EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN ORGANIZATIONS : A CONCEPTUALIZATION

Abstract

What is the impact of emotional intelligence in the workplace? What is its effect on organizational commitment and organizational citizenship? This study hypothesized the relationships between emotional intelligence and specific organizational criteria to provide a direction for future empirical research. Nine empirically testable propositions were posited. Emotional intelligence was theorized to have a positive effect on the organizational outcomes of work-group cohesion, congruence between self- and supervisor appraisals of performance, employee performance, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship. It may also prevent emotional dissonance, ethical role conflict, and job insecurity from affecting organizational commitment. The most beneficial effects of emotional intelligence may occur in environments in which there is a high degree of job control.