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Q.1 Describe the role of emotional intelligence in public services. (150 Words, 10 Marks).
Answer:
Emotional intelligence is described as the capability to recognize one’s own emotions and to perceive those of others, applying this knowledge to direct one’s decision-making and action in a skilful and intelligent manner.
The public service domain is usually concerned with efficiency, productivity, restructuring and accountability. However, to the ordinary citizen, this means little. What the citizen wants is not only honesty, but a kind of service, wherein administrators communicate with them at an emotional level and help resolve the issues that are confronting them as ordinary citizens. According to Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence has five key elements: Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Motivation, Empathy and Social skills.
Role of Emotional Intelligence:
- Leadership is a social process involving influencing the behaviour of others to achieve some goals. Thus it is an intrinsically emotional process.
- Public servants who are high on emotional intelligence know how to listen to their emotions and regulate their intensity so that they do not hijack them.
- Handle pressure situations efficiently, efficient team player, Understand and able to control masses and their emotions.
- A high EI person is more likely to demonstrate optimism and happiness and manage change comfortably. He will feel confident and positively, reduce stress levels, all of which are desired qualities in a leader and help in performing at work.
- Since high EI plays an important role in the quality and effectiveness of interaction with other individuals, a highly emotionally intelligent leader can promote effectiveness at all levels of the organisation.
- The emotional intelligence of an administrator helps in building Social Capital, which refers to bonds of mutual respect and cares among members of a collectivity. Social capital, in turn, allows for a reduction in the transaction costs of economic exchange.
- Moreover, emotionally intelligent people are comfortable with new ideas and new information. They can negotiate and resolve disagreements.
- For example, IAS Divya who learnt the Gond Language to understand the grievances of Gond Community-Villagers named the village as Divya Guda.
Therefore, emotionally intelligent behaviour is a prerequisite for building bridges of mutual understanding and trust in the space between people, i.e. in the “administrative space.”
