Podcast Summary: Worklife with Adam Grant – Episode Featuring Merve Emre on Emotional Intelligence as Corporate Control

Introduction

In this enlightening episode of Worklife with Adam Grant, organizational psychologist Adam Grant engages in a profound conversation with Merve Emre, an Associate Professor of English at the University of Oxford and a regular contributor to The New Yorker. Emre revisits her incisive critique of emotional intelligence (EI), particularly focusing on its appropriation as a mechanism of corporate control. This detailed discussion unpacks the historical underpinnings of EI, its sociological implications, and the nuanced interplay between individual skills and broader organizational structures.

The Origins and Critique of Emotional Intelligence

Emre opens the dialogue by reflecting on her skepticism towards EI, which was ignited by her early exposure to Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence. She shares a critical observation:

"One of the most striking things about Goleman's book, when I started reading it, was this really peculiar mismatch between the examples he gave of people who don't have emotional intelligence and people who do." (04:30)

Emre dissects Goleman's use of extreme negative examples, such as violent outbursts, to define low EI. She contends that these examples overlook the socio-economic factors influencing emotional regulation, leading to a misleading portrayal of EI as an innate personal deficiency rather than a socially mediated phenomenon.

The Sociological Perspective: Emotional Labor and Corporate Control

Transitioning to the sociological dimensions, Emre draws parallels between EI and Arlie Hochschild’s concept of emotional labor. She elucidates how corporations harness EI to transform workers' emotional expressions into profit-generating activities. Emre states:

"What begins... as a form of labor... that actually makes them have to show certain kinds of emotions or incentivizes them to feel certain kinds of ways toward their work... occludes the really, really concrete social relation" (08:21)

This framing positions EI not merely as a set of personal skills but as a tool for enforcing conformity and suppressing dissent within organizational hierarchies.

Emotional Intelligence and Gender Dynamics

A significant portion of the conversation delves into the gendered aspects of emotional labor. Emre references Hochschild's work to highlight how roles requiring emotional engagement have historically been feminized. However, she notes a shift in recent decades:

"Even though emotional labor began as this feminized concept, now increasingly there is the expectation that many, many people who are not necessarily women will take it on as part of their responsibility." (17:57)

Emre argues that while care work remains predominantly female, the broader corporate embrace of EI extends emotional expectations across genders, perpetuating certain stereotypes and reinforcing existing power dynamics.

Emotional Intelligence as a Corporate Tool

Emre articulates her central thesis that EI serves as a mechanism of corporate control. She critiques the utilization of EI training as a superficial remedy to deeper organizational issues:

"Corporations... get away with increasing job insecurity, with demanding more of their workers. And if you don't do what they ask you to do, if you don't commit yourself fully to those demands, making you feel like you are not a good team player, you are not sufficiently empathetic to what the corporation needs." (26:15)

This perspective underscores the instrumental use of EI to manipulate employee behavior, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives while obscuring structural problems such as lack of support and job insecurity.

Balancing Emotional Intelligence and Structural Change

Grant and Emre explore the tension between fostering individual emotional skills and addressing systemic organizational flaws. Grant asserts the importance of EI skills for job performance, especially in roles with high emotional demands. In contrast, Emre emphasizes the need for structural reforms over personal resilience training:

"Emotional intelligence training is often used as a band-aid. And what we need to do actually is cure a sick culture." (27:40)

Emre advocates for enhancing worker benefits and job security rather than placing the onus solely on employees to manage their emotions, highlighting the insufficient nature of EI training in resolving underlying workplace issues.

The Future of Emotional Intelligence in Organizations

As the conversation progresses, Grant and Emre discuss the potential pathways for reconciling the benefits of EI with its pitfalls. Emre suggests reorienting the discourse from individual skills to relational dynamics:

"I think we should be talking about relationships. Because the problem with talking about skills... is that it does individualize what is essentially a social phenomenon." (52:07)

Grant reflects on the dual nature of EI, recognizing its value in personal and professional growth while acknowledging its susceptibility to misuse as a corporate tool. They contemplate the possibility of redefining EI to emphasize autonomy and genuine emotional management without corporate coercion.

Conclusion

The episode culminates with a compelling exchange that encapsulates the complexity of emotional intelligence in contemporary workplaces. Emre and Grant converge on the idea that while EI possesses intrinsic value, its integration into corporate frameworks often undermines its potential by serving as a veil for deeper systemic issues. Emre poignantly summarizes her stance:

"We can think on the one hand about ideology and on the other hand about something quite utopian in that idea that there may be people who are simply more emotionally adept than others." (55:00)

This dialogue not only challenges the conventional understanding of emotional intelligence but also calls for a more nuanced approach that bridges individual capabilities with equitable organizational practices.

Notable Quotes

• Merve Emre (04:30):

  "One of the most striking things about Goleman's book... was this really peculiar mismatch between the examples he gave of people who don't have emotional intelligence and people who do."

• Merve Emre (08:21):

  "What begins... as a form of labor... that actually makes them have to show certain kinds of emotions... occludes the really, really concrete social relation."

• Merve Emre (17:57):

  "Even though emotional labor began as this feminized concept, now increasingly there is the expectation that many, many people who are not necessarily women will take it on as part of their responsibility."

• Merve Emre (26:15):

  "Corporations... get away with increasing job insecurity, with demanding more of their workers... making you feel like you are not a good team player."

• Merve Emre (52:07):

  "I think we should be talking about relationships. Because the problem with talking about skills... is that it does individualize what is essentially a social phenomenon."

• Merve Emre (55:00):

  "We can think on the one hand about ideology and on the other hand about something quite utopian in that idea that there may be people who are simply more emotionally adept than others."

Insights and Conclusions

This episode serves as a critical examination of emotional intelligence, urging listeners to reconsider its role and implications within corporate environments. Emre’s perspective invites a deeper reflection on how EI is leveraged not just as a developmental tool but as a means of exerting control, reinforcing existing hierarchies, and masking systemic inadequacies. The conversation advocates for a balanced approach that recognizes the value of emotional skills while simultaneously addressing and reforming the structural elements that necessitate their commodification.

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the core discussions, insights, and critical perspectives shared by Adam Grant and Merve Emre, offering listeners a nuanced understanding of emotional intelligence beyond its surface-level applications.