de escolas públicas portuguesas. Foram aplicados o Questionário de Inteligência Emocional do Professor, e o Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory II - Portuguese Version in School Context. Usando a técnica de modelação de equações estruturais, os resultados mostraram que os professores que tendem a pontuar mais alto nas capacidades emocionais da inteligência emocional usam mais estratégias de integração e de compromisso para gerir o conflito. Os resultados sugerem que as capacidades emocionais do professor são promotoras do uso de estratégias mais adequadas à gestão de conflitos, em contexto de aula. Em conclusão, o desenvolvimento das capacidades de inteligência emocional dos professores é uma prioridade, dado o seu papel interativo antes e durante o conflito. Neste sentido, defende-se um modelo educativo que dê prioridade às capacidades emocionais na formação inicial de professores, e que promova programas de intervenção que desenvolvam essas capacidades nos professores em serviço, como recurso primordial à gestão de conflitos na relação pedagógica.

When Teamwork Works: Examining the Relationship Between Leader-Member Exchange Differentiation and Team Creativity

Drawing on team creativity literature and social comparison theory, we investigate how leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation influences team creativity. Using a survey based on 91 R&D teams from Chinese companies, we observe that LMX differentiation is negatively related to team creativity (β = -0.35, p < 0.01). More importantly, we demonstrate that team behavioral integration mediates the relationship between LMX differentiation and team creativity (indirect effect size = -0.72, with 95% CI of -1.91, -0.13), and team emotional intelligence (TEI) moderates the relationship between LMX differentiation and team behavioral integration (β = 0.23, p < 0.05), such that LMX differentiation has a weaker negative influence on team behavioral integration when TEI is higher. These results provide relevant suggestions for organizational team building, management, and development.

Managing Team Conscientiousness Diversity: The Role of Leader Emotion-Regulation Knowledge

Team members may vary in the degree to which they are self-motivating, diligent, and organized, but effects of such conscientiousness diversity are poorly understood. We propose that conscientiousness diversity effects depend on the team leader’s knowledge about managing negative affective responses—that is emotion regulation knowledge. Data of two time-lagged team studies show that for teams with leaders with lower emotion-regulation knowledge, conscientiousness diversity was negatively associated with team satisfaction (Study 1 and 2), team cohesion and information elaboration (Study 2), which in turn influenced team performance (Study 2). These negative relationships reversed in teams with leaders with higher emotion-regulation knowledge.

Intrapersonal Emotional Intelligence during Adolescence: Sex Differences, Connection with other Variables, and Predictors

This study explores Intrapersonal Emotional Intelligence (IEI) with the objectives of: (1) analyzing possible differences due to sex and age, and the request for psychological assistance for behavioral and emotional problems; (2) finding evidence of personality traits, social behaviors, and parental socialization styles that are characteristic of adolescents with low IEI; and (3) identifying variables that predict high IEI. The sample comprised 2283 participants aged 12-17 years from the Basque Country (northern Spain). Results: (1) Females had greater emotional attention capacity but there were no sex differences in emotional comprehension and emotion regulation; (2) adolescents aged 12-14 showed higher scores in comprehension and emotion regulation than those aged 15-17; (3) adolescents who consulted a psychologist for problems (anxiety, depression, violence, etc.) had lower emotion regulation; (4) adolescents with low IEI had less empathy, self-esteem, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and responsibility, and lower use of cooperative and passive conflict-resolution strategies, and their parents had a low level of acceptance-affection towards their children. They also engaged in more bullying/cyberbullying and antisocial behaviors. (5) High IEI predictor variables were: using cooperative conflict-resolution strategies; traits such as extroversion, responsibility, openness, and empathy; and a high level of maternal acceptance-affection. The work identifies relevant variables for designing intervention programs and shows the importance of promoting IEI and interpersonal emotional intelligence as a factor in the development and prevention of bullying/cyberbullying.

