Using Emotional Intelligence

Discussion: Using Emotional Intelligence and Appreciative Inquiry to Promote Quality

Through communication—inquiry and dialogue—every person makes a contribution, and by being involved in the process, people can shift their attention and action away from a problem-oriented focus to dreams that are worthy to them and to productive possibilities for the future.
—Watkins & Mohr, 2001

Without a doubt, promoting health care quality and patient safety presents a meaningful aim.

To achieve this goal, nurse leader-managers need to be able to evaluate a situation from many different viewpoints and frame questions that elicit valuable insights. They must be able to promote skillful problem solving and interdisciplinary teamwork.

In this Discussion, you examine how you can use emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry to facilitate positive changes that lead to improved quality and safety.

To prepare:

• Review the information on emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry presented in this week’s Learning Resources.
• If you have not already done so, follow the instructions in the course text, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 to complete the online assessment.
• Consider the results of the assessment. Review your strengths and opportunities for growth related to self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. What insights, questions, or concerns arise as you think about these results?
• Think about how your identified emotional intelligence strengths and opportunities for growth relate to your current role as a leader-manager and to the professional contributions that you hope to make now and in the future. Give focused attention to patient safety and health care quality. How and why is emotional intelligence valuable for promoting optimal patient outcomes and creating systems-level change?
• As indicated on pages 53–55 of the Bradberry and Greaves text, develop a plan for improving your skills in one area of emotional intelligence. Evaluate strategies for applying your strengths in the workplace. Identify at least two that you can use to add value to a team or workgroup to improve quality and safety.
• Also review the information on appreciative inquiry in this week’s Learning Resources. Have you used appreciative inquiry before? If so, how? How does the application of appreciative inquiry relate to your role as nurse leader-manager and/or to efforts to promote health care quality?