Abstract
Emotional Intellegence and Leadership
in the Indian Armed Forces
Introduction
Emotional intelligence is a relatively new field of study; it is based on a long history
of research in the fields of psychology, neurology, behavioral sciences and human
resource development. Many times it is seen that intelligent star performers
suddenly get derailed by unexpected wayward behavior. Similarly many a times
people with modest IQ are more successful in life than the people with high IQ. The
quest to find answers to these questions led to an understanding of the fact that
non-intellectual factors too play an important role, interpersonal intelligence or
social intelligence is needed for success in life. This further evolved as Emotional
Intelligence.
Most descriptions, definitions and conceptualizations of emotional intelligence have
included one or more of the following key components: (a) the ability to recognize,
understand and express emotions and feelings; (b) the ability to understand how
others feel and relate with them; (c) the ability to manage and control emotions; (d)
the ability to manage change, adapt and solve problems of a personal and
interpersonal nature; and (e) the ability to generate positive affect and be selfmotivated. Emotions convey knowledge about an individual’s relationship with the
world. The concept of Emotional Intelligence brings out the complex, potentially
intelligent tapestry of emotional reasoning in everyday life. In short, intelligent use
of emotions is emotional intelligence. Three models of the EI construct have gained
wide acceptance. The Mayer-Salovey (1990) model is an ability model. They defined
EI as ‘the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to
assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively
regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth’. Bar-On’s
(1997) model of emotional intelligence is fundamentally based on the personality
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characteristics. As per this model Emotional intelligence constitutes of five broad
areas; Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Adaptability, Stress Management and General
Mood.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman (1995) popularized emotional intelligence with his
landmark book of that name, which became a household expression as well as a field
of study worth consideration in the business, academic, and social-science
communities. Goleman developed his theory about emotional intelligence through
research in more than 200 organizations, explaining that without emotional
intelligence, a person can have first class training, an incisive mind, and an endless
supply of good ideas, but still not make a great leader. Supported by his research,
Goleman maintained that despite their cognitive intelligence and business smarts,
executives and managers could not have gained their levels of success if they had
not possessed emotional intelligence. He proposed the EI framework of four
domains (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship
Management) consisting of twenty competencies. He called it a theory of
performance, since these competencies would determine the performance of an
individual in the work place (Goleman 2001). Fig 1 depicts the Goleman’s Framework
of Emotional Competencies.
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Fig 1: Goleman’s Framework of Emotional Competencies
Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
Emotional Intelligence at the individual and group or organizational levels converges
in the exercise of leadership. The emotional intelligence of a group’s leader will have
a powerful impact on the group’s climate and effectiveness. Of course, groups also
have a powerful impact on their leaders, but the emotionally intelligent leader is
aware of those influences, recognizes when they become pernicious, and has the
capability to manage them in a way that minimizes harm. Emotionally intelligent
leaders understand group, intergroup, and organizational dynamics, particularly as
they affect emotional functioning, and they are skillful in working with those
dynamics for the benefit of individuals and their organizations. (Cherniss, 2000)
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Emotional Intelligence and Military Leadership
The principles of leadership are universal to all organizations. However, subtle
difference and changes do occur while leading military minds. This primarily is
related to the ability, attributes and attitudes of the military mind. For the Armed
Forces, leadership is considered a core competency. Effective leadership makes the
difference between victory and defeat, between success and failure in war. And
there is no prize for runners up in a war. It is no easy task to motivate people to
continue performing with full awareness of risk to their own lives.
However, applying emotional intelligence in a military context presents some
significant challenges given prevailing notions that military leadership induces more
task-related behavior than relationship-focused behavior. Because of the unique
context of the military environment and the challenging nature of many associated
tasks, there is perhaps greater applicability for Emotional Intelligence skills in the
daily functions of leaders. The most effective military leaders are usually outgoing,
emotionally expressive, sociable, and warm; in short they show better emotional
intelligence.
A military leadership position can be highly demanding and extremely stressful.
