Climate Change
There's a wealth of research suggesting that emotionally intelligent individuals often make great leaders. Yet, I've witnessed many such leaders flounder in organizations lacking a strong emotional climate, even when many employees possess high emotional awareness. Let's explore the parallels between weather and climate to understand the emotional climate and how organizations can cultivate a higher level of Organizational Emotional Intelligence.
Organizational Weather
To establish a strong emotional climate, an organization must have many emotionally intelligent individuals in decision-making and influential positions. Daily emotional events are significantly affected by interpersonal and relational dynamics. These events can vary substantially throughout the day and across the organization. For instance, at month's end, the finance department might perceive the organizational weather as gloomy with a chance of severe storms, while the marketing department simultaneously experiences it as sunny with a slight breeze. Furthermore, individuals within each department may have differing opinions on whether the weather will improve or worsen. These localized emotional weather systems are heavily influenced by the emotional intelligence of individuals within those networks. While this article doesn't focus on emotional weather systems, it emphasizes the importance of individuals and organizations fostering the development of emotional intelligence.
Organizational Climate
Let's explore three integral components of organizational climate. When intentionally and purposefully integrated into your organization's policies, processes, and procedures, these elements can significantly improve organizational climate, boosting culture, innovation, and performance.
Organizational Atmosphere
The organizational atmosphere consists of intangible elements that are challenging to see and measure. Yet, their absence can inflict lasting harm on both individuals and the organization. A positive atmosphere creates a balanced environment where emotional weather remains moderate, fostering adaptability to unexpected changes. It shapes the perceptions of staff, customers, and even competitors. Openness, trust, and compassion form the bedrock of a strong atmosphere—essential qualities for a sustainable and thriving organization.
Moreover, the organizational atmosphere serves as the informal and organic connector, interacting with external organizations and communities, ultimately shaping the organization's reputation.
Organizational Biosphere
The organizational biosphere, the heart and soul of your organizational climate, is all about the people and their relationships. It's a dynamic web of connections, conflicts, and collaborations – complex, ever-changing, and sometimes downright unpredictable. A thriving biosphere isn't just about avoiding conflict; it's about embracing the messiness of human interaction and using it to fuel growth.
In a strong biosphere, people are empowered to be their authentic selves and are encouraged to lift each other. Ethical decision-making is woven into the fabric of the organization, and conflict is seen as a catalyst for innovation and progress. Your biosphere is your greatest asset: the people who power your organization, navigate crises, drive innovation, and champion your mission.
Organizational Hydrosphere
The organizational hydrosphere encompasses the internal and external mechanisms and networks of your organization. It's the circulatory system of your business, regulating the flow of information, connecting disparate parts, and prioritizing actions. This dynamic component of organizational climate acts as a knowledge hub, adeptly gathering, receiving, sorting, disseminating, and transferring information both within and outside the organization. Think of it as the intricate network of formal and informal processes that ensure the biosphere's effectiveness and amplify the atmosphere's positive impact.
Transforming the Interview Process for a High-EQ Organization
While pondering organizational climate is crucial, how does this translate into action? Let's reimagine the interview process through a corporate high-EQ lens:
Prioritize Climate Requirements: Clearly define the organizational climate needs for the role. These often outweigh technical skills. Think: assertive communication, creativity, confidentiality.
Unmask Authenticity: Traditional interviews are a facade—both sides present their best selves. An emotionally intelligent approach cuts through this, revealing deeper truths.
Experience Over Q&A: Ditch the standard Q&A, no matter how insightful the questions. To reveal the atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere, make interviews experiential and interactive. Group problem-solving exercises, for instance, unveil collaboration skills.
Unearth, Don't Overlook: Base decisions on what the process reveals, not what's missing. It's on decision-makers to uncover information aligning with those predefined climate requirements.
Feedback is Non-Negotiable: Interviewers must co-create detailed feedback for ALL candidates. This clarifies decisions and addresses disagreements—because healthy debate is a sign of high EQ. "Better fit" isn't feedback; it's a cop-out.
Deliver Feedback Directly: No exceptions. No passing it off to HR or hiding behind emails. The feedback process is as crucial as the interview itself. Unsuccessful candidates are potential future hires, clients, and always influencers of your reputation and climate.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to put these principles into action by designing a unique interview process. My leadership team and I determined that the most critical climate requirements for the position we were hiring for were assertive communication and the ability to give feedback. To assess these skills, I incorporated a group activity into the interview process, where applicants had to collaborate to solve a problem. During this activity, they were encouraged to provide feedback to each other on their teamwork. Immediately following the group activity, applicants participated in one-on-one sessions with staff members to further discuss their observations and experiences from the group phase. Applicants were encouraged to share their insights and perspectives, including their role in the activity and the roles of other participants.
After the interviews, staff members were tasked with describing the behaviors they observed during both the group and individual sessions, specifically focusing on the predefined climate requirements. This information was then used to provide all applicants with concrete, specific, and actionable feedback. This feedback process not only allowed successful applicants to move forward in the hiring process with a clear understanding of the role but also gave unsuccessful candidates valuable insights for their personal and professional development.
The results of this approach were overwhelmingly positive. Many unsuccessful candidates remarked that the interview process was one of the most valuable learning experiences they had ever had. In one instance, an applicant who was initially unsuccessful was ultimately offered the position due to additional insights gained through the feedback process. In another case, an applicant who was recommended for a second round chose to withdraw from the process because the interview experience gave them a clearer understanding of the role, and they realized it wasn't the right fit for them. Finally, one unsuccessful candidate used the self-awareness gained through the interview process to secure a different job in the organization.
Elevate Your Organization with Corporate Emotional Intelligence
A corporate emotional intelligence approach isn't just a fancy upgrade; it's a complete overhaul of systems, policies, and processes that injects greater value, adaptability, and purpose into your work. This isn't about superficial changes; it's about reshaping the very core of what makes your organization sustainable. If you're aiming for leadership, find ways to reinvent even the smallest organizational element and become a catalyst for positive climate change.
