ABSTRACT
An issue at the forefront of recent emotional intelligence debates revolves around whether emotional intelligence can be linked to work performance. Although many authors continue to develop new and improved measures of emotional intelligence (e.g., Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 2001) to give us a better understanding of emotional intelligence, the links to performance in work settings, especially in the context of group effectiveness, have received much less attention. In this chapter, we present the results of a study in which we examined the role of emotional self-awareness and emotional intelligence as a predictor of group effectiveness. The study also addressed the utility of self- and peer assessment in measuring emotional self-awareness and emotional intelligence. In particular, we looked at the extent to which emotional self-awareness and emotional intelligence are predictors of team goal focus and process effectiveness related to achieving those goals. Both goal setting and effective team processes contribute to team performance (see Campion, Medsker, & Higgs, 1993; Marks, Mathieu, & Zaccaro, 2001; West, 1994). We also look at the practical implications of our research for managers and suggest how emotional intelligence and self-awareness can improve team effectiveness.
