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Exploring the Relationship between Perceptions of Organizational Emotional Intelligence and Turnover Intentions amongst Employees: The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction

Da Camara, Nuno; Dulewicz, Victor; Higgs, Malcolm

Authors

Nuno Da Camara

Victor Dulewicz

Malcolm Higgs



Abstract

Although the proliferation of research in emotional intelligence (EI) in the last 25 years has largely focused on the individual level, some researchers have proposed theories and measurement models for EI at the organizational level. Drawing from earlier work which conceptualizes organizational emotional intelligence (OEI) as a climate-level construct involving shared norms and practices this chapter sets out to investigate the relationship between perceptions of organizational emotional intelligence (OEI) and turnover intentions amongst employees. Since turnover intentions are a reliable indicator of actual turnover they are deemed to be a critical indicator for organizational performance. This chapter also builds on previous research which found that the relationship between OEI as a climate-level construct and intention to leave was mediated by organizational emotional appeal (i.e., overall reputation) and trust in senior management to explore the mediating role of other employee attitudes which have been traditionally linked to climate and individual-level outcomes in organizations, namely job satisfaction and affective commitment. By surveying employees in a UK-based charity organization (n = 173), the study finds that both job satisfaction and affective commitment mediate the impact of OEI on intention to leave and explain a moderate amount of variance in the focal construct. However, the majority of the mediation occurs through job satisfaction with a reduced mediation effect for affective commitment. Potential reasons for these results in the charity context are discussed. The chapter contributes to a wider understanding of the way in which perceptions of OEI impact on employee attitudes toward the organization and the job; and, in turn, how these attitudes impact on turnover intentions.

Citation

Da Camara, N., Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. (2015). Exploring the Relationship between Perceptions of Organizational Emotional Intelligence and Turnover Intentions amongst Employees: The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction. In New ways of studying emotions in organizations (295-339). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/s1746-979120150000011012

Online Publication Date Jul 8, 2015
Publication Date Jul 7, 2015
Deposit Date Aug 8, 2019
Journal Research on Emotion in Organizations; New Ways of Studying Emotions in Organizations
Print ISSN 1746-9791
Pages 295-339
Series Title Research on emotion in organizations
Series Number 11
Book Title New ways of studying emotions in organizations
Chapter Number 11
ISBN 9781785602214; 9781785602207
DOI https://doi.org/10.1108/s1746-979120150000011012
Keywords Organizational emotional intelligence; Turnover intentions; Job satisfaction; Organizational commitment
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/2328570
Publisher URL https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S1746-979120150000011012/full/html
Related Public URLs https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/382849/1/__userfiles.soton.ac.uk_Users_spd_mydesktop_S1746-979120150000011012.pdf