The relationship between the emotional intelligence domains and driver behaviour in ESKOM: an adult education perspective

Abstract

English: Emotions are one of the factors that define us as human yet, many people do not truly understand the extent to which our emotions are influenced by the external environment and how we allow emotions to control our behaviour which often translates into physiological and physical risk. The ability to recognise and manage our emotions is central to how we perceive and react to everyday life. Eskom as an organisation is totally committed to providing a safe environment for all their employees and no cost is spared in provided what they believe to be the best education and training to support their ZERO HARM philosophy. The question is however, with the unquestionable commitment to safety from management and staff alike; why is the vehicle incident rate (VIR) remaining at unacceptably high levels? This study was intended to identify the degree to which emotional intelligence, with specific reference to self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and managing relationship's impact on driver specific attitude and behaviour. Emotional self-awareness allows individuals to start understanding how and why they react to specific external stimuli. Only once individuals recognise and acknowledge their emotions, will they be in a position to control how they react to these emotions. Understanding one's emotions is only the starting point in learning how to control your emotions but without this first step, no meaningful change will be possible. Emotional self-management is more of a process than a change in one's personality. It is the ability to accept one's shortcomings and manage the observable external responses to stimuli for the benefit of self and others. self-management is essentially a skill and as such, must be learned and practiced before it can be perfected Social awareness and managing relationships are possibly the more difficult emotional domains to master from a driver perspective, as it may be considered strange to think of social reactions with other road users as one's own responsibility. The social domains however, do have serious implications as to how these incidental relationships ultimately affect the behaviour of road users. It is clearly documented that road rage is common place in our driving culture. Analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data clearly indicates that emotional inelegance has a significant impact on driver behaviour. The participants in this study sited driver related emotional behaviour to include characteristics associated with road rage and general emotional incompetence. The quantitative data was less significant in determining the impact of emotional intelligence (El) and driver behaviour in regard to age, gender and race; the fact remains however that the data identified a significant relationship between persons with a low El and vehicle incidents. The analysis of the quantitative data relating to group, age, gender and race, when viewed against the same participant's qualitative response, as well as the theoretical arguments presented in this study, would suggest that the qualitative data may be influenced by response bias. The degree to which response bias may have contaminated the quantitative data will need to be established through further research. The recommendations in this study should be addressed in order to test the theories discussed in the study with the view of authenticating how customised education and training can positively impact on driver behaviour and how such education and training should be structured.

Afrikaans: Emosies is een van die faktore wat ons as mense definieer en tog besef baie mense nie die omvang waarmee die eksterne omgewing ons emosies beinvloed , en hoe ons toelaat dat die emosies ons gedrag beinvloed nie, wat dan baie keer in 'n fisiologies of fisiese risiko omsit. Die vermoe om ons emosies te herken en dit te bestuur is sentraal tot hoe ons elke dag ervaar en daarop reageer. Eskom as organisasie is daartoe verbind om 'n veilige omgewing vir al sy werknemers te skep. Geen koste word ontsien om werknemers te voorsien van, wat hulle glo, die beste opleiding en opvoedings programme is, om hulle filosofie van GEEN BESERING te ondersteun nie. Die vraag is egter, waarom die voertuig insident koers, ten spyte van hierdie onwrikbare verbintenis tot veiligheid, steeds op onaanvaarbare hoe vlakke bly. Hierdie studie het ten doel om te bepaal tot watter mate emosionele inteligensie met spesifieke verwysing na self-bewustheid, self-bestuur, sosiale-bewustheid en die bestuur van verhoudings, voertuig bestuurder gedrag en houding beinvloed. Emosionele self-bewustheid stel individue in staat om te verstaan hoe en hoekom hulle tot 'n eksterne stimulus reageer. Slegs wanneer individue hul emosies kan erken en definieer, sal hulle in 'n posissie wees om beheer uit te oefen oor hoe hulle teenoor die emosies reageer. Om jou emosies te verstaan is slegs die begin punt van om te leer hoe om jou emosies te beheer en te bestuur. Sonder die erkenning van hierdie eerste stap, sal geen betekenisvolle verandering in gedrag of houding moontlik wees nie. Emosionele self-bestuur is eerder 'n proses as 'n verandering van persoonlikheid. Dit is die vermoe om jou eie tekortkominge te aanvaar en jou sigbare, uiterlike reaksies to 'n stimulus so te beheer en te bestuur dat dit tot voordeel van ander en jouself sat strek. Self-bestuur is 'n vaardigheid wat aangeleer en geoefen moet word om dit sodoende effektief te kan toepas. Sosiale bewustheid en die bestuur van verhoudings is moontlik die moeilikste velde om te bemeester uit 'n voertuig bestuurder se oogpunt, omdat dit vreemd is om aan sosiale interaksie met ander padgebruikers as jou verantwoordelikheid te dink. Die sosiale veld het egter ernstige implikasies op hoe hierdie toevallige verhoudings uiteindelik die gedrag van padgebruikers beinvloed. Padwoede word opgeteken as algemene gedrag in die voertuig bestuur kultuur Analisering van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe data toon duidelik dat emosionele inteligensie 'n belangrike rol speel in die gedrag van voertuig bestuurders. Deelnemers aan hierdie studie het dan ook bevestig dat bestuurder verwante emosionele gedrag met padwoede en emosionele wangedrag ge-assosieer word. Die kwantitatiewe data was minder belangrik in die bepaling van die impak van emosionele inteligensie en bestuurder gedrag in verband met ouderdom, ras en geslag; feit bly egter staan dat die data 'n noemenswaardige verband tussen persone met 'n lae emosionele inteligensie vlak en voertuig insidente toon. Analisering van die kwantitatiewe data met verband tot ouderdom, ras en geslag, dui daarop dat die kwalitatiewe data beinvloed is deur respondent vooroordeel wanneer dit met dieselfde respondente se kwalitatiewe reaksies en teoretiese argumente in die studie vergelyk word. Die mate waarin die respondent vooroordeel die kwantitatiewe data besoedel het sal in verdere navorsing bepaal moet word. Die aanbevelings in hierdie studie moet aangespreek word ten einde die teorie soos in die studie bespreek te toets met die oog op verifiering van hoe spesifiek aangepaste opvoeding en opleiding 'n positiewe impak op bestuurder gedrag kan uitoefen en hoe hierdie opvoedings en opleiding gestruktureer behoort te word.