The Final Chapter

This is the last chapter of Goleman's book. Essentially, it starts our with stories of 'do-or-die' for companies like Unliever and Pacific Rim bank with limited and/or poorly integrated emotional intelligence coaching. Goleman stresses throughout the first half of the chapter about the success of company culture change is a 'top-down' process. The presumption for success is dictated by creating resonance of the five discoveries (ideal self, real self, learning, experimenting, and development) in developing new leadership to change a company, culture, and behavior, except when the "inertia in the culture is too powerful." Essentially, this a repeat of many other situations presented throughout the book to justify EI.

I had to think about this with my current retail supervisory position. The culture of Home Depot is not unique to Home Depot, retail in itself is a business culture. Therefore, can these concepts Goleman provides be truly identified and usable in an industry where employee turnover is built-in--the nature of retail? Additionally, turnover is frequent in retail managment as well. I tried to develop an analogous culture where an industry dictates limited career length for most employees--it seemed to fall in line with low-paying service types, like restaurant, hotel, and most retail markets (coffee drinks, sporting goods, clothing). When analyzing the majority of jobs in the US, retail dictated the largest sum of employees--that it is a big culture to change for substantial resonance with any leadership emotional intelligence training, aside from the negative connotations that retail emits amongst consumers.

Goleman states many requirements for succesful EI in business, such as : business culture change, consistent use of seminars and trainings, EI competencies and evaluation, creative learning and context, and relationship development to facilitate and maintain resonance. Though these are great concepts, as well as the rest throughout the book, Goleman misses one crucial element for cultural development and change for a business--those outside of the business. It could be easily said that cultural change within a business will resonant with those on the outside, let alone those employees that return to their home outside of their work's inner culture; however, public ideology surrounding an industry can be degradative, deterring, and overriding--especially in retail.

Unfortuantely, this book started out with a bang and fizzled out at the end. Validation for me would have come with a simple addressing of cultural influence outside of the work environment. Maybe Goleman needs a follow up book that addresses home life EI, as well as that of public influence. For my current work needs, I belive that these elements will be beneficial, but I do not see Home Depot spending time and money training part-time/full-time college students or retired Master Plumbers on being EI resonant. I am not saying it isn't impossible to find motivation for these individuals, but the buili-in turnover limits/negates an organizations investment on expected employee turnover.