By means of an exploratory study with a sample of 614 managers, we established the characterization of emotional intelligence (EI) in Latin American managers from Guatemala, Chile, and Colombia. We analyzed the ability to perceive, appraise, and express emotion, both their own and those of others, as reflected in the concept of EI and its impact on the personal and professional achievements of Latin American managers. The results show that respondents have high capacity to assess and recognize their own emotions, low capacity to assess and understand the emotions of their team members, high capacity for self-control of their emotions in extreme moods, and high capacity to direct their emotions toward achieving competence.
Mediante un estudio exploratorio aplicado a 614 gerentes de Guatemala, Chile y Colombia, se establece la caracterización de la inteligencia emocional (IE) de gerentes latinoamericanos, capacidad de percibir, valorar y expresar emociones, propias y ajenas, reflejada en el concepto de IE y su impacto en los logros personales y profesionales de los gerentes latinoamericanos. Los resultados muestran que los encuestados tienen una gran capacidad para evaluar y reconocer sus propias emociones, baja capacidad para evaluar y comprender las emociones de los miembros de su equipo de trabajo, alta capacidad de autocontrol de sus emociones en estados de ánimo extremos y alta capacidad para dirigir sus emociones hacia el logro de sus competencias.
The argument that emotional intelligence (EI) is equally or more important than IQ in professional and business life (
According to
Furthermore, EI has been linked to personal and professional performance of individuals.
The characterization of EI has not yet been analyzed in Latin American managers. This article fills that gap by assessing EI in Latin American managers of various economic sectors, by applying the tool developed by
Later
Based on the definition of EI from
To reinforce the definition of the concept of EI, some authors (
However, despite the efforts made by
This new theoretical approach presents EI as an ability of the person that links emotions and reasoning. It has to use emotions to facilitate more effective reasoning. In particular,
In the last decade, there have been many contributions on EI as a result of its application in empirical studies that analyze the diverse nature underlying specific variables. One focus of the studies is to show the relationship between EI and job performance. In this regard,
Research on business management, suggests a relative neglect of the role played by emotions in everyday business life, as this is more attributed to a human relations perspective (
In this sense, managers directly affect the emotional climate in a business. Recent research shows that 65 % to 75 % of employees believe that the worst aspect of their job is their immediate boss. This fact is related more to the undesirable qualities of their managers rather than to the lack of desirable qualities or the personality defects of managers (
Also,
However, it is common to find that managers have the mistaken assumption that they can manage and lead the organization, and move employees regardless of their emotional aspects (
Therefore, the instrument used in this research is the Emotional Intelligence Scale developed by
Based on the above arguments, the theoretical foundations and previous studies on EI in managers, there is a general consensus on EI as the ability of individuals to manage emotions and, in turn, includes four factors or variables that better explain the performance of the managers (
Self-awareness. Rating and expression of self-emotions: refers to the ability of each person to understand their deepest emotions and express them naturally. People, who have great skill in this area, feel and raise awareness of self-emotions long before most people.
Empathy. Rating and recognition of emotions in others: refers to the ability of individuals to perceive and understand the emotions of people around them. People who have this ability to a high degree are much more sensitive to the feelings and emotions of others, and also of ‘reading’ their minds.
Self-regulation. Regulating emotions: refers to the ability of people to regulate their emotions, which empowers them to recover more quickly from mood swings and anxiety.
Self-motivation. Using emotions to facilitate performance: refers to the ability of individuals to use their own emotions to route them towards constructive activities and personal performance. A person with great skill in this area remains positive most of the time, using their emotions in the best way to facilitate both high work and personal performance.
Despite the references in the literature, there is no consensus on the size of the EI or the processes needed for efficient development in a leadership role. This study seeks to advance these issues; more specifically, characterizing EI in Latin American managers, through the variables of self-awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and self-motivation.
To achieve the research objective, the exploratory study was conducted in a sample of Latin American managers. These managers are suitable for exploratory test for several reasons. Managers must have at least one subordinate in charge, should work in companies in various sectors, and the sample was delimited to Latin American managers from Guatemala, Chile, and Colombia.
