Emotional Intelligence and the T-Group

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE T-GROUP

Some Emotional Intelligence Objectives:

Self-Awareness: Aware of own feelings, Recognition and management of feelings and able to control their impact.

Emotional Resilience: Consistent performance under pressure, Balances individual and team needs with task needs, Retains focus in spite of criticism.

Influence: Appreciation of different perspectives and alternative positions, persuades others and provides rationale for change.

Motivation: Drive/Energy to achieve clear results, Balances short and long term goals, Pursues demanding goals in the face of rejection or questioning.

Intuition: Makes sense of incomplete and ambiguous information to see a pattern and arrives at decisions that can be implemented.

Interpersonal Sensitivity: Takes account of others before coming to a decision, builds awareness and takes others along with self.

Conscientiousness: Commitment, consistency in thought, word and action, Encouraging of others, ethical.

Some T-Group Objectives:
To know self, to know the others in the group, to understand the interpersonal processes that take place between self and the other, to understand the impact of one’s behavior on others and the impact of other’s behavior on self.



My Objective:
To trace the development of Emotional Intelligence through the T-Group – To understand how participating in the T-Group experience develops one’s emotional intelligence. Developing and understanding inner purpose, personal goals, setting personal standards, self regulation and self development in terms of the emotional intelligence objectives as stated above.

This is structured based on 2 modes as below:
Participant Mode: (PM) – As a participant in the group process
Observer Mode : (OM) – Reflections on the participation

Excerpts from the T-group:

(PM) - Initial excitement – wanting to learn – wanting to know people, willing to be guided yet wanting to impress others…

(OM) – Concern for inclusion – do not know what role to play, depending on facilitator for inputs, fear for adequacy – through wanting to impress…Low on emotional intelligence – low on self awareness, self and relationship management since there is a desire to impress and therefore one is not secure about self and about being perceived by the other.

(PM) – “I am DEF. I work with ABC company in the designation of XYZ. My hobbies are UVW…”

(OM) – Role centered – need for status – façade building as in creating an image of self to others – sense of caution…playing safe…….

(PM) – “Excuse me facilitator Sir, but you are not providing any inputs, what are we supposed to do now?”

(OM) – concern over motives, cynicism, conformity to a set pattern of teacher-student, need to define role, false assumption that the facilitator will bail me out in my confusion over what is happening… In terms of Emotional Intelligence: confused over influence issues i.e. unable to appreciate an alternative position, lacking in intuition, lacking in motivation to take lead and explore…

(PM) – Mr X is trying to play leader, he is trying to hijack the group – What will happen to my power status? He is more popular and is trying to win over everybody…

(OM) – False assumptions stemming out of insecurity, facade being threatened, projection, paranoia, resistance, diffused goals, power struggle. Needs to accept motives, trust, let be, allow role to be irrelevant, just be, reduce façade and be realistic. Emotionally needs to be more aware of what is happening to self, why it is happening, build emotional resilience in terms of balancing individual and team needs, appreciate alternative positions in terms of influence, allow for different perspectives and allow for others’ needs.

(PM) – “I understand that you are trying to tell me that I am not spontaneous and think before I talk but I fail to see why you feel that. Could you tell me something more? You feel I have other motives?”

(OM) – A positive step. Confronting. Seeking Feedback. Could have irrational fears. Taking the risk of being challenged. Awareness of interdependence. Retaining focus in the face of criticism. Willing to listen to a different perspective. Interpersonally sensitive.

The above are examples of how emotional intelligence is reflected and developed through the T-group process...