Explanation of the 14 Emotional & Social Competencies of the ESCI-U

The Emotional and Social Competency Inventory University Edition (ESCI-U) was

developed by Richard Boyatzis, Daniel Goleman, and the Hay Group. This assessment measures

12 competencies: (emotional self-awareness, empathy, organizational awareness, achievement

orientation, adaptability, emotional self-control, positive outlook, conflict management, coach

and mentor, influence, inspirational leadership, and teamwork) separated into four categories:

(self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, and relationship management). All of these

competencies work in conjunction and have a synergistic effect on overall effectiveness.

Additionally, this assessment measures cognitive competencies as defined by systems thinking

and pattern recognition. These two competencies have been shown to significantly predict

effectiveness in leadership.

Furthermore, the ESCI-U measures the emotional and social competencies in order to

form a baseline understanding of where we are in each respective domain in order to implement

training practices to improve our abilities in each category to improve effectiveness in work, life,

leadership, and in education. The way to improve on these social and emotional dimensions is to

become self-aware of where we are situated in relation to these concepts and to aspire to improve

our competencies to become more effective at lifes processes.

Emotional self-awareness is the ability to understand ones own emotional reactions to

stimuli and the stemming effects that are caused within our environment. Additionally, emotional

self-awareness is about knowing how we operate emotionally, and our capacity to express and

control emotions. When someone is high in emotional self-awareness they are conscious of their

emotions, why they happen, who the emotions are affecting, and are open to feedback.

Achievement orientation involves a need to display excellence and to continually express a

strong desire to surpass expectations. An individual with high achievement orientation takes

Explanation of the 14 Emotional & Social Competencies of the ESCI-U

calculated risks that can be measured, thrives on creating acting in a situation, and gets to the

heart of the situation in order to take action.

Adaptability is the ability to be flexible throughout changing situations and individuals

who display this competency are willing to adjust the focus of their beliefs for increased

situational benefits. An individual high in adaptability is able to multi-task, handle change easily,

and adapt to new situations as they occur. Emotional self-control is displayed when one can

control their behaviors when emotions are high, can deal with highly stressful situations, and

remain positive in difficult circumstances. Positive outlook is about having a positive perception

of the world at large and understanding that there are opportunities for growth and development.

An individual high in this competency envisions a dynamic future that is enlightening and

embraces conflict as a sign of improvement.

Empathy is about having compassion for other people and understanding anothers point

of view. An individual high on empathy can read non-verbal communications, respect others

wholly, actively listen, and understand others reasoning for taking actions that are against their

own beliefs. Organizational awareness is concerned with understanding the hierarchal power

dynamic in organizations which include being able to identify decision makers and influencers.

One high in organizational awareness displays a keen ability to identify power relationships, has

a strong sense of the cultural climate, and concentrates on doing appropriate activities to receive

desired rewards.

Conflict management is the ability to handle difficult situations and difficult individuals

in face to face situations. Individuals high in this competency express an ability to expose

disagreements, communicate effectively with all parties involved, focus on a goal everyone can

Explanation of the 14 Emotional & Social Competencies of the ESCI-U

agree upon, and reduces unnecessary tension. The coach and mentor competency involves an

individual who can expertly develop others over the long term and spends their time guiding

others towards achieving excellence. An individual who scores high in this category knows how

to offer appropriate feedback for anothers development, has a presence that encourages others to

break down mental barriers, and truly cares about people. Influence involves having a positive

impact on others by using persuasion to gain attention. An individual high in this competency

gains buy-in for ideas, understands how to speak to others self-interest, and knows how to

engage important people in discussion.

Inspirational leadership involves having a desire and appropriate behaviors to lead people

by bringing groups together for a shared common purpose. An individual high in this

competency is an expert at engaging others in projects, formulating a vision that evokes

emotional reactions, and has an ability to motivate people to be the best they can be. The

teamwork competency is concerned with the ability to work well with others by sharing

responsibility, rewards, and accomplishments. An individual high in this competency thrives in

team relationships, invigorates team identity, expresses friendliness, and is respectful of others

contributions.

The cognitive competency of systems thinking involves an ability to identify causes and

effects of complex situations. An individual with a high systems thinking competency can

explain these complex situations efficiently clear, visualize the causes and effects associated with

the situation, and is able to identify the interactional effects in relation to the situational

outcomes. The other cognitive competency of pattern recognition is about recognizing and

explaining randomness into patterns. An individual high in this competency understands

Explanation of the 14 Emotional & Social Competencies of the ESCI-U

similarities across different patterns and can translate the information into understandable stories

for others to interpret the meanings of complex phenomenon.

Boyatzis, R., Goleman, D. (2007) Emotional and social competency inventory university edition workbook. Hay

Group Transforming Learning

Cherniss, C., Maltbia, T. (2011) Emotional intelligence workshop. Teachers College, Columbia University

2011 Keith Lawrence Miller, the Million Dollar Coaching Company