Developing an Empirical Basis for Selecting a Strategic-Planning Team from Among Likely Candidates Based on Desired Emotional Intelligence Competencies
Authors:   ,   Andrews University, Reindel Robert 
Published: May 2023

Problem. Corporate teams are often established to complete assigned tasks as they would relate to planning, product development, process improvements, etc. There seems to be a lack of effective means for selecting team members based on objective criteria. Team-member selection is typically a process based only on the selector's judgment. While testing is a typical way to make hiring decisions, the same process is not used for creating teams. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to explore a way of using identified competencies of emotional intelligence to objectively select team members for a strategic-planning initiative. Method. For this study, I used two testing mechanisms that measure emotional-intelligence competencies and personal traits: (a) EQ Map, a self-assessment tool, and (b) Selectform, a performance evaluation completed by the subjects' supervisors. I used a sample of 30 supervisors for this study. The scores for two EQ Map emotional-intelligence competencies, creativity and intuition, were correlated with two Selectform-based personal traits : innovation and judgment. I used two dissimilar tests and conducted analyses using Spearman's rho test and Pearson's test to establish correlations between the variables. With the correlation testing suggesting that the relationships did exist, I was then in a position to pair the EQ Map and Selectform results back to the individual respondents. Finally, I employed an objective selection process, based on the individual scores, to achieve the desired outcome of the composition of a strategic-planning team. Prior to having the final objective scores, I created a subjective list of candidates for the team based on the person's role within the company, previous demonstrations of creativity and intuition as I saw them, and their personalities. I then compared the objective to the subjective to reach the study results. Results. There were statistically significant correlations between creativity and innovation, and between intuition and judgment. The study supported the idea that differing testing mechanisms can be used to derive meaningful data for team-member selection decisions. With the results the tests generated, I was able to select the members of the team in a seemingly objective manner without personality bias. I also discovered that while certain individuals had high scores on the objective portion, the subjective selections included individuals with low scores, resulting in the suggestion that the objective testing is a better determinant of possible team member inclusion. The methodology I employed created a means to select team members other than by conventional subjective processes for corporate-team composition charged with accomplishing established objectives including strategic planning, product development, and process improvements. Conclusions. Objective means can be employed to create teams based on pre-determined criteria and then matched to individual testing results. In the case of this study, individuals exhibiting high correlations from the emotional intelligence self-assessment and the performance evaluation are deemed to possess the desired competencies for a successful strategic-planning initiative.