Analysis of Emotional Intelligence and its Impact on Stress Management: A Study of Woman Nurses in Private Hospitals in Chennai

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1 Volume 118 No , ISSN: (on-line version) url: ijpam.eu Analysis of Emotional Intelligence and its Impact on Stress Management: A Study of Woman Nurses in Private Hospitals in Chennai Dr. V. Rohini Associate Professor, Department of Management Studies Saveetha Engineering College, Thandalam, Chennai Dr.A.R.Nithya Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Saveetha Engineering College Thandalam, Chennai ABSTRACT The world today is experiencing a change more deep and far reaching than any experienced since the beginning of the modern age. The transformations do represent a shift from traditional intelligence to new paradigm of emotional intelligence. The Healthcare industry is characterized by phenomenal and increasingly rapid change. Nursing is a tough profession. It is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining at times. Night shift, critical patient care, extended work hours and fatigue, workload issues, etc. are some of the issues faced by the Nurses in the private hospitals. Such hectic and demanding work routines can easily stress out individuals. This could bring disturbed emotional state of mind, which finally affects the performance and quality of the work produced. Proper application of Emotional Intelligence in the workplace leads to effective management of Stress.The purpose of this study is to analyse the components of Emotional Intelligence and its impact on Stress Management of Woman Nurses working in various private hospitals in Chennai. The study was descriptive and explorative in nature. The combination of qualitative and quantitative study was conducted in Healthcare Organisations in Chennai. Sample of 100 woman nurses were selected and surveyed through structured questionnaire. A Snowball Sampling Method of Non-Probability Sampling was employed. Descriptive and Inferential statistical tools were applied to analyse the data. The results show that the four components i.e., Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion and Usage of Emotion contribute to Emotional Intelligence. Out of four components, Usage of Emotion strongly influences the Emotional Intelligence than others. Emotional Intelligence has strong impact on Stress Management. It is suggested that management of Healthcare Organisations should focus their attention to improve the level of Emotional Intelligence of their employees in order to increase the work performance and this would also help to manage the occupational stress effectively. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion, Usage of Emotion, Stress Management. INTRODUCTION The world of work is changing rapidly on a daily basis. To deliver best performance, employees today are required to be much more involved in their work, not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally (Turner, Barling&Zacharatos, 2002). In order to survive and 641

2 to retain a competitive edge, organisations especially service based organisations put constant pressure on their employees to perform. This pressure is evident within the environment of private hospitals where the need for quality of service delivery, patient care, etc. is enormous. The increasing complexities both in business as well as in human behavior have created the need for not only people with high Intelligent Quotient (IQ) but people with high Emotional Quotient (EQ) also. Emotional Intelligence is the capability to understand ones emotions and inspire, influence and understand other people s emotions. The way a person feels affects the way he behaves and the way he/she behaves will not only have the relationship with his/her achievements, but also affects the performance of those around him/her. Many organizations are recognizing the significance of Emotional Intelligence at their workplace as well as in their work outcomes. In human services, the performance of service occupations is inherent to strain and emotions which may lead to sense of stress. Stress is an inevitable part of today s fast life. It is a mental pain caused to employees in their work area due to the work they perform. When stress builds up in an individual, it decreases his ability, his concentration and his performance reduces considerably. Stress not only affects an individual s work, but also affects his health largely. Hence, the management of stress is vital not only to reduce the stress but also to increase the performance. The Indian healthcare sector is growing at a brisk pace due to its strengthening coverage, services and increasing expenditure by public as well private players. The Healthcare Industry is one example where emotional intelligence can be better developed to improve individual, team and work outcomes and manage Stress.In this background, this study analyses the components of Emotional Intelligence and its impact on Stress Management of Woman Nurses in Private Hospitals in Chennai. PROFILE OF INDIAN HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY Indian healthcare has leveraged the scientific and technological developments of the West and changed them to the social and economic fabric of this diverse country. Healthcare sector is rapidly contributing to both employment as well as revenue. It is expected to grow up to INR1,230,800 crore by 2020 from INR669,500 crore in 2015 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13 per cent. (Source: India Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report, 2016) India added 450 million people over the 25 years to 2016, a period during which the proportion of people living in poverty fell by half. This period of rising prosperity has been marked by a "dual disease burden", a continuing rise in communicable diseases and a spurt in non-communicable or "lifestyle" diseases, which accounted for half of all deaths in 2015, up from 42 percent in The result of this disease burden on a growing and ageing population, economic development and increasing health awareness is a healthcare industry that has grown to $81.3 billion (Rs 54,086 lakh crore) in 2013 and is now projected to grow to 17 percent by 2020, up from 11 percent in Research by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India indicates the size of the industry will reach $160 billion by 2017 and $280 billion by However, despite this growth, India s healthcare sector faces numerous challenges in trying to effectively serve its 1.3 billion population. The revenue of India s corporate healthcare sector is estimated to grow at 15 per cent in FY India is experiencing per cent growth in medical tourism and the industry is expected to double its size from present (April 2017) US$ 3 billion to US$ 6 billion by Medical tourist arrivals in India increased more than 50 per cent to 200,000 in 2016 from 130,000 in 2015.India has emerged as a hub for R&D activities for international players due to its relatively low cost of clinical research. (Source: IBEF Report, Sept ( STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 642

