Affectively effective: Work-related emotional intelligence as a predictor of organizational citizenship

Michael D Robinson; Roberta L Irvin; Sukumarakurup Krishnakumar

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1092254

Affectively effective: Work-related emotional intelligence as a predictor of organizational citizenship

Front Psychol. 2023 Feb 8:14:1092254. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1092254. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Michael D Robinson¹, Roberta L Irvin¹, Sukumarakurup Krishnakumar²

Affiliations

¹ Psychology Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States.
² Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, Claremont, CA, United States.

Abstract

Introduction: Efforts to link ability-related emotional intelligence to organizational behavior have resulted in modest findings.

Methods: The present three studies examine whether a work-contextualized form of emotional intelligence (W-EI) may have greater predictive value, particularly in the organizational citizenship domain. Because W-EI should benefit social relationships within the workplace, positive associations between W-EI and organizational citizenship behavior were hypothesized.

Results: This hypothesis was supported in three studies (total N = 462) involving samples of part-time student employees (Study 1), postdoctoral researchers (Study 2), and full-time employees (Study 3). All studies also provided evidence for incremental validity, such as with respect to the Big 5 personality traits, and Study 3 highlighted processes related to workplace engagement (in the form of higher levels of interpersonal job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout).

Discussion: The results demonstrate the importance of W-EI in understanding employee variations in organizational citizenship.

Keywords: ability; contextual behavior; emotional intelligence; organizational citizenship; work.