EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AMONG CUSTOMER TACKLING AND HOUSEKEEPING STAFF OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

Transcription

1 66 Lovely Gyan and Archana Shukla EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AMONG CUSTOMER TACKLING AND HOUSEKEEPING STAFF OF INDIAN RAILWAYS Lovely Gyan * and Archana Shukla ** ABSTRACT Emotional Intelligence has been identified as one of the paramount behavioral constructs considered to be a major contributor to performance. The awareness about the tenets of emotional intelligence leads to insights into self-regulation and realization of one s optimum potential for better performance. In the present study an attempt has been made to explore emotional intelligence of railway employees and bring about a comparative analysis of emotional intelligence among customer tackling staff and housekeeping staff of Indian railways. Further emotional intelligence scores were also analyzed to ascertain the gender differences in emotional intelligence among railway employees. This was an exploratory study done on 200 railway employees of Lucknow division. The Bar-On EQ-i (1997) is used to measure emotional intelligence. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics and 2x2 analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results show that the customer tackling staff of Lucknow division scored higher than the housekeeping staff. The respondents of customer tackling staff scored better not only on overall score of emotional intelligence but on all the five dimensions of emotional intelligence-intrapersonal EI, Interpersonal EI, Adaptability EI, stress management EI, General mood EI. Female respondents scored higher than the male respondents on overall emotional intelligence score, Stress management EI and adaptability scale. Keeping in mind, the customer satisfaction, it would be better for railways if all the employees are high * 568-Ka/440, Near Durga temple, Alambagh Lucknow or to lgstars.rly@gmail.com. ** Dean, Faculty of Arts & Director, AIBAS, Amity University Haryana or to profarchana.shukla@gmail.com / ashukla@ggn.amity.edu Vol. 12, No. 1, September, 2017

2 Emotional Intelligence among Customer Tackling on emotional intelligence as the productivity and success of this organization is a synchronized effort of all the employees and cadres. Effective measures can be adopted to improve the emotional intelligence of housekeeping staff of railways. Key Words: Emotional intelligence, Customer tackling staff, Housekeeping staff, Indian railway. INTRODUCTION Emotional intelligence has emerged as an important constructs in today s world. It not only leads to positive outcomes like academic achievement and organizational productivity, it is also related to lower levels of stress and depression. The importance of emotional intelligence has been accepted in all spheres of life as it has been found to contribute to well being and psychological health at personal level and success and effectiveness at organizational level. This is the reason emotional intelligence has become the most popular and most extensively researched phenomena among behavioral scientists. Goleman defined EI as the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships. So, emotional intelligence refers to various things including empathy, motivation, sociability, warmth and optimism. People with high emotional intelligence can better perceive emotions, use them in thoughts, understand their meanings and manage emotions better than others. In today s business world performance relies highly on workplace relationships, adaptability, stress tolerance and group effectiveness, the phenomena of EI has become integral to occupational success. The ability to effectively deal with emotions and emotional information in the workplace assists employees in addressing occupational stress and thereby retaining psychological health. Recent studies have argued that organizationally expected emotions are closely related to occupational stress. Indian railways, the biggest public sector undertaking of the country, play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the nation comprising the chief mode of transport for passengers and freight traffic. Besides that this mammoth sprawling network is also the biggest labor intensive industry in the country. The Indian Railways consists of different departments as only one department cannot control the movement of trains & its maintenance. The manpower of Indian railways can be classified in varied ways like according to cadre wise or hierarchy wise or department wise. Since Indian railway is primarily a utility based organization and its ultimate goal is to provide best services to its customers. So one classification may be. Customer tackling staff are those who are in direct contact with customers e.g. ticket collector, checking staff, booking clerk, parcel clerk, ERCs, RPF personnel etc. these staff primarily belonged to commercial and safety department. Journal of Indian Health Psychology

3 68 Lovely Gyan and Archana Shukla Housekeeping staff are those who deal with files, machines and equipments and are not in direct contact with customers e.g. office clerks, supervisors, maintainer etc. Objectives The main objectives of the study were twofold: (1) To explore the emotional intelligence of the customer tackling and housekeeping staff of railways and (2) To examine the gender related differences in emotional intelligence among railway employees. Hypotheses Based upon gender role stereotypes and studies on organizational psychology two hypotheses are formulated and tested in the present study. These are: H1: Customer tackling staffs are more emotionally Intelligent than the housekeeping staff of railways. H2: Males and females are equally intelligent. METHOD Sample A total of 200 railway employees constituted the sample for the study. They were divided into two groups-cts (Customer Tackling Staff) and HKS (House Keeping Staff). These groups were further divided into two groups- males and females-to see the gender effect. Sample statistics are as follows: Category of Education Males Females Total HKS CTS HKS CTS Graduates Under Graduates Marital Status Married Unmarried Total Service rendered 5 to 10 years to 15 years to 20 years Measures Bar-On EQi (1997) was used to measure emotional intelligence with slight modification as per the need of sample. Bar-On EQi had 95 items assessing 8 Vol. 12, No. 1, September, 2017

