Relationship among emotional intelligence, deviant workplace behavior and job performance : an empirical study

The purpose of the study is to examine the relationships among emotional intelligence, deviant work- place behavior, and job performance. Emotional intelligence and deviant workplace behavior was measured by the Emotional Quotient Index and Multidimensional Scale respectively while job performance was assessed by Tsui et al.,’s Job Performance Scale. Data for this study were collected from 201 employed MBA students studying at four private universities in Chittagong, a port city of Bangladesh. They were asked to rate their supervisors’ emotional intelligence, deviant workplace behavior, and job performance with the help of self administered questionnaires. In data collection, this study used convenience sampling. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and regression analysis. Results indicated a negative correlation between emotional intelligence and deviant workplace behavior (r = -.52**), and deviant workplace behavior and job performance (r = -.45**) while emotional intelligence was found to correlate positively with job performance (r = .58**). The main implication of the study is that emotionally intelligent employees exhibit higher job performance and a lesser tendency to take part in deviant workplace behavior. The other implication is that the presence of deviant workplace behavior was a prior indication of poor job performance; hence supervisors should use their emotional intelligence competencies to improve their own and others’ job performance. The most important limitation of the study was that it used convenience samples, which might limit the generalizability of the results. Future research directions are also discussed