The study is exploratory and focuses on Latin American managers who share similar demographic characteristics such as age, education level, and gender. As mentioned, the aim of the study is double, first through a correlational study we intend to characterize in general terms the EI in Latin American managers through the application of the Emotional Intelligence Scale of
Management data were obtained from secondary sources such as databases of chambers of commerce, business directories available on the Internet, and publications of Guatemala, Chile, and Colombia during the 2012-2014 period. Managers completed the questionnaire in person. The questionnaire identified the industry, which was categorized as: banking and finance, hospitality and tourism, biosciences and chemistry, environment and renewable energy, new materials and engineering, information technology, and services.
Demographics of managers (identification and control variables) as the variables of EI identified above from the Emotional Intelligence Scale (
Recording and data validation was done with SPSS. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) based on principal components analysis was performed. The objective was to simplify the data, summarizing the information contained in a number of observed variables from Likert type into fewer measures called factors, which did not have a hypothesis about their number nor their structure.
The EFA studies all possibilities to finally select the most likely, according to the data collected (
As mentioned, there has been an EFA from the technique of principal components and rotation Quartimax iterated. Before it was calculated, the coefficient alpha reliability and contrast of Cronbach for the 16 observed variables measured with a Likert scale of 7 points, used in the questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha) yielded a value of 0.847. Therefore, the scale is reliable and there is intercorrelation between the variables of the scale (
Subsequently, a cluster analysis was performed, the main purpose of which is to group subjects based on the characteristics they possess, classifying subjects so that each one is very similar to the ones in the cluster with respect to some predetermined selection criteria. The resulting clusters should show a high degree of internal homogeneity and high external heterogeneity (
The theoretical value of the cluster analysis is the set of variables representing characteristics used to compare objects in this analysis, since the theoretical value of the cluster analysis includes only the variables used to compare objects that determine the character of the objects (
Once the variables were selected, the cluster analysis was performed following the approach of using a combination of hierarchical methods: in the first stage of the partition, the method used is from Ward, in order to establish the number of clusters and centroids, corroborating the result with the farthest neighbor method. The Ward method was chosen to minimize internal differences of each cluster and avoid the problems of inadequate initial chaining combinations, which the nearest neighbor method has (
Four consistent factors were identified: Self-Awareness, Empathy, Self-Regulation, and Self-Motivation. The first factor, Self-Awareness, was measured by the following variables: clarity about why certain feelings exist, understanding own emotions, understanding own feelings, and personal analysis about being happy or not. The second factor, Empathy, was measured through the variables: understanding friends’ emotions, observing others’ emotions, sensitivity to others’ emotions and feelings, and a well understanding of emotions of those around. The third factor, Self-Regulation, was measured with the variables: capacity of control of temper and rational management of emotions, ability to control emotions, keeping calm in anger situations, and control of own emotions. The fourth factor, Self-Motivation, was measured through the variables: setting and achieving objectives, mentalization of competent person, self-motivation, and personal motivation to give one’s best.
The EFA has been made with the principal components method. In applying this method, the decision rule allowed for the retention of a significant number of common factors, those with an eigenvalue greater than 1. Moreover, the matrix of coefficients of correlation was used for grouping variables. Together with the principal components method, in order to interpret the retained factors clearly, the method orthogonal rotation process was used through the normalized Quartimax method. The extraction yields a result of four factors retained (with eigenvalue greater than 1). The four factors explain 61.077 % of the total variance of the observed variables.
Then, we proceeded to compare and re-specify, through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the above four factors. To do this, performing a second sequence in the factor analysis to overcome the limitations of the principal components method was considered appropriate and thus carried out as to be able to contrast and refine new extracted factors. The intent is to strengthen the dimensionality of the factors, the reliability of each as well as the convergent and discriminant validity. Once the CFA and corresponding re-specifications were made, the following four factors were identified, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Self-Regulation, and Self-Motivation.
The four factors obtained demonstrate significant results. With regard to internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha is calculated with the final variables in each factor. For factor 1 Cronbach’s alpha has a value of 0.86; factor 2 of 0.764; factor 3 of 0.730; and factor 4 of 0.731. According to the literature, the factor 1 shows good internal consistency and the factors 2, 3, and 4 acceptable. Therefore, we conclude that there is convergent validity, reliability, and internal consistency of both the scale and grouped factors.
