The Evaluation Of A Development Program Directed At The Trait Emotional Intelligence Of Employees Of The Ministry Of Justice In Northern Namibia

ABSTRACT

The global corporate setting changes swiftly as a result of technological, economic and political developments. Due to these phenomena it has been noted that staff members in general experience a great increase in emotional strain, leaving a need for an effective program focussed on enhancing employees’ ability to deal with such stressors via an increase in their trait emotional intelligence. With such an enhancement the employees would experience improved levels of empathy, emotional perception, emotional expression, better personal relationships, superior emotion regulation, less impulsiveness, more effective stress management, increased emotional management, higher levels of assertiveness, more social awareness, would be more optimistic, experience higher levels of happiness, improve their self-esteem, benefit from advanced self-motivation and adaptability.

The study was conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of such an emotional intelligence program that was implemented in the Ministry of Justice of Namibia. The program consisted of four individual counselling sessions focussing on assertiveness (thought control), communication, stress management and procrastination. The program participants were assessed by means of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and also completed program evaluation questions after completion of the program. The TEIQue-SF was completed by an experimental group and a control group. When considering the TEIQue-SF scores on their own the differences between the groups were not found to be significant. Both groups showed an increase in their trait emotional intelligence of more than 18 points. The program evaluation forms however, showed that the intervention was perceived by the experimental group as having a positive impact on their general happiness and well-being.