Many military leadership situations can be described as “weak situations”, whereby
the conditions are unpredictable, sensitive, and vague. Unlike strong leadership
situations, which feature clear rules and tasks such as in a stable business
environment, weak leadership situations are much more demanding. In the case of
military leadership, especially within a combat scenario, leadership is considered to
be an extremely weak situation (Popper 1996). Further, the relationship between
the leader and the followers is more likely to be emotional, due to the uncertainty
surrounding the leader and followers.
In the military context, a commander must sometimes use his emotions to inspire
and at other times override his emotions to make sound judgments. This is not easy.
17
Nor is it easy to know when to implement feedback from subordinates and when to
maintain direction in the face of uncertainty. Military leaders must be able to
perform all of these actions to be successful. Given that the relationship between a
military leader and his followers is likely to be emotional due to the context, it can be
argued that emotional intelligence is a critical competence for military leaders to
possess (Samarasinghe 2008).
Problem Statement
The Indian Armed Forces are facing a plethora of challenges today. Some of them
emerge from the changes in the external environment, like the changing world order
and the dynamic geo-political scenario. The exponential progress in technology,
moving the civilization from industrial to information age has added to the
complexity of warfare. The dimensions of nuclear, biological and chemical have been
added to conventional warfare. Unconventional warfare like Low Intensity Conflict,
Counter Insurgency Operations, Anti-Terrorist Operations are keeping the Indian
Armed Forces continuously occupied. They are deployed in most inhospitable and
hostile terrain, extending from the world’s highest and coldest battlefield of Siachen
to impenetrable tropical rainforests of the North East to the rugged deserts of
Rajasthan. They are also perceived and used as the ultimate saviors not only during
natural calamities, but also for upholding the national prestige when all else fail to
deliver for example the recently held CWG at Delhi.
To be successful the military must rely on its manpower, not merely on technology
or tactics. Notwithstanding the rapid developments in technology, the man behind
the machine has not lost his importance. Therefore the fighting forces need to be
kept effective, efficient and motivated. This can be accomplished only by high quality
Leadership. Good leaders are the pillars of success. The leaders of the Indian Armed
Forces have generally been respected and trusted by their subordinates as well as
the civil society. However off late some chinks in the armour have become visible.
The growing number of fratricides, suicides, instances of sexual harassment, the
18
infamous Sukhna land scam, the Mumbai housing scam etc. bring out the need for
revisiting the precept of leadership in the Indian Armed Forces.
Though proper investigations and enquiries are carried out followed by deterrent
punishment under the military laws, its time to investigate whether such lapses are
due to the lack of certain qualities in the leaders. There may be a pressing need to
audit the training programmes and methodologies. Many of the issues mentioned in
the preceding paragraph appear to point towards low Emotional Intelligence of the
leaders. Thus a need is felt to explore and determine the level of Emotional
Intelligence of the leaders of the Indian Armed Forces.
Objectives of the Study
The primary objectives of this research are as follows
1.
To measure the level of EmotionaI Intelligence of the officers of the Indian
Armed Forces
2.
To find whether there is a difference in the level of Emotional Intelligence of
the officers of the Army, Navy and the Air Force.
3.
To establish whether the senior officers of the Indian Armed Forces have
higher level of Emotional Intelligence compared to the junior officers.
4.
To find whether there is a difference between the level of EmotionaI
Intelligence of male and female officers
5.
Finally, exploring the linkages of Emotional Intelligence and attributes of
effective Military Leadership for Indian Armed Forces.
