Background
The conception and development of Emotional intelligence self-assessment (Samra, J., 2011; revised 2020) has a unique history. The Mental Health Commission of Canada hosted an invitational workshop for employer and employee representatives at the 2010 Health Work & Wellness Conference in Vancouver, B.C. They met to discuss the implications of Dr. Martin Shain’s latest paper: Tracking the Perfect Legal Storm: Converging systems create mounting pressure to create the psychologically safe workplace.
The group considered what employers need to know and identified resources they thought needed to be created to help provide a psychologically safe workplace in today’s economic environment. The result is a comprehensive report called "Elements and Priorities for Working Toward a Psychologically Safer Workplace”.
Later, the broader conference audience was asked to prioritize the proposed employer resources. One identified priority was a set of resources to assess and improve the emotional intelligence of people leaders. Participants described emotional intelligence as the abilities to manage one’s own emotions in the workplace and to recognize and respond to the emotional distress of employees.
The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace (predecessor to Canada Life’s Workplace Strategies for Mental Health) responded to this need by commissioning Dr. Samra to develop Managing emotions in 2011; the resources were updated in 2020 to apply to all employees, including leaders, and was renamed Emotional intelligence self-assessment.
Project development team
Lead researcher and developer
The Emotional intelligence self-assessment was developed by Dr. Joti Samra – a national thought leader on issues relating to psychological health, wellness and resilience. She’s the CEO and founder of MyWorkplaceHealth, a full-suite international workplace consulting firm. Dr. Joti Samra, R.Psych & Associates is her in-office and online (virtual) clinical counselling practice with offices located throughout British Columbia.
Dr. Samra’s a highly regarded expert in the psychological health and safety (PH&S) field. Over the past two decades, she’s participated in numerous national initiatives that have contributed to policy change in Canada. She’s also a founding and ongoing member of the CSA Technical Committee, which developed the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace (CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ9700-803/2013). This Standard is the first of its kind in the world and is shaping policy development for workplace psychological health and safety at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) level.
As the lead research scientist, Dr. Samra created Guarding Minds at Work: A Workplace Guide to Psychological Health & Safety. The Standard later adopted the psychosocial factor framework she developed for this guide. Dr. Samra also developed the Psychologically Safe Leader Assessment to align leaders’ skills with the requirements of the Standard through assessment and action planning.
Dr. Samra and her team have extensive expertise in helping organizations implement initiatives related to workplace psychological health and safety including:
- Implementation of the CSA Group Standard
- Providing leadership development, training and coaching services across a broad range of areas, including:
- Emotional intelligence
- Psychologically safe leadership
- Mental health awareness
- Providing a breadth of services to enhance employee psychological health, wellness and resilience
Recognized for her clinical and research work, Dr. Samra has received several awards and accolades, including the Canadian Psychological Association’s New Researcher Award and the British Columbia Psychological Association’s Advancement of the Profession of Psychology Award. She’s the former President of the B.C. Psychological Association and past Chair of the B.C. Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards Committee.
Project Advisors
The following emotional intelligence specialists gave valuable input to Dr. Samra and her MyWorkplaceHealth team during the initial development of the Emotional intelligence self-assessment:
Dr. Steven Stein is author of:
- Make Your Workplace Great: The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization (Wiley)
- Emotional Intelligence for Dummies (Wiley)
- The international bestseller The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success (Jossey-Bass), with Dr. Howard Book.
Building on the principles of his academic career and scientific research, Dr. Stein’s published work reveals an effective method for predicting and improving individual and organizational performance.
Dr. Cary Cherniss specializes in these areas:
- Emotional intelligence
- Work stress
- Leadership development
- Planned organizational change.
He’s published over 60 scholarly articles and book chapters on these topics, and authored 7 books, including:
- The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace (Jossey-Bass, with Daniel Goleman)
- Promoting Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: Guidelines for Practitioners (American Society for Training and Development, with Mitchel Adler)
- The Human Side of Corporate Competitiveness (Sage, with Daniel Fishman)
- Professional Burnout in Human Service Organizations (Praeger)
- Staff Burnout (Sage)
Dr. Jeff Morley is a psychologist and RCMP officer who conducts training in emotional intelligence. He has extensive experience working with:
- Police officers
- Soldiers
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Spouses of emergency service professionals
- A wide variety of others from different cultural backgrounds and careers, with wide ranging issues.
