Here's how you can incorporate emotional intelligence into decision-making for Information Systems projects.

I have worked on a couple of projects which require a handful of involvement and assistance from junior colleagues to complete certain task. It's important to understand the key strength and weaknesses each of them when delegating task. Over the time, we could observe the deliverable and perform reassessment to re-align. We should also practice some form of recognition and celebrate small win to maintain a high morale, it can be an appreciation meal together, a word of appreciation/recognition etc. This is critical piece of success in my humble opinion, because I believe a person who is constantly being motivated, and further develop confident and self-motivated will likely be a high performer and achieve greater success.

Incorporating emotional intelligence into decision-making for Information Systems projects involves understanding and managing both your emotions and those of your team. Start by fostering open communication to recognize and address concerns early, ensuring everyone feels heard and valued. Practice empathy to anticipate and mitigate the impact of decisions on stakeholders. Cultivate self-awareness to check for biases that might skew decision-making. Finally, build strong relationships within the team to encourage collaboration and trust, which enhances overall project effectiveness and adaptability.

Emotional intelligence is a significant point to take into account in our role as leaders, being able to recognize our own emotions is the first step to our improvement, and being able to control our behavior in different work situations

1. Self-Awareness: Understanding Your Emotions 2. Self-Regulation: Managing Emotions Under Stress 3. Empathy: Understanding Others' Perspectives 4. Social Skills: Building Stronger Relationships 5. Motivation: Inspiring and Driving Teams 6. Conflict Resolution: Navigating Disagreements 7. Decision-Making: Considering Emotional and Human Factors Final Thoughts: Emotional intelligence can seem secondary in IS projects where technical expertise is often the focus. However, the most successful projects usually depend on the human side of leadership effective communication, conflict resolution, and motivation Integrating emotional intelligence into decision-making.

Emotional intelligence helps to reduce and eliminate diverse stakeholders' resistance to changes due to the implementation of information systems. It enables effective communication of IS requirements, expectations, objectives and benefits which ensures the deployment of the right IS for the satisfaction of every stakeholder. Ongoing support and feedback loops involving business and IT people contribute to continuous IS improvement for fulfilling the stakeholders' evolving needs.

The example of reluctance to change illustrates how we can approach a team in a project that involves implementing a specific set of transformations. In this case, it is important to identify the most influential voice on the team, who will share information about the project and help the team embrace the necessary changes as smoothly as possible. While establishing a healthy relationship with this person, it is also essential to exchange ideas: listening and understanding, but at the same time aligning the project's benefits with the actual needs of the team. With that in mind, the next steps involve communicating these ideas to the team members so that they are all informed of what’s to come.

Team Communication to Deliver Results. Communication is one of the key elements that make a team successful in the delivery process of a project. The open environment among the teams should encourage the participants to freely express their ideas, concerns, or feedback to ensure diversity, making decisions more innovative and equitable. Valuing everyone's input creates a sense of belonging, makes team members more engaging and motivated, and builds trust on which effective teamwork is founded. Maintaining openness requires timely check-ins,clear guidelines, and an active listening system for team members. As, communication is free-flowing, better problem-solving and decision-making with the collective knowledge of the entire team available.

Assessing emotional intelligence needs upfront can improve communication, conflict resolution, and collaboration in IS projects. Addressing areas like change management helps tailor your approach to reduce resistance and enhance team acceptance.

Evaluate the EI needs of your team before starting an IS project. Identify where EI can enhance communication, conflict resolution, or collaboration. For instance, understanding resistance to change allows you to address emotional barriers proactively, creating a more accepting environment and setting a positive tone for the project.

When we evaluate our team's need for emotional intelligence, we build a solid base for success because our team's wellness is so important too, and helps them to improve their abilities in important topics for the project and their life.

Unfortunately, in a world where three letter acronyms next to your name is valued more than experience or simple commonsense, we actually have to give names to what most of us do instinctually. Take EI, this is a skill that should come naturally to most of us and guess what, you are probably employing this in dealings with your team as is. If you need a workshop to teach you to listen with empathy to fellow humans, then I humbly submit that you have some other problems to resolve!

Promote a culture that values emotional intelligence within your team by encouraging open communication and providing EI training. Workshops on active listening, empathy, and perspective-taking can enhance EI skills, leading to more considerate decision-making processes. A culture that respects emotions fosters better teamwork and project outcomes.

In technology projects where usually the decisions are based on data, emotional intelligence is a key factor, because not improves only the team's synergy, else helps us to identify and manage conflicts in team

Engage stakeholders by actively listening and validating their concerns. Recognizing their emotional investment builds trust and fosters collaboration, leading to stronger support and smoother project navigation.

Knowing the stakeholder perceptions about the project is very important to improve our communication and management, and effective communication is crucial to get their support for the possible risks or problems of the project

When engaging stakeholders, EI is key to building trust and collaboration. Actively listening to their concerns is crucial, but I also suggest sharing your goals for the project and being as transparent as possible about how you'll support them. This two-way communication builds mutual understanding and ensures stakeholders feel heard and valued. I've found, when stakeholders are aligned with the project’s objectives and know you're there to guide them through challenges, they become stronger allies and are more invested in the project's success.

Adaptability in Problem-Solving During information system projects, such surprises are sure to emerge that were not expected. Emotional intelligence arms you to be level-headed even when pressurised. Analyze the situation objectively instead of trying to come with a knee-jerk reaction. Show empathy to understand the effects on the team and other stakeholders while considering all feasible solutions. Adaptability means flexibility in getting a grip on new information or changes of mind and adjusting as needed. Make decisions that keep the project on track despite the less-than-ideal conditions. By maintaining emotional balance and flexibility, you can deal with obstacles effectively for continued progress toward project goals.

Engage stakeholders with emotional intelligence by actively listening to their concerns and acknowledging their emotional investment in the project. This approach builds trust and fosters collaboration, ensuring stakeholders feel valued and are more likely to support project decisions, making it easier to navigate challenges together.

Use EI to manage conflicts in IS projects by employing empathy and effective communication to understand differing viewpoints. Addressing emotional factors such as frustration helps de-escalate tensions and encourages a solution-focused mindset, turning disagreements into opportunities for team growth and stronger cohesion.

Conflicts are bound to arise in any project and can be handled. Emotional intelligence would imply the use of feelings in the conflict resolution process; addressing the disputes with empathy, and listening to everyone in the disagreement to understand their perspectives and concerns. Acknowledge their feelings and validate their viewpoints, which helps reduce the tension level. Focus more on common ground and how to collaborate towards a solution rather than wondering whose fault it is. Encourage open dialogue and lead the discussion toward compromise, where the needs are met. Conflicts,in this perspective, are more likely to create harmony in the workplace by building team relationships in a mutually beneficial way.

Los Líderes responsables de los Proyectos de Sistemas de Información deben estar atentos al comportamiento y conducta del recurso humano bajo responsabilidad y aplicar la empatía en todo momento. El Lider debe ser ante todo humilde y escuchar atentamente con respeto a su personal.

Continuous reflection is such a vital practice, yet it's often overlooked. I find it really valuable to mentally replay key moments, allowing myself to feel the emotions I experienced at the time. This aids in my personal growth and helps to prevent repeating unwanted patterns in future. I have found, this kind of reflection sharpened my EI and enhanced my decision-making.

Reflect on the emotional dynamics influencing your IS projects after key decisions or milestones. Consider how EI shaped outcomes and what lessons can be applied in the future. Continuous reflection helps you refine your approach to incorporating EI into decision-making, embedding it as a core aspect of your project management style.