ESCI: emotional and social competency feedback
The Emotional and Social Competency Inventory uses feedback about observed behavior in a competency model. It is commonly used for leadership and professional development through a 360 process. EQTiger is an individual reflection assessment, not an ESCI administration or observer-feedback system.
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What the model covers
Developed through the work of Richard Boyatzis, Daniel Goleman, and Korn Ferry, ESCI organizes emotional and social competencies into a behavioral framework. Its technical manual describes twelve competencies across self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. It belongs to the broader competency or mixed-model tradition rather than a pure ability-task format. (Korn Ferry, 2017)
The response task concerns how frequently relevant behaviors are observed. A 360 process gathers perspectives from people who know the participant in different roles, often alongside the participant's own view. This guide does not reproduce protected items. The important distinction is that the report concerns observed behavior and perspectives on it, rather than just the participant's answers to a scenario quiz.
What observer feedback adds, and what it leaves uncertain
The manual describes research and guidance for interpreting the competencies and rater information. Multiple perspectives can help reveal differences between self-view and others' experience, but the interpretation needs to consider opportunities to observe and the context of the ratings. (Korn Ferry, 2017)
A colleague who works with you daily may see different situations from a supervisor who joins occasional meetings. Agreement and disagreement between their accounts therefore need explanation, not automatic averaging into a complete truth. Ask whether examples and development planning are included in the feedback process. A chart can start the discussion, but it cannot explain every reason that raters saw the behavior differently.
Professional use and access
Korn Ferry describes ESCI as a development and coaching tool and requires certification for practitioners delivering feedback sessions. Current assessment contracts and access arrangements should be checked with the provider. A publicly available technical manual is not permission to reproduce the instrument or operate an unofficial assessment service. (Korn Ferry, ESCI certification)
If you are invited to participate, ask who will see individual and combined feedback, how raters are selected, and what decisions the results will inform. Those questions matter to the usefulness of the process. A participant should not have to infer whether a development exercise is being used for another purpose. Clear expectations let people decide how to participate and how to interpret the information responsibly.
EQTiger and a separate practice option
EQTiger does not collect coworker ratings or run a 360 process. It combines individual scenario judgment and habit self-report, producing descriptive EQTiger scores in the optional paid report. Those scores cannot be converted to ESCI competency feedback. Evidence for a professional observer instrument does not validate this separate self-reflection product.
For an original development prompt, ask a willing colleague for one example of a time your explanation was clear and one where the next step was uncertain. Allow them to decline, and discuss the examples without assigning a score. This is informal feedback, not an ESCI administration. Use the assessment link for private EQTiger reflection and the official provider when considering a formal ESCI process.
Sources
- Korn Ferry (2017). Emotional and Social Competency Inventory: Research guide and technical manual. Korn Ferry. www.kornferry.com/content/dam/kornferry/docs/article-migration/ESCI_Technical_Manual_nav_04052017.pdf
- Korn Ferry (n.d.). Emotional & Social Competency Inventory (ESCI). Korn Ferry. www.kornferry.com/capabilities/leadership-professional-development/training-certifications/esci-emotional-and-social-competency-inventory
Start the free EQTiger assessment for adults 18+. The free result includes a profile and strongest area; numeric scores and bands belong to the optional paid report. See methodology and limitations.
Related
- No. 01EQ-i 2.0: self-report model, uses, and limitsEQ-i 2.0 is a self-report emotional intelligence inventory in the Bar-On tradition, commonly placed within mixed EI models. It covers a broader set of emotional and social characteristics than a narrow ability task. Its result is not interchangeable with an EQTiger score.
- No. 02WLEIS: Wong and Law EI scale explainedThe Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale is a 16-item self-report measure linked to an ability-model framework. Its four areas concern appraising one’s own and others’ emotions, using emotion, and regulating emotion. The self-report format must remain distinct from demonstrated performance.
- No. 03TEIQue: trait emotional intelligence explainedThe Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire measures emotion-related self-perceptions within the trait EI framework. Its full and short forms serve different levels of detail. Current research permissions and commercial licensing should be checked with the London Psychometric Laboratory.
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