CaronMargareteWhat is the EQ-i 2.0 Model?
The EQ-i 2.0 model of emotional intelligence is an online assessment tool that produces an overall snapshot of one’s emotional intelligence.
The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i®) and the EQ 360® have been instrumental in helping individuals and organisations predict and improve human performance. The latest revision, the EQ-i® 2.0 and EQ 360® 2.0, integrates feedback from over 700 leaders, coaches, counsellors, participants, and researchers to provide the most advanced and thoroughly researched measure of emotional intelligence in the assessment industry.
Recent research and case studies from premier organisations demonstrate that selection and development initiatives based on the EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 2.0 can help organisations cut costs and mitigate risks. The results obtained from this inventory can have a huge impact on an organisation’s bottom line because they provide valuable insight regarding the respondent’s ability to be successful in dealing with environmental demands and pressures.
The EQ-i 2.0 provides a unique feedback experience for the respondent by quantitatively indicating emotional skills that need improvement. Detailed, visually impactful reports help give a balanced view of a person’s potential for succeeding in life.
A common misinterpretation of EQ is that it is about always being nice.
“Rather, it’s about the ability to use the right emotion at the right time to get the right result. It requires the ability to read the other person, know how far you can push their buttons, and knowing when to back off and when to persist. If it is done with good intentions, even though unpleasant at the time, the payoff can be rewarding.”
– Steven Stein, author, The EQ Leader.
What does the EQ-i 2.0 measure?
The EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 2.0 measure a set of emotional and social skills that influence the way we:
- Perceive and express ourselves,
- Develop and maintain social relationships,
- Cope with challenges, and
- Use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way.
The EQ-i 2.0 model of emotional intelligence is comprised of fifteen factors across five categories of functioning. These skills, which form the building blocks of abilities such as communication, resilience, and time management, can be mapped theoretically and empirically to job competencies, productivity, academic performance, and other measures of success to help predict and improve functioning.
Factors of Emotional & Social Functioning
Self-perception (The “Inner World”)
Feelings of inner strength and confidence, persistence in the pursuit of personally relevant and meaningful goals, while understanding what, when, why, and how different emotions impact thoughts and actions.
- Self-Regard: Accepting your strengths and weaknesses.
- Self-Actualisation: The drive to improve and achieve meaningful goals.
- Emotional Self-Awareness: Recognizing what you are feeling and why.
Self-expression (The “Output”)
Addresses the outward expression/ action component of self-perception. The propensity to remain self-directed and openly expressive of thoughts and feelings, while communicating these feelings in a constructive and socially acceptable way.
- Emotional Expression: Constructively expressing emotions (not bottling them up).
- Assertiveness: Standing up for your beliefs without being aggressive.
- Independence: Being self-directed and free from emotional dependency.
Interpersonal (The “Connection”)
Develop and maintain relationships based on trust and compassion, articulate an understanding of another’s perspective and act responsibly while showing concern for others, their team, or their greater community/organisation.
- Interpersonal Relationships: Establishing mutually satisfying connections.
- Empathy: Understanding and appreciating how others feel.
- Social Responsibility: Contributing to the greater good (team/community).
Decision-making (The “Logic”)
The way in which one uses emotional information and how well one understands the impact emotions have on decision-making, including the ability to resist or delay impulses and remain objective, to avoid rash behaviours and ineffective problem-solving.
- Problem Solving: Solving problems where emotions are involved.
- Reality Testing: Seeing things as they are, not as you fear/hope them to be.
- Impulse Control: Resisting the urge to act rashly.
Stress Management (The “Resilience”)
The ability to cope with the emotions associated with change, and unfamiliar and unpredictable circumstances, while remaining hopeful about the future and resilient in the face of setbacks and obstacles.
- Flexibility: Adapting to unfamiliar or changing circumstances.
- Stress Tolerance: Withstanding adverse events without falling apart.
- Optimism: Remaining hopeful and resilient in the face of setbacks.
Application of the EQ-i 2.0
In the Workplace
The EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 2.0 are versatile in workplace environments. For instance, because of the brevity and the multifaceted information that it supplies, the EQ-i 2.0 can be used by employers (via EQ-i 2.0 certified practitioners like myself) to provide greater insight when looking for emotionally healthy and high-potential personnel. Supplemented by additional sources of information, such as interviews and the results of other assessments, the EQ-i 2.0 can make the recruitment and selection process more reliable and more efficient.
