Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence at work: what it is, how to build it

An evidence-led explainer on what emotional intelligence is at work, why it shapes how teams perform, and the habits that develop it.

Abstract illustration of two overlapping awareness fields meeting, representing emotional intelligence between people at work
Emotional intelligence sits where self-awareness and awareness of others overlap.
Cosmin Gabriel Sofron, Organisational Psychologist and Founder of The Inner View

Written by Cosmin Gabriel Sofron

Organisational Psychologist and Founder

Organisational Psychologist . MSc . BPS-Qualified Test User

Updated 8 August 20269 min readReferences included
Read Sources
How this article was written

This article is based on published research and professional experience. References are provided in the References section. Any figures, examples, or diagrams included for illustration are clearly labelled.

Text size
Advertisement
Ad space

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise emotions, in yourself and in other people, and to use that information to guide how you think and act. At work it is the difference between reacting to a tense moment and choosing a response to it. It is learnable, it can be measured, and it predicts how well people work together more reliably than most managers expect.

This article sets out what emotional intelligence is, why it matters for teams and the people who lead them, and the specific habits that develop it. It is written for professionals who manage people, not for specialists, so each idea is explained plainly first and named precisely second.

What emotional intelligence actually means

The term was defined by the psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990 and later popularised for a general audience[1]. The most useful working model at work divides emotional intelligence into four domains, split across two questions: is this about me or about other people, and is it about noticing or about acting.

Two-by-two diagram of the four emotional intelligence domains: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management
The four domains of emotional intelligence, arranged by self versus others and recognition versus regulation.

Self-awareness and social awareness are about recognition: noticing what is happening emotionally. Self-management and relationship management are about regulation: doing something useful with what you notice. Most people are stronger on one side than the other, and the gap is where development effort pays off.

Advertisement
Ad space

Why it matters for teams and managers

Technical skill gets an individual hired. How they handle other people decides how far a team gets. Emotional intelligence shows up in the ordinary moments that make or break collaboration:

  • Giving feedback that lands as useful rather than as a threat.
  • Staying steady in a disagreement instead of escalating it.
  • Noticing when a colleague has gone quiet and checking in.
  • Reading the room before pushing a decision through.
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response, and in our response lies our growth and our freedom.
Viktor FranklNeurologist and psychiatrist

A note on measurement

Emotional intelligence is measured in three broad ways, and they do not always agree[3]. Choosing the right one depends on what the result is for. A development conversation can use a self-report. A hiring decision needs something harder to game.

Three ways emotional intelligence is measured, and where each fits
MethodWhat it capturesBest used for
Self-reportHow a person sees their own emotional skillsReflection and coaching
Ability-based testPerformance on emotional problems with better and worse answersSelection and benchmarking
360-degree ratingHow colleagues experience the person day to dayDevelopment and calibration

How to build emotional intelligence

Because emotional intelligence is a set of skills rather than a fixed trait, it responds to deliberate practice. The goal is not to feel less, but to put a small gap between feeling and acting, and to use that gap well.

A weekly practice for managers

  • Name one strong emotion you felt at work, and what triggered it.
  • Ask one colleague how a recent interaction landed for them.
  • Delay one reactive message by an hour and re-read it before sending.
  • Notice one moment where you chose your response rather than defaulted to it.
Line illustration of a head in profile with layered waves, representing reappraising a situation before reacting
Reappraisal: changing how you read a situation changes how you feel about it.

You cannot manage an emotion you have not noticed. Awareness is the whole first half of the skill.

Advertisement
Ad space

Where teams get it wrong

Emotional intelligence is easy to talk about and easy to misuse. Three mistakes come up again and again:

  1. Treating it as being nice. Emotional intelligence includes delivering hard messages well, not avoiding them.
  2. Measuring it once and assuming it is fixed. It moves with practice, so a single score is a starting point, not a verdict.
  3. Using a self-report to make a hiring decision. People rate themselves generously, so match the method to the stakes.

Measure emotional intelligence skills

See how The Inner View assesses emotional intelligence with ability-based tools.

Explore the EQ assessment

Frequently asked questions

Is emotional intelligence the same as being empathetic?
No. Empathy, reading how someone else feels, is one part of it. Emotional intelligence also includes noticing your own emotions, managing them, and handling relationships well. Empathy without self-management can leave a person overwhelmed rather than effective.
Can emotional intelligence be improved, or are you born with it?
It can be improved. It is best understood as a set of skills that respond to deliberate practice, rather than a fixed trait. Progress is usually gradual and shows up first in how someone handles pressure.
How is emotional intelligence measured at work?
Three ways: self-report questionnaires, ability-based tests with better and worse answers, and 360-degree ratings from colleagues. Each has trade-offs, so the right method depends on whether the result is for coaching, selection or development.
Does emotional intelligence matter more than IQ at work?
They measure different things and both matter. Cognitive ability predicts learning and problem-solving. Emotional intelligence predicts how well someone works with others. For roles built on collaboration and leadership, the emotional side carries real weight.

References

  1. [1]Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185-211.
  2. [2]Joseph, D. L., & Newman, D. A. (2010). Emotional intelligence: An integrative meta-analysis and cascading model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 54-78.
  3. [3]Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2008). Emotional intelligence: New ability or eclectic traits? American Psychologist, 63(6), 503-517.

About the author

Cosmin Gabriel Sofron, Organisational Psychologist and Founder of The Inner View

Cosmin Gabriel Sofron

Organisational Psychologist . MSc . BPS-Qualified Test User

Cosmin is the founder of The Inner View. His work sits at the intersection of cognitive psychology, behavioural science, and workplace development with experience in psychometrics, organisational research, coaching, and learning experience design.