A History of Emotional Intelligence in Work Settings

Abstract

In 2018, the World Economic Forum labeled emotional intelligence one of the “top 10” skills needed to thrive at work in 2020 and beyond. This is especially so in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which will continue to reshape societies and workplaces as we know them. In these turbulent and disruptive times, being emotionally intelligent may prove an asset to maintain trust and creativity, as well as to establish relevant leadership and managerial practices. While imprints of the term can be traced back in time, emotional intelligence has existed, in its modern incarnation, since 1990. In this paper, we explore the history of emotional intelligence: its origins, its underlying theoretical background in research on emotion and general intelligence, the early self-report instruments, the emergence of the ability model of emotional intelligence, and the identification of three distinct “streams” of research in emotional intelligence. This allows us to draw a roadmap for the future and to open new research avenues, particularly considering the challenging times we are all facing. [169 words] (Keywords: emotional intelligence, organizational behavior, history, workplace)