3 The world today is experiencing a change more deep and far reaching than any experienced since the beginning of the modern age. The transformations do represent a shift from traditional intelligence to new paradigm of emotional intelligence. The Healthcare industry is characterized by phenomenal and increasingly rapid change. Nursing is a tough profession. It is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining at times. Mental satisfaction plays an important role in having stable emotional state. Night shift, critical patient care, extended work hours and fatigue,workload issues, workplace environmental issues, workplace systems, and workplace communication and other barriers to effective communication among care team members, etc. are some of the issues faced by the Nurses in the private hospitals. Such hectic and demanding work routines can easily stress out individuals. This could bring disturbed emotional state of mind, which finally affects the performance and quality of the work produced. Even very unnoticeable stress, situations greatly affect the quality of the product and services delivered. The impact of this is a major change in the complexity of hospital environment and demands for effective employee profiles that are no longer solely focused on a set of narrowly defined skills suited specifically to an occupation, such as analytical abilities, caring nature, empathy, etc., and the ability to carry out the function of the position. Accompanying these situations is an increasing need for employees to have good social skills, to be able to manage conflict effectively and to cope with stress and tension appropriately in the workplace. To deal with these challenges employees need not only technical skills but other skills commonly known as emotional skills, as explained by Goleman (1998). The personal and social competencies in Emotional Intelligence (EI) enhance an individual s high technical and functional expertise and for Healthcare employees (nurses), Emotional Intelligence means a balance of technical and emotional considerations to problem solving situations and reducing stress. Every research starts with the problem, the basic element of research that helps to transform an idea into concrete research operations. A problem is an intellectual stimuli calling for an answer in the form of scientific inquiry. The present study is an attempt to identify and analyse the components and level of Emotional Intelligence among the Nurses in the workplace and its effect on their Stress Management in Private Hospitals in Chennai. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The Objectives refer to the questions to be answered through the study. They indicate what researcher trying to get from the study. The objectives of this study is to analyse the components of Emotional Intelligence. This study also analyse the impact of emotional intelligence on stress management of woman nurses in private hospitals in Chennai. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Every organization aims to reach at the level of optimum productivity. Certainly, skillful and competent human force is one of the most important elements that help organization to achieve their goals, because human force plays a noteworthy role in changing the level of productivity. The management of healthcare organizations are increasingly interested in ways to attract, retain, and gain commitment from their employees. This interest is created in part because high turnover rates and the lack of commitment negatively affect the provision of care and the bottom line in their organizations. In a quality and cost conscious healthcare environment, healthcare management needs to find effective, efficient and sustainable solutions for these difficult issues.emotional intelligence is a topic of growing interest in organizations and research. Most people in organizations today undergo motions of crumbling trust, jarring 643