He’s also a Board-Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress (B.C.E.T.S.) with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
Research methodology
The Emotional intelligence self-assessment comprises 4 overarching skill areas. These consist of 16 competencies identified in the existing empirical literature. The domains and competencies addressed in existing emotional intelligence models and assessment tools were reviewed (N=17; listed below). Redundant domains/competencies were collapsed across categories. Particular weight was given to those that met the following criteria:
- Strong empirical support
- Operationally definable
- High face validity with respect to the workplace
- Teachable in an online/interactive manner
The shortlist of skill areas and competencies was refined and revised using input from key content experts in the field of emotional intelligence. The list also included input from over 60 workplace stakeholders representing a range of industry sectors from across Canada.
The following models and assessment tools were reviewed:
Benchmark of Organizational Emotional Intelligence (BOEI)
Stein, S. J., & MHS Staff. (2005). Benchmark of Organizational Emotional IntelligenceTM (BOEITM). Toronto, ON: MHS, Inc.
Emotional and Social Competence Inventory (ESCI)
Goleman, D., & Boyatzis, R. (2007). Emotional and Social Competence Inventory (ESCI). Toronto, ON: The Hay Group.
Emotional Competence Inventory 2.0 (ECI 2.0)
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & Hay Group. (1999). Emotional Competence Inventory 2.0 (ECI 2.0). Toronto, ON: The Hay Group.
Emotional IntelligenceView 360
Nowack, K. M. (2003). Emotional IntelligenceView 360. Cambridge: Consulting Tools.
Emotional Intelligence Appraisal (EIA)
Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2001). Emotional Intelligence Appraisal® (EIA®). San Diego, CA: TalentSmart.
Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (EIQ)
Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. (1999). Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (EIQ). London: ASE.
Emotional Intelligence Skills Assessment (EISA)
Stein, S. J., Mann, D., Papadogiannis, P, & Gordon, W. (2009). Emotional Intelligence Skills AssessmentTM (EISATM). Toronto, ON: MHS, Inc.
Emotional Quotient-360 (EQ-360)
Bar-On, R., & Handley, R. Emotional Quotient-360® (EQ-360®; 2002). Toronto, ON: MHS, Inc.
Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I)
Bar-On, R. (1997). Emotional Quotient Inventory® (EQ-i®). Toronto, ON: MHS, Inc.
EQ In-Action
Johnson, J., Erb, D., Short, R. R., & Fitzpatrick, A. (1999). EQ In-Action. Bellevue, WA: Learning in Action Technologies, Inc.
Genos Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Genos EI)
Stough, C., & Palmer, B. (2006). Genos EI Inventory (Genos EI). San Francisco, CA: Genos Pty Ltd.
Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT, Version 2.0)
Mayer, J., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2002). Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence TestTM, Version 2.0 (MSCEITTM V2.0). Toronto, ON: MHS, Inc.
Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS)
Mayer, J., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (1998). Multifactor Emotional Intelligence ScaleTM (MEISTM). Needham, MA: Virtual Knowledge.
PeopleIndex
Nowack, K. M. (2006). PeopleIndex. Cambridge: Consulting Tools.
Team Emotional and Social Intelligence Survey (TESI)
Hughes, M., & Terrell, J. B. (2006). Team Emotional and Social Intelligence Survey® (TESI®). Golden, CO: Collaborative Growth.
Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, TEIQue
Petrides, K. V. (2009). Technical manual for the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaires (TEIQue). London: London Psychometric Laboratory.
Petrides, K. V., Pita, R., & Kokkinaki, F. (2007). The location of trait emotional intelligence in personality factor space. British Journal of Psychology, 98, 273-289.
Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS)
Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., Goldman, S. L., Turvey, C., & Palfai, T. P. (1995). Emotional attention, clarity, and repair. Exploring emotional intelligence using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. In J. W. Pennebaker (Ed.), Emotion, disclosure, and health (pp. 125-154). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.