4 Emotional Intelligence among Customer Tackling major dimensions of Emotional Intelligence (i) Intrapersonal EI, (ii) Interpersonal EI,(iii) Stress Management EI,(iv) Adaptability EI and (v) General Mood. All the items shown above were to be rated on a 5 point scale from very often true to me (scored as 5) to very seldom and or not true for me (scored as 1). Out of total 95 items 48 item were reversing scored. The whole sample was divided into two categories depending upon the nature of job in their work place. The criteria for this variable was whether the staff is in direct contact with customer or dealing with house-keeping works that does not involve customer tackling nature of work. There was one demographic factorgender. So in each group there were 50 female respondents & 50 male respondents. Procedure Data were collected by administering questionnaires in face to face personal interviews. Some questions were framed to know about their work profile. The data obtained from administering questionnaires to 200 respondents were tabulated and put to statistical analysis. The quantitative analysis included means, standard deviations and 2x2 analysis of variances. These analyses were aimed at identifying differences related to gender and nature of work on dimensions of Emotional Intelligence. RESULTS The results obtained from basic statistics and ANOVA are presented in table 1.1 to 1.6. Each of these tables has two parts: Means and SDs are contained in Part A, summary ANOVAs are contained in Part B. A graphical depiction of mean scores are shown in Part C, whenever the interaction effect that was found significant. Table 1.7 shows all ANOVAs; main and interaction effects. Table 1: Emotional Intelligence A: Means & Standard deviations: Nature of Job Gender Mean Std. Dev. N Customer tackling staff Male Female Total Housekeeping staff Male Female Total Total Male Female Total Journal of Indian Health Psychology

5 70 Lovely Gyan and Archana Shukla B: Summary of ANOVA Source of Variation Sum of Squares Df MS F Sig. Nature of Job Gender Nature of job x Gender C. Graphical representation of Means (overall emotional intelligence) (i) Interactive Effect of Nature of Job and Gender Customer tackling staff Housekeeping staff Male Female Table 2: Emotional Intelligence: Dimension 1: Intrapersonal A: Means & Standard deviations: Nature of Job Gender Mean Std. Dev. N Customer tackling staff Male Female Total Housekeeping staff Male Female Total Total Male Female Total Vol. 12, No. 1, September, 2017

6 Emotional Intelligence among Customer Tackling B: Summary of ANOVA Source of Variation Sum of Squares Df MS F Sig. Nature of Job Gender Nature of job x Gender C. Graphical representation of Means (Intrapersonal) (i) Interactive Effect of Nature of Job and Gender Customer Tackling Staff Housekeeping Staff Male Female Table 3 Emotional Intelligence: Dimension 2: Interpersonal A: Means & Standard deviations: Nature of Job Gender Mean Std. Dev. N Customer tackling staff Male Female Total Housekeeping staff Male Female Total Total Male Female Total B: Summary of ANOVA Source of Variation Sum of Squares Df MS F Sig. Nature of Job Gender Nature of job x Gender Journal of Indian Health Psychology

7 72 Lovely Gyan and Archana Shukla C. Graphical representation of Means (Interpersonal) (i) Interactive Effect of Nature of Job and Gender Customer tackling staff Housekeeping staff Male Female Table 4 Emotional Intelligence: Dimension 3: Adaptability A: Means & Standard deviations: Nature of Job Gender Mean Std. Dev. N Customer tackling staff Male Female Total Housekeeping staff Male Female Total Total Male Female Total B: Summary of ANOVA Source of Variation Sum of Squares Df MS F Sig. Nature of Job Gender Nature of job x Gender Vol. 12, No. 1, September, 2017

8 Emotional Intelligence among Customer Tackling C. Graphical representation of Means (Adaptability) (i) Interactive Effect of Nature of Job and Gender Male Female Customer tackling staff Housekeeping staff Table 5: Emotional Intelligence: Dimension 4- Stress Management A: Means & Standard deviations: Nature of Job Gender Mean Std. Dev. N Customer tackling staff Male Female Total Housekeeping staff Male Female Total Total Male Female Total B: Summary of ANOVA Source of Variation Sum of Squares Df MS F Sig. Nature of Job Gender Nature of job x Gender Table 6: Emotional Intelligence: Dimension 5- General Mood A: Means & Standard deviations: Nature of Job Gender Mean Std. Dev. N Customer tackling staff Male Female Journal of Indian Health Psychology

9 74 Lovely Gyan and Archana Shukla Total Housekeeping staff Male Female Total Total Male Female Total B: Summary of ANOVA Source of Variation Sum of Squares Df MS F Sig. Nature of Job Gender Nature of job x Gender C. Graphical representation of Means (General Mood) (i) Interactive Effect of Nature of Job and Gender Customer tackling staff Housekeeping staff Male Female Table 7: Summary of all ANOVAs: Significant Main and Interaction Effects Classificatory Variables Nature of Job Gender Psychological Variables (CTS-HKS) Overall EI CTS>HKS F>M Intrapersonal EI CTS>HKS Interpersonal EI CTS>HKS Stress Management EI CTS>HKS F>M Adaptability EI CTS>HKS F>M General Mood EI CTS>HKS Vol. 12, No. 1, September, 2017