Career Development
In a career development context, the EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 2.0 can be used with current staff to evaluate ongoing functioning and well-being of employees, particularly when this functioning is linked to organisational competency frameworks or other performance metrics that indicate success within a given organisation. It may also be a tool for gauging the impact and effectiveness of organisational change and restructuring (i.e., before and after organisational changes).
The EQ-i 2.0 also enables qualified professionals to create tailor-made training programs to improve the emotional skills and functioning of employees, teams, and the company as a whole.
Team & Group Development
The EQ-i 2.0 model can also be useful in group or team development. Particularly useful in this regard is the EQ 360 2.0 assessment, a multi-rater feedback instrument that is invaluable for assessing an individual’s strengths/weaknesses from a self/others’ perspective (i.e., comparison of ratings from observers together with ratings on the EQ-i 2.0). A large part of effective and smooth teamwork is knowing each member’s strengths and weaknesses and leveraging those strengths whenever possible. Pinpointing this kind of information can prove to be a bonding experience that unifies, synchronises, and/or strengthens the group.
In Placement (Star Performer Profiles)
The EQ-i 2.0 can be used to predict a candidate’s likelihood of success compared to high performers in a particular role or position. The process involves benchmarking emotional intelligence skills to determine the subscales that are associated with high performance in specific roles, training or academic programs, or other placements. The resulting profiles, sometimes referred to as “star performer profiles,” can be used to increase the reliability and efficiency of a selection or approval process by providing a critical perspective about the skills that candidates will need to perform in their roles.
Benchmarking also provides a way to evaluate a candidate’s fit against organisational/situational culture and results in increased potential for success and retention. Training and coaching become more effective, as they can be targeted at emotional and social skills that are empirically linked with high performance. Additionally, training can give individuals opportunities to learn the specific skills they will need to move along specific career paths.
Types of EQ-i Assessments
Individual Assessment: EQ-i 2.0
The EQ-i 2.0 consists of 133 brief items using a five-point response scale. It takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete the EQ‑i 2.0, but there are no imposed time limits. The EQ-i 2.0 is suitable for individuals 18 years of age and older. The assessment provides:
- A total EI score,
- Five composite scale scores, and
- Fifteen subscale scores.
EQ‑i 2.0 raw scores are converted into standard scores based on a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. As with the EQ-i, raw scores are of limited value on their own. Converting raw scores to standard scores facilitates comparison of the respondent’s scores to the scores of the normative sample and, theoretically, to the rest of the population. High EQ‑i 2.0 scores (above 100), as with the previous version, indicate emotionally intelligent people, while lower scores indicate a need to improve emotional skills in specific areas.
360-degree Assessment: EQ 360 2.0
360-degree assessments (also known as multi-rater feedback or multisource feedback) are a performance evaluation method that provides an individual with the opportunity to receive feedback from his/her co-workers or colleagues (e.g., supervisor, co-workers, peers, direct reports).
The primary goal of a 360-degree assessment is to give an individual a deeper understanding of his/her work functioning from multiple perspectives. 360-degree feedback is usually part of a developmental planning process, with its goal being to create awareness and to establish sustainable, long-term personal growth.
The underlying tenet for the use of multi-rater feedback is that data about one’s specific workplace functioning, when compared with internal perceptions, is used as a means for enhancing self-awareness and subsequent behavioural change.
The EQ 360 2.0 is a multirater version of the multi-rater that assesses the same emotional and social skills as the self-report, but from an observer’s perspective. Participants nominate whom they would like to get feedback from when they complete their self-report. Raters then complete the EQ 360 2.0 online, and results are tabulated simultaneously into one comprehensive report for the participant.
The Individual & 360-degree Leadership Report
The EQ-i 2.0 & EQ 360 2.0 Leadership Report was designed for those who work with leaders of all levels, to provide an in-depth look at EQ strengths and weaknesses through the lens of leadership.
An exhaustive review of the literature surrounding EQ and leadership was conducted, as well as market research to determine which leadership dimensions were most applicable to EQ-i 2.0 consultants and administrators. The philosophy behind the leadership research was to arrive at a succinct set of leadership dimensions that underpinned most leadership models and provided a framework for organising the EQ-i 2.0 subscales in a way that effectively highlighted leadership development areas for a client.
The review of the literature led to the arrival of four common leadership dimensions that were inherent to most definitions and models of leadership: Authenticity, Coaching, Insight and Innovation.
The Leadership Report determine which EQ-i 2.0 subscales help fuel success in each leadership dimension and which ones contribute to leadership derailment.
Source: MHS.com
Learn more about my Emotional Intelligence Assessment and Coaching services.