Hypotheses
Towards meeting the above mentioned objectives three main Hypotheses were
formed which were further analysed and divided into more easily identifiable
segments. The Hypotheses are given below:
19
Hypotheses 1
H 1.0O There is no significant difference in the EI of officers of Army, Navy and Air
Force
H 1.1O There is no significant difference between the EI of officers in the rank
of Lt Col and below from Army, Navy and Air Force
H 1.2O There is no significant difference between the EI of officers in the rank
of Col and equivalent from Army, Navy and Air Force
H 1.3O There is no significant difference between the EI of officers in the rank
of Brig and above from Army, Navy and Air Force
H 1.4O There is no significant difference between the EI of Woman officers of
Army, Navy and Air Force
Hypotheses 2
H 2.0O There is no significant difference between EI of senior officers and junior
officers of the Armed Forces
H 2.1O There is no significant difference between the EI of Officers of
different ranks in the Army
H 2.2O There is no significant difference between the EI of Officers of
different ranks in the Navy
H 2.3O There is no significant difference between the EI of Officers of
different ranks in the Air Force
Hypotheses 3
H 3.0O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers compared to
women officers of the Armed Forces
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H 3.1O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers compared to
women officers of Army
H 3.2O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers compared to
women officers of Navy
H 3.3O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers compared to
women officers of Air Force
Significance of the Study
Defence forces play a very important role in nation building by safeguarding its
territorial integrity against external and internal threats. Maintenance of peace and
harmony call for a well balanced, fully prepared, alert, well equipped and led by
inspirational leaders; to effectively thwart any threats to national sovereignty. As a
sovereign nation amongst the world community, we have to sustain our strength in
search of our own security needs. A fast changing dynamic international
environment prevailing today calls for continuous introspection of our military
strengths.
The Indian Armed Forces has been a patriotic force with a well deserved reputation
for bravery and professionalism. But this reputation suffers when its personnel
specially the leaders become wayward and break the rules of fair conduct. If the
forces as an institution condone the lawless behavior or fail to nip such tendencies in
the bud; its ability to operate effectively gets diminished. This would be to the
nation’s detriment.
Indian military history is full of instances of outstanding leadership. This has been our
strength, our core competence. Values such as moral courage, integrity and loyalty
have important implications for effectiveness of military leadership. Today there is
an ever lurking danger of erosion of these values affecting the leader and his men.
Guarding the armed forces against this danger is the litmus test for the present and
future military leadership. The real way to meet this challenge is to focus on
essentials of good leadership such as vision, character, courage, selflessness,
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empathy, will power, communication, espirit-de-corps. Emotional Intelligence
encompasses all these competencies. Thus a study of the emotional intelligence
level of the Indian military leaders would be invaluable towards preparing effective
leaders to face the emerging challenges.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The study is meant to be an empirical, quantitative, exploratory research, since there
is no prior data available. Quantitative measurement of Emotional Intelligence of
the officers of Indian Armed Forces has been carried out and the findings are based
on analysis of this primary data.
Sources of Data
Primary Data
Primary data was collected through questionnaire. The questionnaire is a Self
Assessment Instrument designed to measure Emotional Intelligence based on the
Daniel Goleman’s Framework of Emotional Intelligence, which consists of four
domains and twenty competencies (Refer Fig 1) .It consists of seven pages, the first
page consists of important instructions and demographic data of the respondent.
The rest of the six pages contain 120 questions. The responses are on a Likert scale.
It takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete the questionnaire. The end
product is an analysis of 20 competencies and overall level of Emotional Intelligence
of the respondent.
Secondary Data
Secondary data has been extracted from review of existing literature. Extensive
study has been carried out on Emotional Intelligence, Relationship of Emotional
Intelligence with Leadership and finally the relationship between Military Leadership
22
and Emotional Intelligence. Books, Journals, Magazines, Reports, Articles, Thesis, as
well as related websites were used towards this.
Sample Size Determination
Following formula has been used for sample size determination, since the universe is
infinite( more than 50,000)
•
n = (z/E)2 *π*(1-π)
•
Where
n = Sample size
•
Z = Confidence level
•
E = Error of estimates
•
Π = Proportion of population opting for a given choice
Using the above formula, at 95% Confidence level, and assuming Proportion of
population opting for a given choice to be ½; the maximum sample size for different
values of Error of Estimates would be as given below
Table 1.1: Sample size Calculation
Z for CL 95%
1.95996398
% of Error ‘E’
Max sample size
1%
9604
2%
2401
3%
1067
4%
600
5%
384
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Universe
For the purpose of this study, all officers of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian
Air Force constitute the universe. The exact number and distribution of the officers
in the Indian Armed Forces is confidential and it does not remain constant owing to
unpredictability of number of officers opting for pre-mature separation from service
as well as some officers being boarded out on medical or disciplinary grounds,
besides the number of lives lost in the ongoing low intensity operations and internal
security duties. However the variations usually remain small enough to be ignored
for the purpose of this study. An approximate figure and distribution has been
obtained from open sources. The total number of officers is approximately 56000.