4 uncertainty, stifled creativity, distance between managers and co-workers, and vanishing loyalty and commitment and affected by severe occupational stress. Stress is a mental pain caused to employees in their work area due to the work they perform. Either organizations are ignorant of these symptoms or do not want to recognize them (majority of the times), as they would have to do something about it. Emotional intelligence calls for recognizing and understanding of these issues in organizations. Emotional intelligence is a set of acquired skills and competencies that predict positive outcomes at home with one s family, in public place, and at work. People who possess these are healthier, less stressed and depressed, more productive at work, and have better relationships. The understanding of emotional intelligence of Healthcare employees (Nurses) is more useful for the management of the Healthcare Organisations (hospitals) in order to create a good and stress free atmosphere for the workers and also get better work performance from their employees. The research has been conducted to see the link between the Emotional Intelligence of the Nurses and its effect on their stress management in private hospital environment. The study is significant to two areas, level of emotional intelligence and its effect on stress management. The research provided an opportunity to add new knowledge to the emotional intelligence concept as it applies to stress management of employees in Healthcare Sector. SCOPE OF THE STUDY Scope of study is a general outline of what the study will cover. The focal point of the study is to analyse the various components of Emotional Intelligence and its impact on Stress Management of Nurses in selected Private Hospitals in Chennai. The analysis, findings, suggestions and conclusion of the present study conducted by the researcher will be of immense use for the Hospitals/Healthcare Organisations as well as Healthcare Employees in India as well as other parts of the world and this study is also more useful for future researcher with similar studies in this nature. This study is limited to the perception of woman Nurses working in private hospitals in Chennai. The scope of study is confined within Chennai district. This study is conducted to suggest some measures to improve the present hospital working environment for the purpose of effective management of Stress and increasing the work performance of nurses. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Nina Ogniska (2005) confirmed an essential, but not very strong, the role of emotional intelligence in perceiving occupational stress and preventing employees of human services from negative health outcomes. The ability to effectively deal with emotions and emotional information in work place assists employees in coping with occupational stress. Therefore, it should be developed in stress managing trainings. The highly stressed intense but confused participants in particular because they have average emotional intelligence, but don t appear to use it, presumable because they lack confidence in their emotional ability. Studies conducted by Montes-Berges et al., (2007) with nursing students have shown that Emotional Intelligence is a skill that minimises the negative consequences of stress. They examined the role of measured by the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, in the use of stress coping strategies in the mental health of nursing students, and in the quality & quantity of social support. The results showed positive correlations between social support and repair, clarity and social support, and mental health and social support. Hierarchy regression analysis pointed out that emotional repair is the main predictor of mental health, and emotional and clarity repair are predictors of social support. These results display the importance of perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) in coping of stress within the nursing framework. 644

5 Saddam Hussain Rahim (2008) found that Emotional Intelligence competencies have the profound impact on stress the psychological problems of employees and seeks to the solutions in the light of EI competencies have a positive and strong impact on stress. The emotional intelligence is very important factor for prediction of teachers health and also the correlation of emotional intelligence and occupational stress is significant. Singh and Singh (2008) examined the relationship as well as the impact of emotional intelligence on to the perception of role stress of medical professionals in their organizational lives. The study was conducted on a sample size of 312 medical professionals consisting of 174 male and 138 female doctors working for privately managed professional hospital organizations. The findings of the study indicated no significant difference in the level of emotional intelligence and perceived role stress between genders, but significantly negative relationships of emotional intelligence with organizational role stress for both the genders and the medical professionals as a whole. Ismail, Suh-Suh, Ajis and Dollah (2009) carried out a study to examine the effect of emotional intelligence in the association between job performance and occupational stress. The result of the research clearly stated that association between emotional intelligence and occupational stress significantly correlated with job performance. Statistically, the outcome of study confirmed that the inclusion of emotional intelligence in the analysis mediated the effect of job stress on performance of job. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, motivating ourselves and managing emotions well, in ourselves and in our relationships. John Mayer and Peter Salovey coined the term Emotional Intelligence and they have been most influential in its scientific genesis. According to Salovey and Mayer (1990), emotional intelligence includes an "ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions". The current wide spread interest in the topic has been fuelled by the publication of Daniel Goleman s seminal book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQin 1995.Emotional intelligence is a concept based on individuals abilities to understand and regulate their own emotions and those of others (Mayer & Salovey, 1997). It emerged as a concept referring to intelligent behaviours in dealing with emotional related issues. A person with high emotional intelligence will not only understand, manage and accommodate the emotions of self and others but also alleviate emotional disturbances and anxieties and manage stress, which will contribute considerably to productivity and performance at the workplace on both personal and organizational level. STRESS MANAGEMENT Stress refers to a set of physical responses caused by internal (cognitive) or external (environmental) stimuli. Stress is a mental pain caused to employees in their work area due to the work they perform. When stress becomes excessive, employees develop various symptoms that can harm their job performance and health and even threaten their ability to cope with the environment.stress can reduce an employee s performance and decrease his overall productivity to a large extent. Some try to adopt an approach strategy, which means taking stress as a challenge and overcoming it in a positive manner, while some go for avoidance strategy in 645

