Research Article

The cross‐cultural moderators of the influence of emotional intelligence on organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior

Published: 2020-6

Journal: Human Resource Development Quarterly

DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21385

Abstract

This meta‐analysis found that the emotional intelligence–organizational citizenship behavior relationship is stronger in long‐term oriented and restraint cultures. However, this relationship does not differ between individualistic and collectivistic cultures, masculine and feminine cultures, high uncertainty avoidance and low uncertainty avoidance cultures, and high power distance and low power distance cultures. The emotional intelligence–counterproductive work behavior relationship is stronger in collectivistic, feminine, high uncertainty avoidance, high power distance, long‐term oriented, and restraint cultures. Emotional intelligence–organizational citizenship behavior/counterproductive work behavior relationships are mediated by both state positive affect and state negative affect. Human resource development professionals from cultures where the effects of emotional intelligence are stronger are especially recommended to hire emotionally intelligent employees and/or provide emotional intelligence training to stimulate organizational citizenship behavior and to restrain counterproductive work behavior. Although there are important cross‐cultural differences, emotional intelligence universally encourages organizational citizenship behavior and almost universally diminishes counterproductive work behavior across cultures.

Faculty Members

  • Chao Miao - Department of Management and Marketing, Franklin P. Perdue School of Business Salisbury University Salisbury Maryland
  • Ronald H. Humphrey - Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University Lancaster UK
  • Shanshan Qian - Department of Management, College of Business and Economics Towson University Towson Maryland

Themes

  • Human resource development
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Workplace behaviors
  • Organizational citizenship behavior
  • Cross-cultural differences
  • Counterproductive work behavior

Categories

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