Questionário de inteligência emocional do professor: adaptação e validação do “Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire”

A inteligência emocional tem motivado um interesse progressivo no domínio da educação. No entanto, não tem sido suficientemente investigada em professores. Como tal, este estudo teve por objetivo adaptar e validar o Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire (ESCQ) para professores portugueses. O ESCQ constitui um instrumento de autorrelato da inteligência emocional, tendo por base o modelo teórico de Mayer e Salovey (1997). A amostra foi constituída por 958 professores dos ensinos básicos e secundário. Foram administrados os seguintes questionários: Questionário de Inteligência Emocional do Professor (QIEP), e o Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II– Portuguese Version in School Context (ROCI-II-PViSC). A análise estatística incluiu a técnica de modelação de equações estruturais, tendo por suporte o SPSS/AMOS 25. Desta adaptação e validação resultou o QIEP, um instrumento de avaliação da inteligência emocional para professores. Os resultados da análise fatorial confirmatória demonstram o ajustamento da estrutura fatorial original. O QIEP apresentou um coeficiente de confiabilidade robusto e as diversas características psicométricas evidenciaram a adequada validade e fiabilidade do instrumento. Em conclusão, os resultados deste estudo fornecem evidências de que o QIEP pode ser usado como instrumento para avaliar a inteligência emocional dos professores, no contexto português, podendo ser usado em futuros estudos e práticas educativas.

Influência da inteligência emocional na gestão de conflito na relação professor-aluno(s)

O aperfeiçoamento das capacidades da inteligência emocional auxilia o professor a gerir as solicitações emocionais em sala de aula, sendo fundamental para encontrar a ordem e o equilíbrio na orientação das decisões durante o conflito. Este estudo investigou a influência da inteligência emocional na gestão de conflito em sala de aula, dando suporte conceitual e evidência factual sobre a relação manifesta entre os dois constructos na relação professor-aluno(s). Foi objetivo desta investigação conhecer qual a influência da inteligência emocional do professor na gestão do conflito, em sala de aula. Analisou-se ainda a relação entre algumas variáveis pessoais e profissionais dos professores com a sua inteligência emocional. Foram usados os instrumentos: o Questionário de Inteligência Emocional do Professor, o Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory II - Portuguese Version in School Context, e uma Ficha de Dados Pessoais e Profissionais, numa amostra constituída por 745 professores dos ensinos básico e secundário, de Portugal. Utilizando a técnica de modelação de equações estruturais, os resultados indicaram que os professores que tendem a ter níveis mais elevados de inteligência emocional utilizam estratégias de gestão de conflito mais integrativas e de compromisso, gerindo o conflito em sala de aula de modo construtivo. Face aos resultados encontrados, considera-se a importância do desenvolvimento de práticas pedagógicas, ao longo da formação académica, que valorizem a dimensão emocional do futuro professor, pelos benefícios que apresenta na gestão de conflito na relação professor-aluno(s).

Fighting Incivility in the Workplace for Women and for All Workers: The Challenge of Primary Prevention

This article discusses the role of several constructs, such as workplace relational civility (WRC), positive relational management (PRM), and emotional intelligence (EI), as possible primary preventive resources to effectively deal with interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace (i.e., incivility). Since women endure workplace incivility more frequently than men, their well-being is particularly at risk. Thus, the possibilities for further research and primary prevention interventions in line with the achievement of the fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5) are discussed.

Interpersonal conflict at work: Age and emotional competence differences in conflict management

Previous research has illustrated that older workers have high emotional competence (EC) that could enable them to effectively manage interpersonal conflict. However, it is still unclear whether age, potentially via EC, also influences a variety of conflict management behaviors. To address this question, we present a systematic review of the literature on the direct relationships between age, EC, and conflict management, and on EC as a potential mediator. We classify conflict management behaviors using the dual concern model (e.g., De Dreu, Evers, Beersma, Kluwer, & Nauta, 2001), and identified 15 studies on age-related conflict management, and 14 studies on EC and conflict management. Unfortunately, we found that none of the previous studies examined EC as a mediator between age and conflict behaviors. Overall, our review does reveal a positive age trend for EC, avoiding, compromising, and problem-solving, and a negative age trend for forcing. Additionally, EC seems to be positively related to problem-solving, compromising, and yielding. We discuss potential moderators and the role of EC as a potential mediator.