6 which they show escapist behavior.the organization should take some steps to minimize the stress of employees by giving good training and prior instruction regarding the work they have to perform. Proper relationship should exist between the superiors and subordinates. Good work environment should be maintained. Every organization should try at most to control stress among employees as far as possible, because it reduces the employee s ability that leads to the downfall of the organization. Management of Emotional Intelligence would lead to management of stress. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The detailed methodology of the research has been described based on research design, sampling design, data collection method and analysis. From the viewpoint of function, it is a descriptive as well as analytical research because here we discuss the perception on the components emotional intelligence and analyse its impact on stress management. From the viewpoint of data nature, it is both qualitative and quantitative research. From the viewpoint of research place, it is a survey research because the data used in this research was gathered from the Nurses of various Private Hospitals in Chennai district. A survey design was used to obtain the required information. The population for this research comprises of nurses working in various healthcare organizations. The study covered only the Private Healthcare organizations (Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Healthcare Centre, etc.) in Chennai. Chennai district comprising North Chennai, Central Chennai and South Chennai was selected for this research. Questionnaire, Personal Interview and Observation techniques were used to collect the Primary data relating to the various aspects of emotional intelligence that exist in the healthcare organizations and its impact on stress management. Secondary data relating to Theoretical concepts and Profile of Healthcare Industry were also collected from different Newspapers, Journals, Magazines, Reports, Books, Research Articles, Internet websites, etc. A sample size of 100 was finalized for this study. Snowball Sampling, a type of Non-Probability Sampling technique was used to gather data from the respondents. The data were collected during the month of April, May and June 2017.Various statistical tools like Percentage Analysis, Mean Analysis, Independent Sample t test, Correlation and Multiple Regression were used to analyse the data. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for the statistical analysis. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION The data, after collection, has to be processed and analyzed in accordance with the outline laid down for the purpose at the time of developing the research plan. Analysis has been done through various statistical tools to understand the outcomes with reference to the objectives and hypothesis. In order to analyze and give the proper interpretation of data various statistical tools (descriptive as well as inferential) are used. 1. DEMOGRAPHIC & JOB PROFILE TABLE 2 Demographic& Job Profile (Sample Size = 100) VARIABLES OPTIONS FREQUENCIES (%) Marital Status Married Unmarried Age Years Open ended