Population Distribution
The officers are allotted their choice of service at basic selection level. Thereafter
they get trained, commissioned and continue to serve and rise in that service only.
There are no lateral entries. Thus it can be said that an officer is born, brought up,
matures as well as retires from one particular service.
Due to the radically different operating conditions the officers of the three services
may evolve different personality traits. Therefore the officers of the three services
can be treated as three different classes.
Keeping in view the unique characteristic of selection, promotion and role
assignment of the three services at different levels of seniority, the population can
be further divided into three levels of seniority, namely officers upto the level of Lt
Colonels & equivalent of the three services, the Colonels & equivalent of the three
services and officers of the rank of Brigadier and above & equivalent of the three
services.
The women officers are very limited in numbers and they have been in service for
just about a decade. Since all of them are in the seniority bracket of Lt Colonels and
24
below, they have been treated as a separate class in each of the services for the
purpose of this study. The approximate population in different classes of officers is
as given in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Population Distribution
Army
Navy
Air Force
Total
Brigadiers &
above
1394
262
297
1953
Colonels
4123
557
891
5571
Lt Cols & below
29978
6767
9580
46325
Women Officers
1055
232
936
2223
Total
36550
7818
11704
56072
Sample Design : Stratified Sampling
At 95% Confidence Level, assuming 3% error of Estimates, the sample size would
come to 1067 as calculated above. This amounts to approximately 2% of the total
population of approximately 56000. Based on this 2% of the population of each class
can be safely taken as an adequate size of sample. This would ensure that the final
sampling frame is representative of the minority group we wanted to include, on a
pro-rata basis with the actual population.
In certain classes of population, if 2% of the population is treated as sample size it
would be less than 30. To conform to the Central Limit Theorem, the sample size has
been increased to 30 for such cases, namely, Brigadiers equivalent & above of Army,
Navy, Air Force; Colonel equivalent of Navy and Air force, and the Women officers
25
for all the three services. Therefore the sample size proposed for this study is a total
of 1249 officers of the Indian Armed Forces. The Stratified Sample size based on the
above observations, is given in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Stratified Sample Size
Army
Navy
AirForce
Total
Brigadiers & above
(28 ) 30
(5) 30
(6) 30
(39) 90
Colonels
82
(11) 30
(18) 30
(111) 142
Lt Cols & below
600
135
192
927
Women Officers
(21) 30
(5) 30
(19) 30
(45) 90
Total
(731) 742
(156) 225
(235) 282
(1122) 1249
Data Collection Method
Convenience Sampling for the sub populations was resorted to. Questionnaires were
sent by post as well as by email depending on the means of communication available
to the respondents. All parts of the country was covered, since officers posted in
different areas are performing different roles and facing different living conditions
which may affect their response. Some senior officers had to be approached in
person to respond to the survey.
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Period of Study
The Primary data collection has been carried out during year 2011 and 2013. The
Literature review and secondary data collection work has been done in the period
preceding five years from 2011.
Limitations of the Study
Since the study is based on the sample, the findings of the study may have the
limitation of generalization to whole population. Some times, the respondents may
fail to articulate the responses. Therefore, the in-articulation error may creep in to
the study. Since the study is on Defence officers, some times, officers may not
respond in the name of confidentiality or due to time constraints owing to
operational commitments. Hence, Non Response error is bound to be present.
Another limitation of the study may be the respondent’s attitude toward completing a
measure of emotional intelligence, or otherwise participating in a study that has little
intrinsic or extrinsic reward. While members of the sample were solicited as
volunteers, no compensation for their time or effort was offered other than feedback
as to their individual levels of emotional intelligence.
