Thriving on emotional intelligence? Bridging research and practice

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a useful framework with which to map emotional skills. There is evidence EI explains well-being, psychological health, the quality of social relationships, and job performance. However, measuring EI using ability tests remains a major challenge. Here, I review theory and research on EI, discuss the strengths and limitations of different models, and suggest possibilities for future research and for the development of new measures. I argue that examining areas of substantive overlap and interdependence between EI, IQ, personality, and motivation is important to achieve a full understanding of how emotionally intelligent behavior contributes to positive functioning. Moreover, I outline implications for developing EI and fostering emotionally intelligent behavior in organizations at various levels of analysis. In particular, I argue that it may be most effective to infuse EI training into team projects aimed at addressing organizational challenges related to innovation and change.