Description:

Topic : From the field of emotional intelligence combined with an economics (human capital) and sociological (social capital) approaches, I will present in this talk why emotional competences matters at work and question nowadays VET curricula. Since the high rate of unemployment in France as in some number of European countries, labour market models are focused on "employability" and stresses the role and duty of the individual in acquiring knowledge but moreover in engaging themselves in companies and in participate to 'corporate culture' and 'commitment', creating the company as an island of social cohesion in a sea of individualised society. Those new challenges fulfilling employability refers to new skills, especially intra and interpersonal skills as emotional skills and competences. And successful organizations will depend a lot on their workers emotional capital, and the way they will manage it, i.e. take into account their workers' emotional competences, using them in an efficient and ethic way. Indeed, in the new learning economy context, the success of individuals and firms may reside not only in the ability of individuals to learn but, also, in the rapid diffusion of knowledge within and between firms. And that will depend a lot on emotions and emotional capital. For instance, workers, managers as teachers with leadership competencies (trust, empathy, awareness, integrity...) referring to emotional capital, can facilitate teamwork, enhance efficiency and quality as well as of his staff as their class students. Number of researches shown that managers with leadership competencies (trust, empathy, awareness, integrity...) referring to emotional capital, can facilitate teamwork, enhance efficiency and quality as well as of his staff. >From a meta-analysis of the literature on social skills and competencies with a gender perspective, I show that emotional competencies are the result of "a production" of diverse educational (school, work...) contexts and situations, are acquired by learning (through experience), and can therefore be improved or enhanced, emotional capital has to be considered as a capital, in which people, institutions, especially VET institutions and the society should invest in it; especially, as it is crucial, profitable and have major returns on individuals (to allow a sustainable person's development) and society (social cohesion) for (individual and social) life but also on organisations performance.

Purpose : Therefore, in my communication, through a conceptual model named Emotional Capital (EC), I will show that emotional competences and interpersonal skills, enabling human capital (HC) accumulation, are nowadays crucial for individuals and organisations at the workplace (as at school) to perform and refers to changes in skills needs and, therefore question VET curricula

Methodology or methods/research instruments or sources used:

Meta-analysis (competencies and research literature with a gender perspective) (Salovey, Mayer, Goleman, Boyatzis, HRD and VET, Learning organisations literature references)

Conclusions or expected outcomes or findings:

Referring to emotional intelligence, I will show that emotional capital, more than an additional capital, is a booster capital potentializing or energyzing the human, social and cultural capitals. EC is critical to enable human capital formation, accumulation and, its optimal exploitation for individuals and crucial in knowledge management in the today's increasingly complex and competitive global workplace for companies and organisations and participate to new skills needs. Also, this conceptual model enables to understand student academic success or failure on the one hand, the different occupational and jobs choices and career prospect between men and women, and organisations or companies successes as well, on the other hand. But above all, it questions VET curricula as those skills become essential for individuals in the context of the learning society at work.

References:

• Gendron B. (2006), From Education to Leadership Emotional Competencies : An Essay on a Conceptual Model of Emotional Capital, Conference, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, january 2006, Sueden.
• Gendron B. (2005), Why Female and Male Emotional and Interpersonal Skills Matter in Gender Divisions at Work? A Theoretical Approach through an Emotional Capital Model, International Conference on Emotional and Interpersonal Skills at Work, Skills2Work Leonardo Conference, Thessalonique, Juin.
• Gendron B. (2005) Faire du capital émotionnel un atout personnel, professionnel et organisationnel, communication acte .Colloque International Réseau Education et Formation REF-, septembre, Montpellier.
• Gendron B. (2005), Why Female and Male Emotional and Interpersonal Skills Matter in Gender Divisions at Work? International Conference on Emotional and Interpersonal Skills at Work, Skills2Work Leonardo Conference,Thessalonique, Juin.
• Gendron B. (2004), Why Emotional Capital Matters in Education and in Labour? Toward an Optimal Exploitation of Human Capital and Knowledge Management, in Les Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques, série rouge, n° 113, Paris: Université Panthéon-Sorbonne, 35