Investigating the effects of emotional intelligence on social-mental factors of human resource productivity

According to Japan's Performance Center, performance is defined as to maximize usage of physical resources, human forces, and other elements in an scientific manner, which results in reduction of production costs, development of markets, increase in employment opportunity, and improvement in general welfare. The US Performance Institute defines performance as a tool to expenditure to profitability ( Taheri, 1999 ). Europe's Performance Institute defines performance as the extent and rate of effective use of each and every element of production. The institute argues that performance is a thought and an attitude and makes everyone work better and harder every day. Believing in improvement of performance means to have strong faith in man's progress. The term was first introduced in the 18 th century and today it is considered as one of the main factors in management. Adam Smith, the Scottish scholar, introduced performance at a global scale in his book The Wealth of Nations . Performance literally means both power production fertilizing; in Farsi it means being useful and gaining profit ( Aghagolzadeh, 2006 ). In general, performance refers to the extent to which a system is successful in using its resources to meet its goals. There are several factors that are effective in performance, which are generally categorized in four groups: technology-based, material-based, employee-based, and task-based. Based on this categorization, performance improvement is defined according to hardware factors, software factors, and human factors. Among these factors, the last one is the most important one in production and performance. Human-ware refers to capability and motivation for working and covers sub-factors such as education, motivation, spirit, attitude, and point of view that cover issues such as human capabilities and behaviors (skill, motivation, and enjoying work) ( Aghdasi, 1996).

Intelligence is a harmonious problem solving behavior toward facilitating realization of applied goals and harmonious growth. Compatible behavior attenuates the goals that may lead to internal controversy. This concept of intelligence is based on the statements that necessitate the process of stepping toward the goals, adopting strategies to overcome obstacles, and solving the problem ( Emmons, 1999; Nasel, 2004; Sternberg, 1997 ).

Gardner defined intelligence as a set of abilities to solve problems and new products that are considered valuable in a specific culture. He recognized nine types of intelligence including verbal, musical, rational-mathematical, space, physical-motor, individual (including inter/intra-personal intelligence), natural, and ontological intelligence (capability to deal with ontological questions) ( Amram, 2005).

The Western approach to intelligence is cognitive and s information processing, while the combined Eastern approach to intelligence covers different elements of performance and man's experience, including cognition, intuition, and emotion in an integrated framework ( Nasel, 2004).

In general, intelligence helps people to improve their harmony with the environment and find the ways to deal with problems and issues. In addition to that, the ability to understand the problem, bring in a solution for different problems in daily life, and finding more effective solutions are characteristics of smart people.

The term and its exact meaning was an area of debate among psychologists and philosophers for over one century. According to the Oxford Dictionary, intelligence is any stimulation and disturbance in brain, feeling, and love, any strong and exited mental mode. The term is used to highlight a feeling, thought, and mental and biological mode regarding a specific range of interests that makes the individual engage in an activity. Taking combinations, variety, and nuance differences into account, there are hundreds of types of emotions. In fact, there are countless variant of emotions without specific term ( Yazdani & Riahi, 2010).

By introducing the concept of “emotional intelligence” psychologists have tried to make it clear that emotion and intelligent are not two ends of one spectrum ( Averill, 2007 ). To explain the weight of emotion in man's evolution, social biologists argue that heart is more important that brain. They further explain that in tough and risky tasks, emotions are more important than being assigned to brain. It is the emotion that leads man in dangerous situations, loss of loved ones, persistence in reaching the goals despite several failures, creating love relations, and forming a family. Different emotions prepare us for different tasks and lead us to a direction in which man has proved to be successful for several times ( Ostadi & Zarehpour, 2009).

Emotional intelligence, according to Salovey and Mayer's (1997) skill-based model, is the ability to have correct perception of emotions, employ the emotions to facilitate wisdom, understand emotions, and manage emotions in oneself and others. Bar-On (1997, as cited in Sternberg, 2000 ) gave a much wider interpretation of emotional intelligence. He introduced emotional intelligence as non-cognitive abilities, knowledge, and merits that enable one to adapt successfully to different life situations. Bar On recommended five fields of merits that can represent emotional intelligence capacities:

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  Intra-personal skills, including emotional self-awareness, self-expression, self-management, self-development, and independence.

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  Inter-personal skills, that relationships among people, responsibility, social commitment, and unity.

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  Adaptability: ability to solve problem, to be realistic, and to test reality and flexibility.

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  Stress management: ability to stand stress and impulses.

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  General mood: including optimism and happiness.

Wee Signer defined emotional intelligence as the intelligence to employ emotion and feeling toward guiding behavior, thoughts, and relationship with others, colleagues, supervisors, and clients and also to spend time to improve the outcomes ( Khaef Elahi & Doustar, 2003 ). In another definition, emotional intelligence is defined as detecting emotions and thoughts and expressing them directly and exactly ( Siarouchi, Forgas, & Mayer, 2004 ). Emotional intelligence is one's awareness of his/her and other's emotions and the ability to recognize and control different emotions and feelings; it also has to do with ability to express sympathy for others. Therefore, emotions come with evaluating positive and negative aspects of a situation and bring in suitable solution in stressful situations. Based on the general perception of emotional intelligence ( Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2004 ), emotions are independent information sources based on which intelligence s.

Averill (2007) believed that people with strong emotional intelligence are able to comprehend the beliefs and rules that give meaning to an emotion. They are also very good at evaluating the situation and express their emotions skillfully. A response has more chance to be effective and intelligent when it is according to cultural beliefs and rules. Therefore, emotional intelligence is a convergent element – i.e., it converges to what is culturally acceptable. On the other hand, a response or emotional event might diverge from generally accepted traditions and social codes and, in this case, we have divergence in response. When such divergence s sort of negative non-constructive response, it is neurotic and when it s positive outcome for one and others, it is a creative response even if it does not fit the norms and cultural codes.

Emotional intelligence affects mental social factors of human force performance.

Intrapersonal skills of emotional intelligence influence mental-social factors of human force performance of employees of Tehran-based branches of Bank Mellat.

Interpersonal skills of emotional intelligence influence mental-social factors of human force performance of employees of Tehran-based branches of Bank Mellat.

Stress management of emotional intelligence influence mental-social factors of human force performance of employees of Tehran-based branches of Bank Mellat.

General mood of emotional intelligence influence mental-social factors of human force performance of employees of Tehran-based branches of Bank Mellat.