The impact of emotional intelligence on ethical judgment

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the important relationships between emotional intelligence (EI) and ethical decision making (EDM).

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were 100 students from MBA programs in the USA and India who completed two surveys: one measuring their EI, and the second their use of four different ethical perspectives in three scenarios. Multiple regression analyses were performed to discover relationships between overall EI, certain dimensions of EI and their ethical judgments.

Findings

The authors’ results found that the composite EI score as well as the EI subscale of decision making were both significantly related to the relativism ethical perspective. Age was an additional significant factor for EI and EDM.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should attempt to replicate these findings among different managerial levels, industries and countries to further understand the distinctive relationships between EI and ethical judgments.

Practical implications

This study highlights the importance of integrating EI and ethical judgment within corporate training programs and business school curricula, as important is the emphasis on moving the subject of ethical judgment from one of awareness to sustained ethical behavior through accountability.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by identifying how EI and its decision-making subscale are significant to EDM.

Conflict resolution styles and personality

Purpose

– Conflict in the workplace creates a challenge for many of present day managers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating effect of generations X and Y on the relationship between personality and conflict handling styles.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is conducted using a sample of 199 employees working in the electronic retail sector in a non-Western culture. The five-factor model of personality traits is used to measure personality, while conflict styles are measured using Rahim’s Organizational Conflict Inventory II.

Findings

– Results indicate that generations X and Y moderate the relationship between specific personality traits and conflict handling styles.

Research limitations/implications

– This study investigated the moderating effect of generations X and Y on a sample of employees within the electronic retail service sector in Lebanon. It is recommended that future research examine such a relationship in other sectors and cultures for generalizability. Since generation Z (born in the late 1990s) will soon be entering the job market, further studies should include this cohort when investigating the relationships. Finally, for a deeper understanding of the relationship, it is advisable to use both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.

Practical implications

– The understanding of what influences an individual’s choice regarding his/her choice of conflict resolution styles is of great use to supervisors in general and human resource managers in particular. This will assist in developing training programs that help employees acquire the appropriate skills necessary to control their impulses in a conflict situation. Training should comprise conflict resolution and communication skills that could help bridge the gap between generations. Effectively managing generational conflict in the workplace can positively contribute to the level and frequency of future conflicts, which in turn, can lead to favorable organizational outcomes.

Originality/value

– Earlier research that examined the relationship between personality and conflict management styles have found varying results ranging from weak to strong relationships. The understanding of what influences an individual’s choice of which management style he/she chooses is of great use for managers in general and human resource managers in particular. This study showed that the inconsistency could be the result of some factors that moderate this relationship. The age of individuals contributes to the strength or the weakness of the various relationships between personality and conflict handling styles. Findings suggest that generations X and Y do not moderate the relationships among the personality traits and the dominating and obliging conflict styles. They do, however, have varying moderating effects on the relationships between specific personality traits and the integrating, avoiding, and compromising styles.

Occupational Stress: Preventing Suffering, Enhancing Wellbeing

Occupational stress is a known health risk for a range of psychological, behavioral, and medical disorders and diseases. Organizations and individuals can mitigate these disorders through preventive stress management and enhanced wellbeing. This article addresses, first, the known health risk evidence related to occupational stress; second, the use of preventive stress management in organizations as the framework for intervention; and third, the emerging domain of enhancing wellbeing, which strengthens the individual. Premature death and disability along with chronic suffering from occupational stress are not inevitable, despite being known outcome risks.