ORGANISATION OF THE REPORT
Chapter-I - Introduction
This chapter introduces the concept of Emotional Intelligence and the linkage
between EI and leadership further bringing out the relevance of EI in military
leadership. Statement of the problem brings out the problem which necessitates this
study. The objectives have been defined and followed by Hypotheses. Significance of
the study is covered. Rest of the chapter deals with the research design and
methodology
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Chapter-II –Profile of the Organisation
This chapter brings out the profile of the Leaders of Indian Armed Forces. The
selection procedure has been discussed in order to understand the importance of
Officer Like Qualities which determines the basic personality characteristics of an
Indian military officer. Basic training and career progression of the officers of the
Army, Navy and Air Force has also been looked into.
Chapter-III – Literature Review
Survey of existing literature on the subject has been carried out. Initial study is about
Emotional Intelligence. It is followed by relationship of EI with Leadership. Further
convergence between EI and Military Leadership has been explored. Finally the
Officer like Qualities as defined for Indian Armed Forces has been compared with the
competencies of Emotional Intelligence.
Chapter-IV – Data Analysis
The primary data was tested for sampling adequacy and internal consistency using
SPSS. Thereafter Factor Analysis was carried out for determining the underlying
factors of Emotional Intelligence. Descriptive statistics has been used to analyse the
sample profile and assess the Emotional Intelligence level of various strata of the
population. ANOVA has been used towards Hypotheses testing.
Chapter-V - Findings, Recommendations and Conclusion
This chapter discusses the findings. The recommendations are based on major
findings and broken up into different time frames for possible implementation.
Thereafter the study has been concluded.
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References are given at the end of each chapter. A detailed bibliography and
appendices are given at the end of the report.
SAMPLE PROFILE
Stratified, convenience sampling was used. Total 1609 valid responses were
received. The service wise and rank wise distribution is given in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Classification of Data
ARMY
Navy
Air Force
Total
Brig & above
98
28
34
160
Colonel
253
40
115
408
Lt Col & below
593
141
213
947
Women
32
28
35
94
Total
976
236
397
1609
Analysis reveals that out of these responses, Army accounted for 60%, Navy 15% and
Air Force 25%, which is very similar to the proportion of total number of officers in
each of the three services (Refer Fig 2).
29
Similarly for each service the rankwise distribution of responses are in proportion of
the population (refer Fig 3). Therefore the sample may be considered a good
representation of the population.
30
Data Analysis
Descriptive as well as Inferential Statistics has been used. SPSS was used for data
analysis. KMO and Bartlett's Test was applied to determine the sphericity and
measure of sampling adequacy of the data. Cronbach’s alfa test of reliability was
carried out to see the internal consistency of the data collected. Factor analysis using
Varimax rotation was carried to find the underlying dimensions of the questionnaire.
ANOVA was used towards Hypotheses testing since all the hypotheses were to
compare the characteristics of two or more groups. A summary of hypotheses
testing is given in Table 4 below.
Table 4: Summary of Hypotheses Testing
Hypothesis
Conclusion
H 1.0O There is no significant difference in the EI of officers of Army, Rejected
Navy and Air Force.
H 1.1O There is no significant difference between the EI of officers in Rejected
the rank of Lt Col and below from Army, Navy and Air Force.
H 1.2O There is no significant difference between the EI of officers in Accepted
the rank of Col and equivalent from Army, Navy and Air Force.
H 1.3O There is no significant difference between the EI of officers in Rejected
the rank of Brig and above from Army, Navy and Air Force.
H 1.4O There is no significant difference between the EI of Woman Accepted
officers of Army, Navy and Air Force.
H 2.0O There is no significant difference between EI of senior officers Rejected
and junior officers of the Armed Forces.
H 2.1O There is no significant difference between the EI of Officers of Accepted
different ranks in the Army.
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Hypothesis
Conclusion
H 2.2O There is no significant difference between the EI of Officers of Rejected
different ranks in the Navy.
H 2.3O There is no significant difference between the EI of Officers of Rejected
different ranks in the Air Force.
H 3.0O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers Accepted
compared to women officers of the Armed Forces.
H 3.1O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers Accepted
compared to women officers of Army.
H 3.2O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers Accepted
compared to women officers of Navy.
