Developing Emotional Intelligence
and Cultural Literacy
Lectures Based on
Leadership Communication
By Deborah J. Barrett, Ph.D.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Discussion Topics
 Understanding emotional intelligence (EI)
 Appreciating personality differences
 Improving interactive skills, such as
 Non-verbal communication
 Listening ability
 Effective delivery of feedback
 Developing an approach to cultural literacy
 Defining culture
 Using a cultural variables framework
Chapter 6 - 2
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Discussion Topics
 Understanding emotional intelligence (EI)
 Appreciating personality differences
 Improving interactive skills, such as
 Non-verbal communication
 Listening ability
 Effective delivery of feedback
 Developing an approach to cultural literacy
 Defining culture
 Using a cultural variables framework
Chapter 6 - 3
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 4
EI Includes Understanding the
Self and Others
 Be aware of, understand, and express yourself
 Be aware of, understand, and relate to others
 Deal with strong emotions and control impulses
 Adapt to change and solve problems of a
personal or a social nature
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify and
manage emotions in ourselves and in others.
Source: R. Bar-On and J.D.A. Parker, eds. 2000. Handbook of Emotional
Intelligence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 5
Leadership Styles Reveal and Influence EI
Visionary
Coaching
Affiliative
Most
strongly
positive
Democratic
Positive
Pacesetting
Commanding
Highly
negative
Source: Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee. (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing
the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 6
Appreciating Personality Differences
Assists in Establishing EI
 Knowing your personality type and that of others
can contribute to the emotional intelligence
needed to lead and manage effectively.
 One popular psychological profile that can be
very useful in leading and managing is the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
 The MBTI consists of four dichotomies in 16
combinations.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 7
The MBTI Consists of Four Dichotomies
Extroversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)
How you are
energized
Sensing (S) vs. iNtuition (N)
How you
interpret the
world
Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
How you make
decisions
Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)
How you
approach life
and work
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 8
Improving Non-Verbal Communication
Ability Will Help Interactions
To improve your non-verbal communication ability,
 Assess your use of non-verbal communication
critically
 Learn as much as possible about any groups in
which you will be interacting
 Develop as much understanding and sensitivity
to non-verbal cues as possible
 Do not judge someone’s actions out of context or
leave them unexplored when important to you or
the organization
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 9
Learning to Listen Emphatically is
Essential in Effective Interactions
Level 2 –
“Hearing words,
but not really
listening”
Level 3 –
“Listening
in spurts”
Level 1 –
“Emphatic
listening”
Source: Levels from Madelyn Burley-Allen. Listening: The Forgotten Skill.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 10
The Grow Model is One Effective
Approach to Providing Feedback
• Agree on topic
• Agree on objectives
• Set long-term aim, if
appropriate
Goal
Wrap-up
• Commit to action
• Identify possible
obstacles
• Make steps specific
and define timing
• Agree on support
Reality
• Invite self-assessment
• Offer specific examples
• Avoid or check
assumptions
• Discard irrelevant history
Options
Source: Max Landsberg, The Tao of Coaching
• Cover full range of options
• Invite suggestions
• Offer suggestions carefully
• Ensure choices are made
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Discussion Topics
 Understanding emotional intelligence (EI)
 Appreciating personality differences
 Improving interactive skills, such as
 Non-verbal communication
 Listening ability
 Effective delivery of feedback
 Developing an approach to cultural literacy
 Defining culture
 Using a cultural variables framework
Chapter 6 - 11
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 12
Culture is Broader than Geography
 “Culture is an integrated system of
learned behavior patterns. . . . Culture
refers to the total way of life . . . of
particular groups of people.”
 Culture includes –
Geographical and social
characteristics and values, but also
Gender, age, physical characteristics,
profession, organizational function,
and company structure.
Source: O’Hara-Devereau, M. & Johansen, R. (1994). Globalwork: Bridging
Distance, Culture, and Time. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 13
Hofstede’s Layers of Culture Provides
Further Clarification of the Term
1. A national level according to one’s country
2. A regional/and or ethnic and/or religious
and/or linguistic affiliation level
3. A gender level, according to whether a
person was born as a girl or as a boy
4. A generation level, which separates
grandparents from parents from children
Source: G. Hofstede (1997). Cultures and Organizations: Software of
the Mind. New York: McGraw Hill.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 14
Hofstede’s Layers of Culture Provides
Further Clarification of the Term (continued)
5. A social class level, associated with
educational opportunities and with a
person’s occupation or profession
6. For those who are employed, an
organizational or corporate level according
to the way employee have been socialized by
their work organizations
Source: G. Hofstede (1997). Cultures and Organizations: Software of
the Mind. New York: McGraw Hill.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 15
Using a Framework of Cultural Variables Helps
Distinguish the Major Cultural Differences
Context
Information flow
Equality
You’ve got
mail.
Language
Time
Power
Source: Adapted from O’Hara-Devereau, M. & Johansen, R. (1994).
Globalwork: Bridging Distance, Culture, and Time. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Leadership Communication by Deborah J. Barrett
Chapter 6 - 16
Discussion Summary
 Leaders need to understand and develop
emotional intelligence.
 Understanding personality differences will
enhance the ability to manage others.
 Effective leadership communication requires
strong interactive skills.
 Having an approach to understanding cultural
differences will assist a leader in communicating
across cultures.