Editorial Board

A Refereed Monthly International Journal of Management

Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Job Performance and Techniques to Improve Emotional Intelligence

Dr. Vanishree Sah

Associate Professor

CVR College of Engineering

Abstract:

The factors involved in job performance are usually very difficult to identify. One of the factors, among many others, used to identify job performance of employees is emotional intelligence. The concept of emotional intelligence has received a significant popularity in the past few years.Purpose of this study was to identify and determine the relationship of emotional intelligence and job performance of employees. A quantitative survey was used to examine the impact of emotional intelligence competencies on the job performance of employees. The results were intended to identify techniques that lead to better Emotional Intelligence.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Job Performance.

Introduction:

Employees play an important role in forming the image of the organization since they are the ones at the front end who actually go and deliver the product or service to the final consumer. If the offering is good enough, it will form a positive image of the organization in customers mind. High turnover rates can cause many problems to an organization as new employees need to be trained. Training and development of employees has also become an important strategy to make the employees competitive. Emotional intelligence is one such skill that can be developed through training to improve the performance of the employees. Emotional intelligence is the ability to realize and understand one’s own emotions to understand other people’s emotional reactions which results in better, deeper and stronger relations. Establishing such relations at work place would be hugely beneficial for the firms. Emotional Intelligence is an ability of an individual to sense his own emotions, control emotions, sense the emotions in others and direct emotions to others. Combining them all, emotional intelligence can be referred to the ability to perceive, detect, interpret, regulate, enhance and utilize emotions in a useful way. Emotional intelligence is a skill that through practice and learning can be improved. This means that employees can be trained to develop emotional intelligence abilities and skills to cope with difficult situations.

Literature Review:

Emotional intelligence training programs can result in higher efficiency and effectiveness of employees, improved organizational environments, and better leaders in the workplace and effective and improved decision-making abilities in managers (Morehouse, 2006). These things combined will improve the overall position and working of the organization with better interpersonal relationships and social interactions (Lopes, et al., 2004).Emotional intelligence applied on service delivery will lead to higher return on investment. Other than that, EI indirectly improves the customer satisfaction and experience in a positive way (Danquah, 2014). Emotional intelligence can be incorporated into work teams. It can be useful for managers to identify individuals who form an overall high emotional intelligent team. Teams with higher emotional intelligence can perform better in reacting to situations. They are good in stress management and decision making (Naseer, et al., 2011). The role of supervisors is important for an organizations success. Supervisors, managers or leaders are responsible for the job performance of employees in the organizations. Supervisors support the organization by motivating employees to take training and apply learned knowledge within the organization. Moreover, they also used good communication skills in order to motivate employees. Self-management and adaptive behaviors in personality traits are also good predictors of sales performance of individuals (Verbeke, 1994).  Emotional intelligence competencies are associated with job performance based on the skills of relationship management and self-management which holds the relationship between emotional intelligence and sales performance somewhat positive as two main sub variables have a direct relation to emotional intelligence competencies (Giorgi, et al., 2014). Better adaptive selling and positive emotional expression and behaviors come from greater emotional intelligence and these capabilities had a great positive impact on the perceived quality of service by customers and these are also the building blocks of empathy, another variable that improves the emotional intelligence competency in an individual (Kim, 2010).  job performance has an influence from many factors including leadership, motivation, satisfaction and emotional intelligence (Shahhosseini, et al., 2012).

Research Methodology:

 This study is based on the survey conducted in Hyderabad (Telangana). The theoretical foundation of the study is based on various secondary sources such as texts on articles, magazines, published papers. The primary data was collected using Judgment (Purposive) sampling. The respondents were selected on the basis of judgment to include all demographic segments. The theoretical foundation of the study is based on various secondary sources such as texts on articles, magazines, published papers. The structured questionnaire is used to get the responses of the respondents. For the purpose of primary data collection, data were collected from 214 respondents of Hyderabad but only 178 responses came out to be relevant to the study. The data for this study were collected through the distribution of self administered questionnaires via online method (email) and offline method (hand delivery) to potential respondents across Hyderabad. The respondents were asked to express their agreement or disagreement with a statement on a five-point Likert type scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree). The statistical package for the Social Sciences Program (SPSS) was used in the study for statistical data analysis. Correlation analysis is carried out by the researcher.  For the purpose of the present study, descriptive research design and quantitative research method are used.

Data Analysis and Data Intepretation:

Table 1: Demographic Statistics

Table 1 highlights male respondents in this survey were 42% and female respondents were 58%. Respondents below age 30 years were 16%, between 31-40 years were 41%, between 41-50 years respondents were 25% and remaining 18% respondents were between 51-60 years. Regarding their qualification, 20% respondents were Undergraduate degree holders, 80% of the respondents were Post graduate degree holders. Furthermore, 16% of the respondents were having work experience from 0-5 years, 39% of the respondents were having work experience between 6-10 years, 27% of the respondents were having experience between 11-15 years, 12 % of respondents were having work experience from 16-20 years and remaining 6% respondents were having work experience of above 20 years.

Table 2: Reliability Analysis

Table 2 shows Cronbach Alpha value of the variables. The Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 20. As in every variable, Cronbach Alpha value is 0.7 and above, this shows that variables have higher internal consistency and good reliability.

