Chapter 9, EI for the Team!

In chapter 9, Goleman shifts from focusing on the individual, and begins to identify the emotional intelligence elements of coworkers in team building and maintenance. Self-awareness and self-management for a group are suggested to be little in difference from the individual in the pursuit of group empathy and mindfulness. The key is to introduce 'collaborative norms'--explicit responsibilities of group members in perpetual practice of positive elements. This is somewhat indicative of operant conditioning with all members of the team reinforcing the others for a cohesion in self-managment.

The benefit of providing EI training to all members of the team speaks to a better group awareness and management, but it is not necessarily essential. Granted, leaders are expected to be the motivating force behind team performance; however, any properly EI trained team member can introduce a social awareness. The success of any EI introduction is dictated by its emotions governed by trust, group identity, and group efficacy. Dissonance within a group can make it difficult to identify with a group's emotional needs. Having a team member being able to identify the underlying issues helps to create self-awareness, thus aiding a leader with identification and action.

Essentially, Goleman tries to relay that there is little difference between an individual and a group in emotional intelligence. Both are prey to emotions and require supportive elements. The key is for a leader to monitor the emotional tone of the group and introduce norms that can be easily practiced to overcome unproductive and dissonant performance.