Employees Can Fake Emotional Intelligence So Use Additional Measures When Making Decisions

Today’s best managers know the importance of being able: 1) to recognize one’s own emotions, 2) to manage those emotions, 3) to recognize the emotions that others are experiencing, and 4) to manage our relationships with others based on those emotions. The ability to do these four behaviors is called emotional intelligence or EI. Today’s best managers don’t hire, fire, or promote an employee solely based on emotional intelligence because it is possible to fake being emotionally intelligent. For example, employees may work extra hard to make a good impression when they are being evaluated, but then may not act this way normally on the job.

Source: Day, A. L., & Carroll, S. A. 2008. Faking emotional intelligence (EI): Comparing response distortion on ability and trait-based EI measures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29, 761-784.