H 3.3O There is no significant difference in the EI of men officers Accepted
compared to women officers of Air Force.
Findings
Emotional Intelligence Level of Officers
The study brought out the overall level of Emotional Intelligence of the officers of
the Indian Armed Forces. It was found that 9.5% officers are in Exceptional category
and 33.4% in High category (refer Fig 4 below). These figures are very encouraging
since good leaders are expected to have higher level of Emotional Intelligence.
Further a majority of 54.2% of officers were found to be in Moderate category of
Emotional Intelligence. This relates well with the fact that due to the steep
pyramidical hierarchy only the officers having higher level of EI should be moving on
to positions of higher responsibility and a majority of officers exit at a comparatively
lower level of leadership. Only 2.9% of all officers were found to be in the
Cautionary category. The number appears to be small, however it should be a cause
32
of concern for the senior officers. These officers may show poor leadership qualities
under stress. If placed in higher appointments, an officer with lower level of
emotional intelligence may affect the effectiveness of a large portion of the Armed
Forces No officer was classified in Vulnerable category. This speaks well for the
selection, recruitment and training process for the officers of Indian Armed Forces.
Emotional Intelligence Level: Army Officers
Amongst army officers, 7.5% were in Exceptional EI category, while 36.3% were in
High EI category (Refer Fig 5 below). The bulk of 54.4% displayed Moderate level. No
one was found in Vulnerable category, however 1.8% was found to be in Cautionary
category. Further rank wise analysis was carried out.
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In the group of senior officers, i.e. Brigadiers & above 10.2% were placed in
Exceptional category, 33.7% In High category, 55.1% in Moderate category and 1% in
Cautionary category (Should be treated with grave concern, as it affects a large
number of troops commanded by these senior rank officers) . At this level of
seniority, a higher percentage of officers are expected to have higher level of EI.
Amongst the Colonels 5.9% were placed in Exceptional category, 30.8% In High
category, 62.8% in Moderate category and 0.4% in Cautionary category. Amongst
the Lt Colonels & below 8.1% were placed in Exceptional category, 39.3% in High
category, 49.9% in Moderate category and 2.7% in Cautionary category.
A comparison of the level of EI of these groups of different levels of seniority was
carried out. It was expected that the comparative level of EI will follow the level of
seniority. But no significant difference was found in the level of EI between senior
and junior officers. Though it is expected that as officers grow senior certain EI
competencies like team building, empathy, self confidence etc. would become
stronger. It is also expected that officers promoted to higher levels of hierarchy
would have higher level of EI. This anamoly should be viewed with concern and steps
to rectify it, should be considered by higher authorities.
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Emotional Intelligence Level: Naval Officers
Amongst the respondent naval officers, 15.7% were in Exceptional EI category, while
35.2% were in High EI category (Refer Fig 6 below). The bulk of 48.3% displayed
Moderate level. No one was found in Vulnerable category, however 0.8% were
found to be in Cautionary category.
Amongst the senior Naval officers, i.e. Commodores & above 21.4% were placed in
Exceptional category, 64.3% In High category, and 14.3% in Moderate. Amongst the
Captains 7.5% were placed in Exceptional category, 22.5% In High category, and 70%
in Moderate category. Amongst the Commanders & below 15.6% were placed in
Exceptional category, 35.5% In High category, 47.5% in Moderate category and 1.4%
in Cautionary category.
A comparison of the level of EI of these groups of different levels of seniority was
carried out. It was found that the senior officers, i.e. the officers in the rank of
Commodore & above have a higher level of EI than other officers. Between the
middle and junior level officers, there was no significant difference in the level of EI.
35
It also compares well with the fact that senior naval officers have not found any
mention for wayward behavior in the recent past.
Emotional Intelligence Level: Air Force Officers
Amongst the respondent Air Force officers, 10.8% were in Exceptional EI category,
while 25.2% were in High EI category (Refer Fig 7 below). The bulk of 57.2%
displayed Moderate level. No one was found in Vulnerable category, however 6.8%
was found to be in Cautionary category, which is larger than the other two services.
