Emotional Intelligence and Resilience, an Applied Study in the City of

Arequipa, Peru

GLENN ARCE1, ANGELA PORTUGAL1, GIANCARLO TORRES1, WENDY UGARTE2,

HAROLD ANGULO3

Businesspeople, as institutional decision-makers in the city of Arequipa. The low individual and collective

construction of emotional intelligence and resilience in the different strata of the city of Arequipa significantly

decreases adaptive capacity, so agents tend to make linear decisions in complex environments that affect their

stress levels and uncertainty management. This study has not been done before since it develops and explains

how agents and individuals are recognized as essential elements to generate value from the construction of

emotional intelligence and resilience, linking them as fundamental constructs to positive adaptation or effective

decision-making to the changing environment forming intelligent networks.

Key-Words: - Decision-making, Adaptation, Stress management, Knowledge-based development, Flexible

human networks.

Economics, as a normal science, has overestimated

the management of value, anchoring it in the

maximization of production, competitiveness, and

growth, focusing on optimizing the means of

production to ensure economic growth and

development. Because of this, new approaches to

knowledge propose the interaction of intangible

elements or components previously unrelated to

each other in economic studies. Thus, the city of

Arequipa is the ad hoc scenario for the research

allows the development of the research value

proposition. This is where it is shown that the

classical economic approach has left the human

being out of the development equation, although the

human being is the essence of economic processes

since he adds value to them through decision-

making. The second section shows the

methodological approach that models and

operationalizes the research. The third section

shows the results obtained from applying

The dominant production economy of the last

centuries - based on the free market, profit

maximization, and mass production - has lost its

human character. Economic science, characterized

as a science of tools and goals, has developed an

Classical economic science has focused on

generating value through productive means and

agents, thus seeking market equilibrium and optimal

growth. Therefore, it has given primary importance

to the tangible elements of production, conceiving

structures, processes, and products as the creation of

value for human development.

been the subject of debate in recent years, which has

brought to light new orientations and models that

to the creation of value, which is dynamized by

exchanging information and operationalizing

knowledge. Thus, knowledge becomes a

fundamental asset for creating value and, through it,

the engine of development. Like this, the knowledge

economy emerges, linking economic science with

knowledge markets, and promoting different

development models, [1].

and operationalize the knowledge-based models

and decision-making based on the regeneration of

the system and environment through the articulated

construction of the same, consolidated in culture and

reconciliation between systemic welfare and the

economy, [2].

sustainable development in the complex

environment; it promotes the capacity for effective

and positive adaptation of individuals and decision-

making agents in their contexts and realities. First,

recognizing that people act as potential drivers of

irrational and emotional changes that lead to

decision-making. This leap from classical economic

science to behavioral economics denotes a holistic

and interdisciplinary approach, which allows

complex dynamics. Decision-making agents are

then driven to issue agile and adaptive responses.

They must understand and identify significant

events facing environmental uncertainty by

deploying the design, execution, and application of

processes through flexible human networks. This

will manage the dynamics towards intelligent

alignment and empowerment of agents, aiming at

knowledge-based development, [1].

Knowledge-based development is an approach of

particular interest to the research team because the

articulate the city's valuable assets. It is then that the

study focuses on the city of Arequipa under the

knowledge-based development approach, addressing

the main limitations in decision-making, seeking to

enhance components that shorten the gaps to

achieve adaptation and generate value generation so

that Arequipa can obtain the recognition of the City

of Knowledge.

The generation of value through the

operationalization and development of knowledge

integrated intangible assets, and the articulated

networks become the foundations of the capacity to

adapt and make positive decisions. In this way, it is

not only organizational productivity generated but

also positive articulation and agile response to the

dynamic environment.

Fig. 1: Knowledge-based development (KBD) value

generation through decision-making.

at present, social actors seek ad hoc strategies to

process. Because of this, it is necessary that society's

agents - according to their knowledge, skills,

emotions, and behavior - identify these events,

signals, and signs of the environment to issue agile

and effective responses that allow the

transformation of the event into a potentially value-

generating resource through their effective response.