7 Qualification Monthly Income (INR) Years Question (Scale Variable) School 59 Level/Diploma 41 UG / PG Upto Rs.10,000 Rs.10,001 Rs.20,000 Above Rs.20,000 Job Experience 1 5 Years 6 10 Years Years Working Shift INTERPRETATION General / Day shift Night shift Rotating Shift Source: Primary Data Open ended Question (Scale Variable) From the above table, it is inferred that Married respondents (54%) are more than unmarried respondents. In terms of Age of the respondents 68% of them belong to the age group of Years. 59% of them have School level/diploma education and remaining 41% of them are Under/Post Graduates. In terms of Monthly Income, 47% of the respondents are earning upto Rs.10, % of the respondents have 1 5 years of job experience. 45% of them are working in Night Shifts. 2. COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE MEAN ANALYSIS TABLE 3 Components of Emotional Intelligence Descriptive Statistics VARIABLES N Mean SD Appraisal of Self-Emotion Appraisal of Other s Emotion Regulation of Emotion Usage of Emotion OVERALL EI SCORE Source: Primary Data INTERPRETATION Twelve Questions relating to four aspects of Emotional Intelligence(3 questions for each aspect) based on 5 point Likert scale, (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree) were given in the questionnaire. Nurses Perception on these aspects is measured by using descriptive statistics.from the above table, it is inferred that the employees perception on Usage of Emotion (M = 11.28) is more than others and on Appraisal of Others Emotion is lesser than others. It is also inferred that the Nurses Perception on four aspects of Emotional Intelligence is above the average level since the all Mean values are above 9 (60%) out of 15. The Overall Mean Score of the Nurses Perception on Emotional IntelligenceinPrivate Hospitals is This is above 68% (41.05 / 60 x 100 = 68.42%). This indicates that the Nurses Perception on Emotional Intelligence inprivate Hospitals is above 68%. 647

8 3. INDEPENDENT SAMPLE t TEST - ANALYSIS H 0 : There is no significant difference between the Married and Unmarried respondents with respect to the Emotional Intelligence. TABLE 4 MARITAL STATUS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE MARITAL STATUS EI VARIABLES MARRIED UNMARRIED N N Mean SD Mean SD Appraisal of Self-Emotion Appraisal of Other s Emotion Regulation of Emotion Usage of Emotion OVERALL EI SCORE Source: Primary Data ( 1% Level of Significance) ( 5% Level of Significance) t - valu e p - value INTERPRETATION An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the difference between the Married and Unmarried respondents with respect to the various Components of Emotional Intelligence. As the P values are lesser than Sig. Value (0.01 and 0.05) in all the cases, the Null Hypotheses are rejected. Based on the mean scores, we can say that the Overall Mean Score of Emotional Intelligence for Married respondents (M = 43.53) is more than Unmarried respondents (M = 40.17). This indicates that the Married respondents have more perception on the various Components of Emotional Intelligence than the Unmarried respondents. The married and Unmarried respondents (M = for male and M = for Unmarried) have more perception on Usage of Emotion when compared with other components of Emotional Intelligence. Hence, it is concluded that there is a statistically significant difference between the Married and Unmarried respondents with respect to the Emotional Intelligence. 4. CORRELATION ANALYSIS H 0 : There is no significant relationship between the Components of Emotional Intelligence andemotional Intelligence of Nurses. A Pearson product-moment correlation was run to determine the relationship between the Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion and Usage of Emotion and Emotional Intelligence of Nurses. TABLE 5 EI COMPONENTS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE VARIABLES N r P - RELATIO REMARKS 648

9 Appraisal of Self- Emotion Emotional Intelligence Appraisal of Other s Emotion Emotional Intelligence Regulation of Emotion Emotional Intelligence Usage of Emotion Emotional Intelligence VALU E VALU E NSHIP SIGNIFICAN T. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). INTERPRETATION RESULT REJECTE D REJECTE D REJECTE D REJECTE D As the P value is lesser than Sig. Value (0.01) in all the above cases, the Null Hypotheses are rejected. There are moderate to high positive correlations between the Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion and Usage of Emotion and Emotional Intelligence of Nurses. Out of four Components of EI, the relationship between Usage of Emotion and Emotional Intelligence(r = 0.752) is more than others and Appraisal of Other s Emotion has lesser relationship with Emotional Intelligence (r = 0.502) than others. It is inferred that Usage of Emotion has strong influence on Emotional Intelligence of Nurses. Hence, there is a significant relationship between the Components of Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence of Nurses. H 0 : There is no significant relationship between the Components of Emotional Intelligence and Stress Management of Nurses. A Pearson product-moment correlation was run to determine the relationship between the Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion and Usage of Emotion and Stress Management of Nurses. VARIABLES Appraisal of Self-Emotion Stress Management Appraisal of Other s Emotion TABLE 6 COMPONENTS OF EI STRESS MANAGEMENT r P - REMARKS RELATIO N VALU VALU SIGNIFICAN NSHIP RESULT E E T REJECTE D REJECTE D 649

