Emotional intelligence and job performance: a meta-analysis

Abstract

This study employed Hunter and Schmidt meta-analytic method to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and job performance. It contributes to the existing literature on five counts: we include more than twice as many studies that have more than triple the sample size than previous meta-analyses, we employed a more suited methodology, we followed the criterion driven-strategy, we imposed rigorous inclusion criteria, and we investigated a series of moderators of EI and job performance relationships not studied before. Results showed that EI had operational predictive validity of 0.45 (k = 99, N = 17,889) and self-reported ability EI measures proved to be the most valid. In addition, we found that the job context and the job performance measures types moderates this correlation and job position of incumbents proved to partially moderate the EI validity. The results support the overall validity of both ability and trait models of EI.