The Power of EI Competencies Over Intelligence and Individual Performance: A Task-Dependent Model

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Business Administration
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Incremental models often assume emotional intelligence (EI) and general intelligence (g) independently predict performance.
• Previous research presents conflicting findings on the interaction between EI, g, and performance.
• A task-dependent interaction model is proposed to reconcile these divergent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the moderating role of EI on the relationship between g and individual performance.
• To test a task-dependent interaction model where EI's influence varies by task type (social vs. analytic).
• To reconcile conflicting findings in prior EI and intelligence research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a behavioral approach to emotional intelligence (EI), assessing EI competencies via 360-degree feedback.
• Designed and tested a task-dependent interaction model.
• Analyzed the classroom performance of 864 MBA business executives.

Main Results:

• Emotional intelligence (EI) was found to moderate the effect of general intelligence (g) on MBA executives' classroom performance.
• In analytic tasks, higher levels of EI competencies were associated with a stronger influence of g on performance.
• The study did not find significant evidence for a positive interaction between EI and g in social tasks, contrary to the hypothesis.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that EI's role in performance is contingent on task demands, particularly moderating the impact of general intelligence (g).
• The proposed task-dependent interaction model offers a framework for understanding EI-g relationships, though further research is needed for social tasks.
• Implications for both academic research and practical applications in business education and executive development are discussed.