10 Stress Management Regulation of Emotion Stress Management Usage of Emotion Stress Management Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). INTERPRETATION REJECTE D REJECTE D As the P value is lesser than Sig. Value (0.01) in all the above cases, the Null Hypotheses are rejected. There are moderate to high positive correlations between the Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion and Usage of Emotion and Stress Management of Nurses. Out of four Components of EI, the relationship between Usage of Emotion and Stress Management (r = 0.811) is more than others. It is inferred that Usage of Emotion has strong impact on Stress Management of Nurses. It indicates that those who effectively using their emotions, can manage the stress effectively. Hence, there is a significant relationship between the Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion and Usage of Emotion and Stress Management of Nurses. H 0 : There is no significant relationship between the Level of Emotional Intelligence and Stress Management of Nurses. A Pearson product-moment correlation was run to determine the relationship between the Emotional Intelligence and Stress Management of Nurses. TABLE 7 LEVEL OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE STRESS MANAGEMENT r P - REMARKS RELATIO VARIABLES N VALU VALU SIGNIFICAN NSHIP RESULT E E T Emotional Intelligence REJECT 100 Stress ED Management. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). INTERPRETATION As the P value is lesser than Sig. Value (0.01) in the above case, the Null Hypothesis is rejected. There is a high positive correlation (r = 0.816) between the Emotional Intelligence and Stress Management of Nurses. 5. MULTIPLE REGRESSION Regression is the determination of statistical relationship between two or more variables. Multiple regression analysis examines the strength of the linear relationship between a set of independent variables and a single dependent variable (measured at the interval/ratio level). Multiple Regression was conducted to determine the best linear combination of Appraisal of 650

11 Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotionand Usage of Emotionfor predicting Emotional Intelligence of Nurses in Private Hospitals. 651

12 1 TABLE 8 REGRESSION ANALYSIS - EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Unstandardized Standardized t Sig. Model Coefficients Coefficients B Std. Error Beta (Constant) Appraisal of Self-Emotion Appraisal of Other s Emotion Regulation of Emotion Usage of Emotion Dependent Variable: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Preliminary analyses were conducted to ensure no violation of the assumptions of normality, linearity, multi-collinearity and homoscedasticity. The Means, Standard Deviations, and inter-correlations can be found. This combination of all four variables significantly predicts the dependent variable i.e., Emotional Intelligence, F (4, 95) = , p =.000 which is lesser than.001 (Sig. Value 2-tailed) and Adjusted R Square = Out of four independent variables, Usage of Emotion (0.612) is the strongest influencing factor which predicting dependent variable Emotional Intelligence. The beta weights suggest that the Usage of Emotion only contribute most (0.612 or 61%) to predict Emotional Intelligence. Appraisal of Other s Emotioncontributes to Emotional Intelligence (0.382) lesser than others. LIMITATIONS AND DIRECTION FOR FUTURE STUDIES The sample will be confined to 100 Woman Nurses of Private Hospitals. So this study cannot be regarded as full -proof one. This study is confined to the selected woman Nurses working in various private hospitals in Chennai only. Hence, the results of this study cannot be generalized to the other parts of the state as well as other parts of India. Therefore, for academics and researchers, further quantitative research is needed to identify the impact of Emotional Intelligence on Stress Management using cross-district/state and cross-industry applications to predict human behavior in various contexts. Upon this study, there may be some suggestions for further studies. The scope of this research is Nurses who are working in Private Hospitals in Chennai. Considering this fact, for the future studies, employees from different categories like Doctors and healthcare employees from different cities (Places) may be chosen and comparative studies might be carried out. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE In general, Emotional Intelligence contains the sort of skills, which are educable, flexible, and variable in the course of time. This course of action, consequently, will increase employees' ability to adopt with work place and facilitate proper work relationship that leads to improving efficiency and job performance. This research provides information that could benefit the human resources department of the Healthcare industry in better understanding the needs and perception of employees. From the study, it is found that demographic variable, marital status has an influence on emotional intelligence of the nurses. The study showed that the married have scored higher level of emotional intelligence than the unmarred. The research also showed that more than 68% 652

