The conventional school of thought places intelligence quotient (IQ) of the project manager as an indicator of the success of the project. However, there is more to project management than project managers just having high IQ. They also need to have emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence is a type of interpersonal skills that all project managers should possess. It is the ability to determine, assess and manage the personal emotions not only for oneself as well as other people. It also involves understanding the collective emotions of different groups of people. In project management, developing the project team requires the right soft skills. Emotional intelligence is a type of soft skill necessary to improve the relationship of each team member.
So why do project managers need to understand emotional intelligence? It is important for project managers to understand the emotions of other people and also navigate through it because they have to operate in very complicated matrix environments. This interpersonal skill is necessary to be able for project managers to negotiate and collaborate with other people. Emotional intelligence is also necessary for building effective teams. The team members are necessary for the success of the project and that project managers need to motivate staff and manage conflict.
Having high emotional intelligence is also a good way for project managers and even team members to adapt to changes. Working for a particular project often entails a lot of changes that can put immense stress on the entire team.
Good project leaders do not only need to handle the project management activities effectively but they also need to provide leadership and understand human nature. Having good emotional intelligence is very crucial for the project manager as well as team members handle other people effectively.
This term is defined in the 5th edition of the PMBOK.