A Study to Understand the Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Employees' Team Orientation and Behaviour

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has gained a lot of prominence in recent decades in the area of management. Its impact has been studied in the areas of managerial effectiveness, leadership skills, coping with stress etc. But there are very few studies which look at the relationship of different aspects of EI with different components of interpersonal motivations and behaviours of employees working in different organizations in teams. It is very important to do so because often different dimensions of EI get clubbed under the single construct of emotional intelligence which does not help in getting a more nuanced understanding. The aim of this study is to bridge at least a little of this gap by making a small beginning. Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) developed by Schutte was used to measure different dimensions of EI and Fundamental Interpersonal Relation Orientation Behavior (FIRO-B)survey was used to collect data pertaining to Interpersonal Orientation and Behaviour of 303 employees in 35 small and medium scale enterprises. A regression analysis was carried out between the six dimensions of EI and the wanted and expressed dimensions of the three components - Inclusion, Control and Affect - of FIRO-B using this data. The results partially support the hypothesized prediction that higher EI enhances positive interpersonal behaviour and motivation. But not all the aspects of EI are equally relevant or important for different aspects of interpersonal orientation. These results suggest the need for more studies in the future to understand these specific relationships in much greater depth for better clarity. This understanding will help different organization to use emotional intelligence as a tool to enhance cohesiveness among work teams. This is especially true since unlike IQ, Emotional Intelligence can be increased through training.