Indian Railways Now Emotionally Intelligent: Officials To Be Trained To Improve Efficiency, Customer Experience 

To help senior railway officials better the service delivery systems, Indian Railways is opting for Emotional Intelligence (EI), reports the Financial Express. The decision to use EI comes after railways recently announced the use of AI for crowd monitoring.

The report quoted a senior official saying that, there have been situations when officials were not able to deal with the pressure in demanding situations which impacted their decision making.

The EI module will comprise of components like self-expression, self-perception, stress management and problem-solving, allowing participants to deepen their comprehension is areas of assertiveness, empathy, flexibility, impulse-control and stress-tolerance. Further, it will also give them room for development.

All top-level railway officials will undergo EI training from a globally certified master trainer, the report added. The module is developed by Multi-Health Systems of Canada and has undergone rigorous research and validation.

The aim is to enable officials to find answers to their problems in situations involving emotions, help in coping with stressful situations and making them believe that they can diffuse the situation positively, a Divisional Railway Manager and participant of one workshop said.

All General and Divisional Railway Managers had reportedly undergone a course in the inaugural batch at Vadodara’s National Academy of Indian Railways. A senior ministry official claimed that the module would help one understand various blind spots in quick decision-making while also revealing their strength in areas.

Further, General Managers are empowered to organise EI training for the junior railway officers working in various divisions. The report adds that Indian Railways is also planning to train their trainers to conduct similar courses for young officials joining railways and officials who are at various levels of developing their career.