This study aims to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and performance. Based on the job demands and resources (JD-R) and conservation of resources (COR) theories, a conceptual model is developed showing organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as a mediator and emotional exhaustion as a moderator in influencing relationships.
Data were collected from 382 faculty members from higher educational institutions (HEIs) in southern India using a quantitative research method. After checking the measurement model with the LISREL package of structural equation modeling, hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression.
The findings indicate that (1) EI is a significant predictor of performance and OCB, (2) OCB mediates between EI and performance and (3) emotional exhaustion moderates between EI and OCB.
Though research on EI and OCB is phenomenal, relatively few studies were focused on faculty members from HEIs, especially in the context of a developing country, India. The pioneering focus of this study is that OCB as a mediator and emotional exhaustion as a moderator has been, to the best of our knowledge, the first of its kind. The two-way interaction and mediation contribute to the burgeoning literature on EI and OCB.
