Training employees of a public Iranian bank on emotional intelligence competencies

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of developing emotional intelligence (EI) as conceptualized in Boyatzis et al.'s competency model.Design/methodology/approachDesigning a context‐based EI training program, the study utilized a sample of 68 fully‐employed members of five branches of a public bank in Iran; each branch underwent an eight‐week (each session 120 minutes) EI training program. Pre‐ and post‐tests were conducted to assess EI development using emotional competence inventory (ECI‐2), a 360‐degree measurement tool.FindingsOnly one EI cluster out of four improved significantly and only some of the specific dimensions showed this significant improvement, while others did not have a clear change and even some self assessments deteriorated.Research limitations/implicationsLack of a control group, small sample size, and short training program are the main limitations of this study.Practical implicationsDetailed explanation of the method could be a guide for service organizations that wish to improve EI.Originality/valueBecause of the lack of empirical studies in this field of research, the paper reports the results of a pre‐/post study on EI training and development and sets out to add to this narrow literature.