International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

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Unraveling the Link between Emotional Intelligence and Work Performance: Public Sector Evidence

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Organizational performance is determined by the performance of its employees. The organization cannot achieve success if employees are unable to perform well. While organizations may provide various kinds of work-related support to assist employees in performing their duties effectively, the employees themselves ultimately control their performance. This is where emotional intelligence comes into play. A substantial body of literature in this domain has primarily focused on the private sector to explore the correlation between emotional intelligence and employee work performance, raising inquiries about the extent of evidence available for the public sector context. To study the relationship between the mentioned variables, a cross-sectional online survey design was employed. The study was conducted among employees in a selected government agency. Using convenience sampling method, an online survey link was distributed through social media platform, and 136 usable responses were collected. Through Pearson Correlation Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis, all research objectives were achieved, and four hypotheses were accepted indicating a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence constructs and work performance. Among the four constructs of Goleman’s emotional intelligence — self-regulations, self-awareness, self-motivation and social skills — self-motivation was found to be the strongest predictor (?=0.269; p = 0.004) of employees’ work performance. Additional studies are required to assess the generalizability of these findings to different work settings and sectors, as well as to pinpoint effective approaches for fostering improved emotional intelligence management among employees, particularly within the public sector. Considering the vital role of government servants in providing the best services for citizens, these research findings could help the government understand the importance of ensuring that employees are skilled in managing their emotion while performing their works.
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