Developing a Research Topic for a Qualitative Study/Prof. Eliud Peterson

Running head: EMOTIONAL INTELLEGENCE 1

Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Job Satisfaction

Faraji C. Edwards

Walden University

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 2

Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Job Satisfaction

Part 1

Problem Statement

The task of ensuring that employees are satisfied with their jobs and the environment that

they are operating is often challenging for most managers. Employees are satisfied with their

jobs when they find personal meaning in their careers, take pride in whatever they undertake and

where they work, and have the feeling that their firms value them. In a competitive environment,

organizations desire to retain its highly-skilled and talented workforce by creating program such

as training, promotion, coaching, rewards, incentives and bonuses. While these strategies are

effective, they sometimes fail to meet the desired objective of attaining full job satisfaction. This

raises the question over whether factors such as emotional intelligence also have a role to play in

increasing employee job satisfaction.

The impact of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction has attracted numerous academic

attentions. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize personal feelings and those of

others in order to motivate the self and to maintain emotions in both the self and the relationships

(Raj & Ms Deepti, 2016). Employees who express high job satisfaction also have high emotional

intelligence. In addition, Dabke (2014) asserts that emotional intelligence results in employee’s

satisfaction with life, a phenomenon that manifests itself in form of high job satisfaction. Further,

Wolfe and Hyub (2013) found that the influence of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction

manifests itself in form of the length of job tenure of an employee. To them, high emotional

intelligence increases employee’s longevity in an organization. While these studies point to the

existence of a positive correlation between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, not much

has been done on ways of improving emotional intelligence among employees. In light of the

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above, there is need to conduct a qualitative study on ways of improving emotional intelligence

of employees with a view to increase job satisfaction and retention.

Part 2

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the relationship between emotional

intelligence and job satisfaction. In particular, the research seeks to explore various practices that

organizations have put in place to improve workers’ emotional intelligence in order to promote

job satisfaction. This is because while the impact of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction

has been well documented in many studies, there is still a dearth in knowledge on understanding

various organizational programs and HR practices that improve emotional intelligence.

Justification of Qualitative Approach

In order to ensure that the study will be fit with the constructivist epistemology and

ontology, various strategies will be employed. Much emphasis will be placed on interpretation as

opposed to quantification, and subjectivity rather than objectivity. This is because emotional

intelligence and job satisfaction are objects of study that are not easily quantified. Thus, the

study will be based on subjective ontology and a constructivist epistemology. Therefore, the best

mechanism to achieve objectivity will be to triangulate across multiple fallible perspectives. In

order to gain more perspectives about the phenomena under study, multiple qualitative research

methods will be used. These will include: observation, interviews, questionnaires, as well as

focus groups.

Positionality forms an important component of reflexivity. Reflexivity will entail

conducting a self-scrutiny, as well as a self-conscious awareness of the link between the

relationship between the researcher and the subject of study. There will be an accurate

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expression of the voice that leads to the reporting of the study findings. Reflecting about my

positionality will enable me to negotiate my research status and allow the research team to

participate in the study process on equal terms. There will be various sources of data for the

study. Examples will include: real-world observation, conducting interview of participants of the

research, as well as using focus groups and questionnaires to gain additional information and

understanding.

Research Questions

1. What is the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction?

2. In what ways is emotional intelligence improved in the workplace?

3. What are the indicators of job satisfaction in an organization?

4. How likely are employees to leave an organization when their emotional intelligence is

low?

5. Does emotional intelligence result in improved employee performance?

Annotated Bibliography

Raj, A., & Uniyal, D. (2016). A Study of Emotional Intelligence in Relation to Job

Satisfaction Among The Senior Secondary Teachers of Dehradun District.

International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies, 3(3).

In an attempt to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence of senior

secondary school teachers with their job satisfaction, Raj and Uniyal (2016) used a random

sampling technique to select 300 senior teachers in Dehradum district. Their research findings

were published in an article titled A Study of Emotional Intelligence in Relation to Job

Satisfaction Among The Senior Secondary Teachers of Dehradun District. Using Teachers’

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Emotional Intelligence Inventory and Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaires, the researchers

found that all senior secondary teachers who scored below average in emotional intelligence also

had low job satisfaction. Further, individuals who had higher job satisfaction also had high

emotional intelligence. As a result, the researchers recommend programs geared towards

improving employees’ emotional intelligence.

Dabke, D. (2014). Can Life Satisfaction be predicted by Emotional Intelligence, Job

Satisfaction and Personality type?. Prin. LN Welingkar Institute of Management

Development & Research, 22.

In a scholarly work titled Can Life Satisfaction be predicted by Emotional Intelligence,

Job Satisfaction and Personality type, Danke (2014) examines the concept of life satisfaction as

a whole, and relates it to emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. In the above research, data

was gathered with the use of battery tests from two hundred middle and senior level managers

who finished the MSCEIT test of El, NEO Personality scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the

Index of Job Satisfaction. Dabke revealed a positive correlation between Life Satisfaction and

Job Satisfaction. Thus, the study concludes that various aspects of emotional intelligence

influences job satisfaction. Job satisfaction further affects life satisfaction.

Wolfe, K., & Kim, H. J. (2013). Emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and job tenure

among hotel managers. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 12(2),

175-191.

In this article, Wolfe and Kim (2013) examine the relationship between emotional

intelligence and job satisfaction, and the association between emotional intelligence and job

tenure. After gathering data from supervisory and managerial workers in company and hotel

industry, Wolfe and Kim (2013) found that various emotional intelligence aspects such as

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intrapersonal, general mood, and stress management, are key indicators of job satisfaction.

Further, the researchers revealed that some interpersonal components of emotional intelligence

such as communication and rewards are predictors of longevity.

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References

Dabke, D. (2014). Can Life Satisfaction be predicted by Emotional Intelligence, Job

Satisfaction and Personality type?. Prin. LN Welingkar Institute of Management

Development & Research, 22.

Raj, A., & Uniyal, D. (2016). A Study of Emotional Intelligence in Relation to Job

Satisfaction Among The Senior Secondary Teachers of Dehradun District.

International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies, 3(3).

Wolfe, K., & Kim, H. J. (2013). Emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and job tenure

among hotel managers. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 12(2),

175-191.