10 Emotional Intelligence among Customer Tackling The results indicate that CTS group is having higher emotional intelligence than the HKS group. The females are found to score higher than the males and that differences were found to be significant on overall score and on two out of five dimensions of EI. DISCUSSION In the present study the Bar-On EQi was administered on railway employees to ascertain the emotional intelligence of customer tackling and housekeeping staff of railways. Data were analyzed to explore the differences related to nature of work (CTS - HKS) and gender (male-female) in emotional intelligence and its various aspects. One of the objectives of this study was to explore the emotional intelligence of the customer tackling and housekeeping staff of railways and the hypothesis formulated for this was that customer tackling staffs are more emotionally intelligent than the housekeeping staff of railways. The hypothesis is found confirmed. CTS were found better than the HKS on overall score of emotional intelligence and also on all the five dimensions of EI. The customer tackling staffs are supposed to be all the time in direct contact with customers. They are the face of railways for general public. In case of ticket booking, luggage booking, ticket checking, any query regarding train movement etc or in incidents like accident, train running late cases, theft, and sickness during travelling, these CTS are the representatives of railway to tackle the situation. One to one interaction takes place there. The promptness on duty, courteous behavior, problem solving attitude, empathetic outlook are some important characteristics which help them to carry out their duties in the best way. The soft skills are predominant aspect of their duty. In the present study it can be seen that on all the aspects of EI and overall also the CTS respondents have done better. The daily interactions with customers and regular encounters with stressful situations enhance their emotional intelligence. It has been observed that unlike intelligence quotient, emotional quotient can be improved throughout life. Though the importance of emotional intelligence cannot be taken lightly for housekeeping staff but the point here is that the usual and routine work may not require that much emotional competence and so their emotional intelligence mat not be getting an edge there. Dana Joseph and Daniel Newman, 2010 found that in jobs that required extensive attention to emotions, higher emotional intelligence translated into better performance. In jobs that involved fewer emotional demands, the results reversed. For example Salespeople, real-estate agents, call-center representatives, and counselors all excelled at their jobs when they knew how to perceive and regulate emotions they were also able to deal more effectively with stressful situations and provide service with a smile. Journal of Indian Health Psychology

11 76 Lovely Gyan and Archana Shukla Second objective of this study was to examine the gender related differences in emotional intelligence among railway employees. A review of EI literature shows inconsistent findings with regard to gender differences. Some studies find that men are better at regulating emotions, while others report women to be better at emotional attention and empathy. In view of contradictory results with respect to implications of gender on emotional intelligence a null hypothesis was formulated which is found rejected in this study.females are found to be more emotionally intelligent than the males. In the present study it can also be observed that female railway employees have scored better on two dimensions of EI out of five dimensions. These two dimensions are: Stress management and Adaptability. A common perception is that women work better with others; men deal better with stress. According to Dr. Steven Stein, Our results suggest that women are more aware of their feelings and those of others, relate better interpersonally, and are significantly more socially responsible than men. On the other hand, men seem to have stronger self-regard and cope better with immediate problems of a stressful nature than women. According to Bar-On (2000) males and females have similar overall EQs but males score higher in intra personal, adaptability and stress management domains while females score higher in inter personal domain. It is evident by this very finding of the present study that women are also having the emotional competence of stress management and Adaptability. CONCLUSION This article primarily draws a comparative picture of emotional intelligence among customer tackling and housekeeping staff of railways. It demonstrates that nature of work is an important factor in and holds a heavy impact on emotional intelligence. Women are found better than men on the dimension of adaptability and stress management which presents a picture of progressing women in India. IMPLICATIONS The present study is focused on emotional intelligence of railway employees. The study suggests taking some constructive steps to organize EI training sessions for the housekeeping staff. It would be wonderful if housekeeping staff may be deployed, after requisite training, to do works where they can face the customers directly. As each and every unit of manpower is important asset for the gigantic organization of Indian railways. REFERENCES Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.Goleman, D. (2001). Emotional Intelligence: Issues in paradigm building. In C. Cherniss and D. Goleman (Ed s.), The Emotionally Intelligence Workplace. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Vol. 12, No. 1, September, 2017

12 Emotional Intelligence among Customer Tackling Bar-On, F., Brown, J. M., Kirkcaldy, B. & Thome, E. (2000). Emotional Expression and implications for occupational stress; an application of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I). Personality and Individual Differences, 28, Singh, D. (2003). Emotional Intelligence at Work: A professional Guide. Second Edition Sage Publications. Bindu, P. & Thomas, I. (2006). Gender differences in Emotional Intelligence. Psychological Studies, 51(4), Daniel A. Newman, Dana L. Joseph, Carolyn MacCann (2010). Emotional Intelligence and Job Performance: The Importance of Emotion Regulation and Emotional Labor; Volume 3, Issue 2 Pages Acknowledgement: I gratefully acknowledge to my family and all my friends for providing me all facilities that were needed in the completion of this study. I am thankful from the bottom of my heart to all the railway employees for their cooperation and precious time they spared for this study. Journal of Indian Health Psychology