Note that in the exploratory and confirmatory sequence of factor analysis, it was found that the variables of EI, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Self-Regulation, and Self-Motivation identified in Latin American managers are developed as joint processes that favor the efficient management of managers and more understanding of both the business context and relationships with employees.
Moreover, the application of cluster analysis allowed grouping and comparing between the three countries (Guatemala, Chile, and Colombia), as
Of the 3 groups,
the most distant clusters are 1 and 2 followed by 1 and 3. To confirm the
number of groups, an Anova analysis was done, as
The
Finally, we proceeded to check the number of cases in each cluster, as
Finally,
contingency analyses of the clusters were performed by the demographic
variables of the study: country, age, gender, and education level.
Regarding the variable ’age’, results show that there is no clear pattern between cluster membership and age. Therefore, the proportion of respondents over 21 years old in cluster 2 is low. Also in cluster 2 respondents who are younger than 20 years old were identified. Importantly, this cluster has a low level of emotional intelligence.
The contingency
of the clusters and the variable ’gender’ analysis shows that the majority of
respondents who have high emotional intelligence capabilities are women, as
Finally, the
contingency analysis of clusters and the variable ’level of education’ in
cluster 1 show high values at the secondary level and mean values in
levels: incomplete college, college degree, and graduate. In cluster 2, lower
values are observed in the levels: incomplete college, university, and
postgraduate. Finally, cluster 3 shows mean values in levels: incomplete college,
college degree, and graduate. As seen in
Among the key findings, we found that the dimensions of EI (self-awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and self-motivation), identified in Latin American managers, were developed as a joint process that favors the efficient management of the managers and a greater understanding of both the business context and interpersonal relationships of collaborators.
The results of the exploratory study support the characterization of EI in Latin American manager. The results highlight the importance of the variables of EI (self-awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and self-motivation) identified because they favor the efficient management of both management and labor, understanding the context and relationships of collaborators. The establishment of a climate of openness and welfare, where they share experiences, ideas, and knowledge, and at the same time, an overall perception of the company is equally important.
The results of the exploratory study show relevant information on the characterization of EI in Latin American managers. As various studies have shown, EI affects professional achievements (
For the analysis of demographic variables, results show that individuals grouped in cluster 1, have a high capacity for EI. This situation is repeated in the same cluster for the variable ‘age’, as more homogeneous values are observed between the ages of 21 to 60 years. In this regard, it should be mentioned that individuals aged 21 to 25 years, exercise levels of management in new ventures or companies in technology sectors, the opposite is true for individuals aged 60 years and older who exercise management levels in companies consolidated mature sectors, mainly services, and banking and finance.
Finally, the variable ‘education level’ reveals that in cluster 1, individuals who possess all levels (high school, unfinished college, complete college, and graduate) have higher values compared to clusters 2 and 3. However, while cluster 1 shows the highest percentages, it exposes the low levels of education of Latin American managers. It is worth mentioning that this variable measures the level of education of managers and not the way they develop their skills and abilities in the performance of the management role.
For the variable ’gender’, although higher values have no distance between them, there are more women in cluster 1 which, as mentioned, indicates these individuals have high capacity and EI; conversely, the higher percentage of men are grouped in cluster 3, that exhibits low capacity EI.
The main implications of the study are theoretical and practical. Theoretically, a conceptual framework is exposed related to EI and Latin American managers, rarely discussed in literature, which has guided and supported the objective of this research. On a practical level, contributions are presented, based on the proposed characterization and its graphical representation, as a proven model that helps company managers, especially those who work in dynamic environments, to understand how the influence of the variables of EI (Self-Awareness, Empathy, Self-Regulation, and Self-Motivation) identified in Latin American managers are developed as a joint process that favors the efficient management of both, understanding context and relationships of team members.
This paper is the result of a research titled “Characterization of Emotional Intelligence in Latin American Managers”, conducted by the Externado University of Colombia and University EAN, 2012-2014.
Research article.