                      Table 3: Descriptive Statistics

Table 3 shows that the mean and standard deviation of the independent variables (predictor variables).Emotional intelligence (μ = 3.56, Sd = 0.874), self-awareness (μ = 3.95, Sd = 0.851), self-management (μ = 3.48, Sd = 0.901), self-motivation (μ = 3.74, Sd = 0.886), Empathy (μ = 3.77, Sd = 0.913), Social Skills (μ = 3.65, Sd = 0.862), Employee Performance (criterian variable) has a mean 3.80 and standard deviation 0.899.

Table 4: Inter-Item Correlation Matrix

The correlation matrix given table 4 reveals that the Employee performance is positively associated with self awareness, self management, self motivation, empathy, and social skills. All the four constructs were significantly related to employee performance (r = 0.697, p < 0.01; r = 0.579, p < 0.01; r = 0.648, p < 0.01; r=0.598, p<0.01; r=0.542, p<0.01) for emotional intelligence, self awareness, self management, self motivation, empathy and social skills. The correlation value r = 0.694 for emotional intelligence and employee performance, indicates a strong relationship between the two variables, and the p-value <0.01 tells that the relationship is significant.

Techniques to improve Emotional Intelligence:

Cultivate Inner Silence

One must adopt cultivation of inner silence, to put an end to the endless dialogue with the mind. Let the mind rest for a while. Mind should not be projected on irrelevant details otherwise it will be polluted with fumes of envy and greed. Every idea which is entertained, either good or bad, gets impressed on the mind. An element of weakness and unsteadiness is thus introduced in the mind. The mind should be kept calm and clear.

Positive Feelings

Mind should be filled with positive feelings. Thoughts must centre around appropriate matters. The questions – when, where, and what you must think are all important.Bad thoughts may enter into the mind due to external environment but these thoughts should not be pondered upon and should be allowed to pass away. If bad thoughts are pondered upon for long then these could lead to arising of negative feelings. Work done with positive feelings will never fail and will bear fruits in some way or the other. Efforts have to be put in to inculcate positive feelings.

Principle of Unity

The underlining principle of this world is Unity in Diversity.Inability to understand this principle of unity is the cause of ignorance. True humanness lies in understanding unity in multiplicity. Right vision has to be developed in order to develop unity. Progress can be made only through Unity in Diversity. There is a need for strong spirit of fellowship.

Right Vision and Right Listening Lead to Right Speech

Though we cannot oblige all the time, we can always speak obligingly. Soft and sweet speech should be developed. Good vision, good listening, and good speech lead to good thoughts. “As are the thoughts, so is the result.” Right thoughts lead to right action. Without good thoughts, it is not possible to perform good actions. Self-effort should be put to senses of sound, touch, form, taste, and smell to right use.

Sense of Rendering Service

Work has to be considered as service for satisfaction of conscience and accordingly it has to be performed perfectly. When work is done to satisfy conscience, it will lead to Self-realisation. All acts of service are not equally sanctifying or uniform in the benefits they confer. When service is undertaken by power-hungry people or under compulsion or by imitative urges, it results in more harm than good. Self-aggrandisement or competition or ostentation are motives that will pollute the sacred discipline of service. Egoism, exhibitionism and false pride have to be avoided while rendering service.

Realization that troubles and turmoil Are Temporary

An employee should realize the truth that troubles and turmoil are temporary, like passing clouds. There is no scope for agitations to arise if one realizes this truth. One who realizes this truth will not allow his mind to be swayed by the passions of anger, and cruelty. Passions yield only temporary satisfaction, but cause serious emotional disturbances. Hence it is imperative on the part of an employee not to yield to any unbecoming passions. The observance of purity, patience, and perseverance, vouchsafes permanent happiness to the employees.

Conclusions:

This study proves that emotional intelligence of employees plays an important role in job performance of the employees. This research also proves that self awareness is the most important attribute of emotional intelligence influencing job performance of the employees.Employee training programs can bedesigned in such a way that by the end of these training programs, the employees are able to cultivate inner silence, positive feelings, principal of Unity, right vision, sense of rendering service, and realization that nothing is permanent. Such training programs will lead to higher emotional intelligence among employees and better job performance.

References:

Danquah, E., 2014, “Analysis Of The Impact Of Emotional Intelligence On Organizational Performance: A Banking Perspective”, British Journal of Marketing Studies, 2(3), pp. 34-50.

Giorgi, G., Mancusoa, S. & Perez, F. J. F., 2014, “Organizational Emotional Intelligence and Top Selling”, Europe's Journal of Psychology, 10(4), pp. 712-725.

Kim, S. H., 2010, “The effect of emotional intelligence on salesperson's behavior and customers' perceived service quality”, African Journal of Business Management, 4(11), pp. 2343-2353

Lopes, P. N. et al., 2004, “Emotional Intelligence and Social Interaction.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin”, 30(8), pp. 1018-1034.

Morehouse, M., 2006, “An exploration of emotional intelligence across career arenas. Leadership & Organization Development Journal”, 28(4), pp. 296-307.

Naseer, Z., Chishti, S.-u.-H., Rahman, F. &Jumani, N. B., 2011, “Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Team Performance in Higher Education Institutes”, International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 3(1), pp. 30-46.

Shahhosseini, M., Silong, A. D., Ismaill, I. A. &Uli, J. n., 2012, “The Role of Emotional Intelligence on Job Performance”, International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(21), pp. 241-246.

Verbeke, W., 1994, “Personality Characteristics That Predict Effective Performance Of Sales People”, Scandinavian Journal of Management, 10(1), pp. 49-57.