In today’s workplace, technical skills and emotional intelligence are gaining equal footing for career success. Researchers at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence explore a key question: What conditions support emotionally intelligent behavior in organizations?

Based on a review of three decades of research, Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, PhD, Marc Brackett, PhD, and Zehavit Levitats, PhD, reveal a new theory that emotional intelligence isn’t just about ability—it also depends on motivation and opportunity. In this Q&A, we examine how leaders and organizations can create emotionally intelligent workplaces that promote employee well-being, collaboration, and performance.

Why is emotional intelligence at work important?

The definition of emotional intelligence (EI), according to YCEI, is the ability to navigate our own and others’ emotions to achieve meaningful goals. It involves the skills of recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotions. These skills are in high demand at work and influencing growth with employees. Colleagues and supervisors of emotionally intelligent team members see them as contributing to a harmonious work environment. Emotionally intelligent workers are better off emotionally - happier with their jobs and experiencing less burnout.

They also:

• Perform better
• Achieve more merit-based pay increases
• Reach higher company rank
• Gain recognition for their work

How does emotional intelligence improve workplace success?

Emotional intelligence helps employees, leaders, and managers succeed at work. It also supports the overall success of organizations.

Research from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence shows that leaders who act with emotional intelligence create positive work climates. Employees are more motivated, aware of opportunities for growth, and are more creative and innovative in their jobs. By contrast, workers whose leaders do not act with emotional intelligence do not feel valued and experience more burnout.

Organizations benefit indirectly. When workers are more satisfied and engaged, there is less costly turnover. And when workers approach their jobs with creativity, they are better able to solve problems.

How can organizations better align emotional intelligence ability, motivation, and opportunity?

Effective leaders play a key role in creating conditions for uniting ability, motivation, and opportunity for emotional intelligence at work. Ability is the know-how of emotional intelligence, motivation propels behavior, and opportunities are created by the organization and its leaders to support emotional intelligence (vs. discouraging any attention to emotions at work). They set the tone for what the company culture accepts and expects.

Leaders with high emotional intelligence notice their own and others’ emotions. They can acknowledge when they notice that workers are worried and encourage them to consider positive and negative feelings when making decisions. Leaders can understand that emotions, including both pleasant and unpleasant emotions, happen in the workplace.

By reacting carefully in emotional situations, they show which actions work well. They teach important skills and why they matter. When senior leaders do this, they can influence HR practices that create real opportunities for workers.

How can we improve emotional intelligence at work?

Research across dozens of studies shows that people can teach and learn emotion skills successfully at work. We can start by prioritizing professional development to build individuals' skills, especially leaders. Leaders and managers can model emotional intelligence. This includes understanding how their actions affect others, listening, and helping employees handle challenges and resolve conflicts.

Organizations as a whole face a greater challenge. Mission and vision statements lay a strong foundation but are not sufficient for meaningful change. Living stated values by enacting HR practices shows the workforce the value of emotions.

Emotional intelligence is not only a personal skill—it is a workplace strategy for maintaining a positive environment and supporting individual workers and teams. When ability, motivation, and opportunity come together, emotionally intelligent behavior can take root across all levels of an organization.