This will be possible only if decision-makers

develop the capacity to adapt, which provides

individuals with the means to articulate knowledge

uncertainty of the environment, favoring a positive

response to change, [6]. It is important to emphasize

that stress management depends on building

emotional intelligence and resilience for adaptation

to be effective. In this sense, these two factors will

allow the agents' positive adaptation resulting in an

agile and effective response to the changing

environment.

Emotional intelligence, coined by Peter Salovey

and John Mayer in 1990 and popularized by Daniel

is then fostered as a guarantee to promote the

formation of social capital as an internal force. As a

result, this will make it possible to increase

productivity, enhancing human skills and

capabilities, [7].

Although human emotions were conceived as

disruptive and chaotic, today, it is gaining

prominence thanks to new theories explaining their

indispensable character for consolidating human

networks. Thus, emotional intelligence is identified

the construction of emotional intelligence (EI) for

conflict resolution, becoming an instrument that

positively restructures social coalitions within the

work environment. This strengthens the exchange

and management of knowledge between

organizations while enhancing intra- and inter-

organizational development, [9]. Thus, the increase

in organizations' social capital is evidenced,

positively relating organizational productivity

directed towards innovation and regeneration of the

person's ability to direct them toward constructive

activities and responses. A person competent in this

dimension of emotional intelligence can encourage

themselves and others to improve continuously

when making decisions and to have a clear, positive,

that employees' emotional intelligence positively

relates to their work, satisfaction, and performance,

[11]. Employees who are "smart" about their

emotions are more efficient in interacting with the

work environment and their co-workers. Using

emotions to enhance performance will positively

impact the self and others, [12]. People with high

capacity in this dimension actively direct their

emotions towards good results (high productivity

and performance). However, it should be noted that

until a few years ago, intelligence, in general, was

academic performance is multidimensional, [13].

is given in a computer company where instruments

were applied to measure the employees' work

performance. Thus, even though general mental

ability endows human beings with cognitive

intelligence components, the results showed that

emotional intelligence conferred workers with

adaptive and flexible skills that exponentially

favored organizational work performance compared

adaptation of human beings, reflected in the agile

and effective response in a complex environment.

Additionally, a component that allows human

beings to develop the capacity to adapt; is called

resilience.

of the development of people with high

vulnerability. It comprises effective coping with

strictly cumulative and stressful life events and

circumstances. In context, it is presented as a total

[15]. In the organizational context, building

resilience in corporate agents allows them to interact

optimally in the flow of turbulence, allowing the

organization to read, understand and respond

quickly and effectively to significant changes. This

that articulate organizational intelligence, adapt,

lead, and strategically align the value components

embedded in the organization, [16].

As the business environment becomes

increasingly dynamic and chaotic, it demands

resilient workers. The organization is thus driven to

evolve by emphasizing sensitivity to signals and

positive decision-making in the face of potential

events and risks that may impact it. In this way, at

the same time, a holistic stance is achieved that

strengthens the agents in the internal and external

regeneration, and adaptation, through which a

holistic approach of socioeconomic and ecological

integration is achieved, opening the system’s

evolution through the adaptation of the agents to the

environment and its regeneration, [20].

In this sense, and as the reviewed literature

argues, it is through emotional intelligence and

resilience, with adequate stress management, that

the effective and positive adaptation of the agents is

pursued after determining the right time for

knowledge and innovation that impact the

development of the different cities.

Therefore, to operationalize adaptive capacity

through emotional intelligence and resilience,

psychometric measures were applied with validated

psychological tests to obtain an accurate

measurement of adaptation and better decision-

making.

The present research is of an applied type, with the

responsibility to guide the development of such an

important city. Consequently, it is necessary to

recognize and analyze each of these components

and capacities of decision-makers in the city

through business and government organizations, as

well as their ability to identify significant events or

signals in the dynamic environment, which in turn

recognizes the adaptive capacities of the actors,

whose functions include economic and social

leadership, as well as the responsibility to promote

and executive directors of the leading companies

which contribute socially and economically to the

growth and development of the city. Therefore, the

statistical population shown in Table 1 was first

determined to determine the objective sample of the

interviews.