Amongst the Air Commodores & above 23.5% were placed in Exceptional category,
38.2% In High category, 35.3% in Moderate category and 2.9% in Cautionary
category (Should be treated with grave concern, as it affects a large number of
troops commanded by these senior rank officers). At this seniority level such a large
percentage is not expected to be in Cautionary category of EI. Amongst the Group
Captains 9.6% were placed in Exceptional category, 26.1% in High category, 61.7% in
Moderate category and 2.6% in Cautionary category. Amongst the Wing
Commanders & below 7.5% were placed in Exceptional category, 23.9% In High
category, 39.2% in Moderate category and 9.4% in Cautionary category.
Comparatively higher proportion of Air Force officers, especially those in senior
36
ranks found to be in Cautionary category merits close scrutiny and corrective
measures.
Emotional Intelligence Level: Women Officers
Out of all the women officers who participated in this study, 14.9% were in
Exceptional EI category, while 23.4% were in High EI category (Refer Fig 8). The bulk
of 58.5% displayed Moderate level. No one was found in Vulnerable category,
however 3.2% were found to be in Cautionary category.
Amongst the Women Officers of Army 31.3% were placed in High category, and
68.8% in Moderate category. Amongst the Women Officers of Navy 22.2% were
placed in Exceptional category, 22.2% In High category 55.6% in Moderate category.
Amongst the Women Officers of Air Force 22.9% were placed in Exceptional
category, 17.1% In High category, 51.4% in Moderate category and 8.6% in
Cautionary category.
There was no significant difference found in the EI level of the Women officers from
the Army, Navy and the Air Force. Since all women officers are in the seniority group
of Lt Colonel & below and equivalent ranks, they were compared with same seniority
officers of their respective services. There was no significant difference found in the
37
level of EI of women officers and the men officers of the same seniority of the three
services.
Emotional Intelligence Level: Inter Service Comparison
EI level of all three services were compared at different seniority level. At the junior
most level no significant difference was found in the level of EI of Army officers and
Naval Officers. The level of EI was found to be significantly lower amongst the Air
Force officers of the same rank.
At middle level of seniority, i.e. in the rank of Colonels and equivalent in all three
services, there was no significant difference in the level of EI.
At senior levels, i.e. Brigadier and above and equivalent ranks, there was no
significant difference between Army and Air Force officers. However the senior Naval
officers were found to be having significantly higher level of EI in comparison to the
other two services.
There was no significant difference found in the EI level of the Women officers from
the Army, Navy and the Air Force.
There was no significant difference found in the level of EI of women officers and the
men officers of the same seniority of the three services.
When all officers are put together and service wise comparison made, the Air Force
officers had the lowest mean EI level followed by the Army officers. The Naval
officers were found to have the highest mean EI level.
Other Findings
Presently, the officers are not directly tested for their level of Emotional Intelligence
either during selection procedure or any time in their career. The primary selection is
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based on academic qualification, IQ level and test of Officer Like Qualities. The
Officer Like Qualities being examined have some similarities with Goleman’s
Framework of Emotional Competencies.
There is no focused attempt to measure or train officers for the growth of the level
of EI either during the pre-commissioning training or at any point of time thereafter
in their career.
Amongst the officers the level of academic qualification is high. Graduation with a
first division is the basic minimum requirement. A majority of officers get Post
Graduate degree while serving.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It was found that Emotional Intelligence level of 1% senior officers of the Army and
2.9% senior officers of the Air Force is in Cautionary category, this should be
treated with grave concern, as it adversely affects the effectiveness of the Armed
Forces. Further, these senior officers play a major role in selection and promotion
of junior level officers. Considering the low EI level of these senior officers, and
their role in selections and promotions, their decisions may adversely affect the
future Leadership of the Armed Forces.
Considering the important appointment being held by such senior rank officers,
immediate corrective measures need to be initiated by the respective services.
One such corrective measure could be commencement of EI Orientation
workshops for senior rank officers at the National Defence College and College of
Defence Management, Army War College, College of Naval Warfare and College of
Air Warfare.
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Short Term Recommendations
The Armed Forces officers need to be sensitized about the significance of Emotional
Intelligence in work as well as personal life.
