Emotional competence at work

Abstract

(Purpose) The study investigated emotional competence at work, and elaborated emotional competence in relation to socio-cultural aspects of emotions at work. (Design/Methodology/Approach) Emotional competence at work was explored via interviews, surveys, and observations. The study was conducted over one year, during which an emotion-training intervention was conducted within a medium-sized company, operating in the healthcare sector. (Findings) The study shed light on emotional competence at work, identifying three domains: Individual emotional competence, Emotional competence within interactions, and Emotional competence embedded in workplace practices. (Research limitations/Implications) This study was conducted in one organization. (Practical implications) Organizational developers are recommended to implement activities such as training interventions in order to build emotional competence; this applies not only at the individual level, but also to achieve interaction among members of the organization, within collective workplace practices. (Originality /value) Previous studies on emotional competence have been limited to the individual level. The sociocultural approach to emotional competence adopted in this study recognizes – in addition to the individual and interactional level of emotional competence – emotional competence at work as related to practices at work.