Emotional Intelligence Training Efforts – Determining Effectiveness
When the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI) first gained prominence in the mid 1990s, organizations attempted to take advantage of the potential to improve peoples performance by assessing their peoples EI skills. However, this assessment resulted in just that: a measurement. And this measurement did not improve skill nor did it show value for the organization.
More recently organizations have been offered training programs with the implied promise of improving skill level. And using an EI assessment instrument both pre and post training might well provide an indication of improved skill level in terms of improved behavior (i.e., is more able to remain calm and in control, improved awareness of emotions, etc.). Bur were left with the same problem. Without a better plan to capture some specific examples of how these behavior improvements have benefited the individual and the organization, its difficult to prove the interventions worth or value.
As with any soft skills program, measuring the value of Emotional Intelligence training can be challenging. But if we use a variety of approaches, the results, when taken together should show not only skill improvements but also return on investment for the organization.
The first step is to set program goals for both the individual participants as well as the organization. These goals then become the gauge against which the program results can be measured to determine success.
Next, determine pre and post program measures. As mentioned earlier, these might include a pre and post EI skill assessment of the participants. But you can go further by including other organizational measures such as organizational, culture or change effectiveness surveys. You might even capture organizational internal measures such as employee and/or customer engagement/satisfaction surveys, absenteeism or health care claims. Always check with the organization to determine if they might have other appropriate internal measures.
Establishing program events to capture results will provide unique insight into the value of the intervention. A program coaching component will help you capture individual statements that you can generalize for the overall group without violating confidentiality. Conducting impact interviews at the conclusion of the program and targeting those interviews toward program goals will help establish the success of the training. Additionally, by capturing specific examples of improvements in goal areas you have the opportunity to gain insight into the return on investment (i.e., increased productivity, increased sales, etc.).
In todays economy, the organization must make its training investments count. And without a thorough plan to capture results, its difficult to prove value. While it might not be possible to employ every method suggested, using two or three will result in both qualitative and quantitative data that can be used to observe trends, draw conclusions and make recommendations.
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