Relationship of emotional intelligence with cultural intelligence and change readiness of Indian managers in the service sector

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship of emotional intelligence with the cultural quotient (CQ) and change readiness of Indian managers in the service sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 109 middle-level managers of the Indian service sector, comprising of top five contributing industries to the GDP of India (retail, real estate, banking and insurance, information technology and tourism). Emotional quotient (EQ) was measured by using the Emotional Intelligence Scale by Singh (2004), Cultural Intelligence Scale by Ang and Dyne (2008) was used to calculate CQ, and for measuring change readiness, Change Readiness Questionnaire developed by Kriegel and Brandt (1996) was used.

Findings

EQ has a significant and positive relationship with CQ (r=0.537) and the subscales of CQ are positively related with EQ. EQ is significantly positively related with change readiness (r=0.513) and the subscales of change readiness are also positively related with EQ.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited to only 109 middle-level Indian managers of the service sector.

Originality/value

Training of managers on Emotional Intelligence can lead to better handling of conflict and erase misunderstandings because of cultural diversities and could also help managers to deal with change more effectively and appropriately.

Citation

Sharma, T. and Singh, S. (2021), "Relationship of emotional intelligence with cultural intelligence and change readiness of Indian managers in the service sector", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 34 No. 7, pp. 1245-1256. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2017-0193