Arequipa is delimited by the number of institutions

that make up the national government structure and

that annually receive direct transfers from the

Ministry of Economy and Finance, which, in

addition, oversee local planning and investment

actions. Thus, the decentralized local government

consists of 29 districts and one provincial

municipality. In the productive private sector, a total

of 306 companies are attached to the Peruvian

Export and Tourism Promotion Commission

(Promperu) register, an entity under the Ministry of

Foreign Trade and Tourism, which promotes the

development of private investment and the

strengthening of entrepreneurship. Of these, 23 are

considered large enterprises, 36 are medium-sized,

recorded that in the city, there are eight universities

licensed by the National Superintendence of

University Higher Education (SUNEDU), an agency

attached to the Ministry of Education, whose

purpose is the licensing, quality supervision and

control of the university higher education service.

The universities in Arequipa are divided into

faculties and professional schools, having 72

directors or deans responsible for the directives of

institutional order in higher education.

population quantity or the universe determined

finally, the probability of failure of individuals who

do not possess a specific characteristic is determined

as (1-p). This sample selection criterion is a

conventional statistical and research design practice,

[24].

purposes, once the population quantity is

determined, the finite sample quantity is obtained:

In a stratified random sampling procedure, we

obtained a sample size of 198 interviewees, with a

confidence level of 95%. With this, we can calculate

the size of the subsamples or stratified samples with

the respective procedure, both proportional to the

stratum's size and proportional to the variability of

the stratum, according to Requena, [25].



The resulting coefficient reflects the percentage

value to be taken according to the total population

quantity of each stratum (see Table 2).

Table 2. Statistical distribution of the sample:

selection proportional to the size of the stratum

According to the percentage of the total

contribution of the population and its proportional

contribution to the sample, the value is the same

(see Table 3).

Table 3. Statistical distribution of the sample:

effective, and positive responses by decision-makers

and therefore materializing in the city development

process.

Baron ICE test, also known as the Baron emotional

quotient inventory, [26], was used to measure the

construction of emotional intelligence in people,

denoting emotional skills and abilities to overcome

and positively align the environment. In this

psychometric measure, five components of emotions

are not in dealing with the pressure and social

demand, [11].

[27], was also applied, consisting of 25 items that

identify the degree of individual resilience, Likert

scale ranging from 1 to 7, composed of two

dimensions: personal competence and acceptance of

self and life. The RS is a reliable and valid tool for

measuring resilience, [27]. It has thus been used

with a wide range of study populations and has been

management, and social support, as well as a

negative correlation with depressive symptoms and

anxiety, [28].

Based on the application of the BarOn ICE, here are

the results obtained after the statistical process:

Fig. 3: Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQI)

BarOn for a sample in the city of Arequipa

reaction to the continuous changes in their

respective work environments; that is, they show

resistance to change, constituting a barrier to the

creation of interconnected networks of cooperative

work, intra- and inter-organizational. Furthermore,

because their capacity for individual intelligence is

diminished, there is an impediment to productivity

and innovation in the human work networks of each

organization. In addition, they have a positive over-

impression when making decisions, making

people who manage human groups that prevent

individuals from adapting effectively and positively.

Figure 3), the results obtained from the application

of the BarOn ECI were detailed by strata or sectors,

making a comparative analysis between the sectors

networks between agents and organizations.

the development of adaptive capacity, even though

which significantly affects the general mood

construct and leads to a decrease in their adaptation.

Finally, in the stratum called "Politicians," the

constructs of general and interpersonal attitude are

the most developed, which positively drives them to

achieve adaptive capacity; however, they present

problems in the intrapersonal construct, positive

impression, and stress management, constructs

where they obtained the lowest score, thus affecting

their ability to adapt effectively and positively.

agents still needs to be operationalized and

developed.

complements the stated results. To determine

whether the groups interviewed are resilient or not,

the resilience scale test (RS) by Wagnild & Young,

[27] was applied, which is made up of 25 items on a

Likert-type scale ranging from 1 to 7, composed of

two dimensions: personal competence and

acceptance of oneself and one's life. For their

individual component; exposes a strong gap in the

articulation, mobilization, and operationalization of

the components of Knowledge-based Development.

[30]

Consequently, the results are decisive in terms of

the existence of important gaps that diminish or

limit the interaction and generation of value in the

city of Arequipa; due to the little development of the

constructs in the different strata analyzed. Showing