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== Introduction ==

== Introduction ==

One of the important preoccupations of top management is the improvement of managerial performance<ref>Adhia, H., Nagendra, H. R., & Mahadevan, B. (2010). Impact of adoption of yoga way of life on the emotional intelligence of managers. ''IIMB Management Review'', ''22''(1-2), 32-41.</ref>. Over the last several decades management researchers have developed constructs to identify the factors that influence managerial performance, and have sought to provide a framework to explain performance. In this context, there is a popular perception that individuals of seemingly average intelligence often do well in their professional and personal lives, whereas people with high IQ often struggle with life’s challenges. Therefore, it would be useful to question the assumption that general intelligence is a sufficiently good predictor of success in life. Earlier researchers have suggested that other attributes may be better determinants<ref>Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.</ref><ref>Sternberg, R. J. (1993). Intelligence is more than IQ: The practical side of intelligence. ''Journal of Cooperative Education'', ''28''(2), 6-17.</ref><ref>Sternberg, R. J. (1996). IQ counts, but what really counts is successful intelligence. ''NASSP Bulletin'', ''80''(583), 18-23.</ref><ref>Tapia, M. (2001). Measuring emotional intelligence. ''Psychological Reports'', ''88''(2), 353-364.</ref>. There is a vast repository of knowledge and accumulated experience in India on the role of yoga as a way of life in enabling individuals to lead successful and satisfied lives (see for example Becker, 2000; Srinivas, 1994). More specifically, the Bhagavad Gita, which explicates on yoga, sees that yoga begets high efficiency in work (Swami Ranganathananda, 2000), opening up possibilities of connections with managerial performance. This paper builds on the thread suggested above, utilising the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) defined by earlier researchers to measure managerial performance,

One of the important preoccupations of top management is the improvement of managerial performance<ref>Adhia, H., Nagendra, H. R., & Mahadevan, B. (2010). Impact of adoption of yoga way of life on the emotional intelligence of managers. ''IIMB Management Review'', ''22''(1-2), 32-41.</ref>. Over the last several decades management researchers have developed constructs to identify the factors that influence managerial performance, and have sought to provide a framework to explain performance. In this context, there is a popular perception that individuals of seemingly average intelligence often do well in their professional and personal lives, whereas people with high IQ often struggle with life’s challenges. Therefore, it would be useful to question the assumption that general intelligence is a sufficiently good predictor of success in life. Earlier researchers have suggested that other attributes may be better determinants<ref>Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.</ref><ref>Sternberg, R. J. (1993). Intelligence is more than IQ: The practical side of intelligence. ''Journal of Cooperative Education'', ''28''(2), 6-17.</ref><ref>Sternberg, R. J. (1996). IQ counts, but what really counts is successful intelligence. ''NASSP Bulletin'', ''80''(583), 18-23.</ref><ref>Tapia, M. (2001). Measuring emotional intelligence. ''Psychological Reports'', ''88''(2), 353-364.</ref>. There is a vast repository of knowledge and accumulated experience in India on the role of yoga as a way of life in enabling individuals to lead successful and satisfied lives (see for example Becker, 2000<ref>Becker, I. (2000). Uses of yoga in psychiatry and medicine. ''Complementary and alternative medicine and psychiatry'', ''19'', 107-145.</ref>; Srinivas, 1994<ref>Srinivas, K. M. (1994). Organization development: Maya moksha. ''Work Motivation Models for Developing Country. New Delhi: Sage Publications''.</ref>). More specifically, the Bhagavad Gita, which explicates on yoga, sees that yoga begets high efficiency in work<ref>Ranganathananda, S. (2000). Universal message of the Bhagavad Gita.</ref> opening up possibilities of connections with managerial performance.  

This article utilizes the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) defined by earlier researchers to measure managerial performance, and explores the yoga way of life as a potential tool to influence the EI of individuals.

 

introduce the concept of EI and motivate the use of this construct by discussing the key findings from earlier research. An introduction to the yoga way of life and its usefulness in improving EI in particular, and managerial performance and satisfaction levels in general follows in the next section. The details of the empirical work carried out as part of this study, and the results, key findings, and their implications are discussed in the later sections. Our study suggests that the yoga way of life could be a potential contributor to improving the performance of managers, and improving their satisfaction levels. Although the results are based on a single study with a sample of 60 managers from one enterprise, the results are encouraging. Our study motivates further research into this aspect in multiple settings, and the generalisation of the results obtained in the study.

 

Emotional intelligence (EI) is ‘a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate between them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action’ (Salovey & Mayer, 1990, p 5). Goleman (2000) identifies five components of EI self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill (Exhibit 1). An alternative framework as defined by the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence (2004) is presented in Exhibit 2. In a later work Mayer and Salovey defined EI as the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth (Mayer & Salovey, 1997, p 5). Their definition of EI  

Emotional intelligence (EI) is ‘a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate between them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action’ (Salovey & Mayer, 1990, p 5). Goleman (2000) identifies five components of EI self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill (Exhibit 1). An alternative framework as defined by the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence (2004) is presented in Exhibit 2. In a later work Mayer and Salovey defined EI as the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth (Mayer & Salovey, 1997, p 5). Their definition of EI