The Influence of Work Motivation on Emotional Intelligence and Team Effectiveness Relationship

Empirical evidence on the role of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in service providers' team role effectiveness is inconclusive despite the obvious conceptual link. The purpose of this paper is to look into the moderating effect of work motivation on the relationship between EI factors (Self Emotional Appraisal, Others' Emotion Appraisal, Regulation of Emotion, and Use of Emotion) and team role effectiveness. Analyses of 167 responses from service providers and their superiors revealed that the interactions between work motivation and Self Emotional Appraisal (SEA) and between work motivation and Others' Emotional Appraisal (OEA) have significant affect on service providers' team role effectiveness. The effect of SEA on team role effectiveness is positive for those with low work motivation while for the high work motivation group, the effect is initially positive but turns negative at high SEA levels. The effect of OEA on team role effectiveness is higher for low work motivation group and for both low and high motivation groups, the moderation effect is positive at the low to moderate levels of OEA but becomes negative at high levels of OEA. The findings indicate that the effect of SEA and OEA on service provider's team role effectiveness is moderated by work motivation, the effect is complex and counter-intuitive. Implications for managerial practices and future research are discussed.