Training workshops and Development programmes of Emotional Intelligence by
Reputed professionals need to be conducted, for officers at various levels of
seniority.
Officers involved in selection and recruitment to be sensitized and trained towards
assessment of Emotional Intelligence at the entry level.
Mid Term Recommendations
Assessment of EI at the entry level should be made mandatory and candidates with
low EI level should be filtered out.
Programmes for development of Emotional Intelligence should be integrated in the
training curriculum at different levels of training of the officers of the Armed Forces.
Identify senior officers with Exceptional level of Emotional Intelligence and influence
them to act as mentors for junior officers, and conduct workshops and training
programmes to develop the EI level of junior officers.
Long Term Recommendations
In the long term, Armed Forces should aim to develop Leaders of Exceptional
Emotional Intelligence level. Towards this evaluation of EI of officers should be
carried out at regular intervals.
Assign EI a significant role in Career progression of officers. To this effect the
performance appraisals should incorporate this element.
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Areas of Further Study
This research project has explored the present state of Emotional Intelligence
amongst the leaders of the Indian Armed Forces. Further study is suggested as to
why a substantial percentage of officers, especially those in senior ranks are
displaying lower level of Emotional Intelligence. Further research may be carried out
on various methods of raising Emotional Intelligence and their effectiveness in the
Indian Military environment.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of
others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and
our relationships (Goleman 1995). Broadly speaking, emotional intelligence
addresses the emotional, personal, social and survival dimensions of intelligence,
which are often more important for daily functioning than the more traditional
cognitive aspects of intelligence. Emotional intelligence is concerned with
understanding oneself and others, relating to people, and adapting to and coping
with the immediate surroundings to be more successful in dealing with
environmental demands (Bar-On 2000).
To be successful, a leader must exercise and be aware of his emotions and how his
emotional competence influences the way he leads and impacts his followers. A
military leader is anyone who, by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility,
inspires and influences people to accomplish organizational goals (Sewell 2009). The
effectiveness of a military leader stems from the ability to manage the emotions of
his followers. By managing follower emotions, leaders are able to arouse positive or
negative emotions in followers, and they can also arouse a sense of calm where
required. Thus, Emotional Intelligence is a critical component of effective and
successful military leadership.
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This study was carried out to explore the state of Emotional Intelligence of the
leaders of the Indian Armed Forces. The study of literature brought out that EI level
of officers is not being assessed either at the time of selection, or during training, or
any time later in their career. Though there is a convergence between Officer Like
Qualities being assessed and the competencies of Emotional Intelligence.
Officers of different seniority levels from the Army, Navy and Air Force participated
in this study. The overall level of Emotional Intelligence appeared to be satisfactory
since a majority of officers were found to have Moderate, High or Exceptional level
of Emotional Intelligence. However, a small proportion of senior officers of the Army
and Air Force were found to be in Cautionary category of level of Emotional
Intelligence. These officers may adversely affect the effectiveness of the Indian
Armed Forces. This situation may have negative impact on the future leadership too.
It is suggested that immediate corrective measures be initiated to restrict further
damage.
Further, short term mid term and long term measures have been recommended to
move the leadership of the Indian armed Forces towards a more Emotionally
Intelligent and effective status.
The time has come for assessment, development and Integration of
Emotional Intelligence in the training and career progression of the
Leaders of the Indian Armed Forces.
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References
Bar-On, R 1997, The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I): Technical Manual, MultiHealth Systems, Toranto.
Cherniss, C & Adler, M 2000. Promoting Emotional Intelligence in Organisations.
Alexandria, Virginia: ASTD.
Goleman, D 1995 Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
Goleman, D, 2001b, An EI-Based Theory of Performance, In C Cherniss and D
Goleman (Ed's.), The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Mayer, JD & Salovey, P 1997, ‘What is emotional intelligence?’ In P Salovey & DJ Sluyter
(Eds.), Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications: 331. New York: Basic Books.
Samarasinghe, Major General MCMP 2008, “Emotional Intelligence : A Critical
Component for Military Leadership”, NDC Research Journal – 2008.
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