13 of the respondents are younger and middle aged (19 40 Years) and 46% of them are unmarried. Therefore, the management of healthcare organisations should formulate suitable policies to improve the level of emotional intelligence among the young nurses who are considerable employees in their organisations. The findings of the study pointed out a strong relationship between emotional intelligence of nurses and Stress Management. Management of healthcare organisations may use this information to help create a happy and work environment and support and assist their employees in dealing with demands and challenges both on the job and in their personal life. The management should create a good work atmosphere through its organizational policies (reward programs) that would influence employees welfare in various ways (fringe benefits, wellness programs, counseling and career advancement, etc.). By doing so, the healthcare organisations may be able to maintain or improve their employees performance. The study showed that the out of four components of Emotional Intelligence, Usage of Emotion has more impact on Emotional Intelligence as well as Stress Management of nurses. Hence, Healthcare organizations should design and provide such training for nurses in order to apply their emotions in reducing/managing their stress effectively and efficiently. Regular exercises, mediation, Yoga and other soft skill practices can improve the emotional balance and reduce the stress level of the healthcare employees. CONCLUSION The ability to manage and study emotions would seem to be an important skill for any healthcare employee and might potentially enhance patient-centred care, improve the quality of the professional-patient relationship, and increase patient levels of satisfaction. Improved emotional intelligence skills will help an individual understand and manage the emotions of one and others better which will lead to high quality service delivery. It is therefore imperative for Healthcare management to strive to create a bridge between emotional intelligence and stress management of their employees. Emotional intelligence is an effective way to integrate, enhance and provide better work environment. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that the four components i.e., Appraisal of Self-Emotion, Appraisal of Other s Emotion, Regulation of Emotion and Usage of Emotion contribute to Emotional Intelligence. Out of four components, Usage of Emotion strongly influences the Emotional Intelligence than others. Emotional Intelligence has strong impact on Stress Management. It is suggested that management of Healthcare Organisations should focus their attention to improve the level of Emotional Intelligence of their employees in order to increase the work performance and this would also help to manage the occupational stress effectively. REFERENCES 1. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam. 2. Ismail, A. Suh-Suh Y., Ajis, M.N. and Dollah, N.F. (2009). Relationship between Work related stress, Emotional Intelligence and Job Performance: An Empirical Study in Malaysia. Theoretical and Applied Economics, 10 (539), Mayer, J.D. and Salovey, P. (1990). Emotional Intelligence. Imagination, cognition and personality, 9, Mayer, J.D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. J. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence. New York: Basic Books. 653

14 5. Montes-berges B. and Augusto, J.M. (2007). Exploring the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence, coping, social support and mental health in nursing students. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Vol.14, Issue 2, pages , April Nadarajasundram M. (2010) Understanding of Modern Management, Vol Nina Ogniska (2005). Emotional intelligence in the work place; Exploring its effects on occupational stress and health outcomes in human service workers, International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Vol.18.No Saddam Hussain Rahim (2010) Emotional intelligence and Stress: An Analytical study of Pakistan Banks. Economic Survey of Pakistan , Ministry of Finance. 9. Singh, S.K. and Singh, S. (2008) Managing role stress through Emotional Intelligence, A study of Indian Medico Professionals, International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, Vol 1(4) PP Turner, N., Barling, J., &Zacharatos, A. (2002). Positive psychology at work. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp ). New York: Oxford University Press

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