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Strengthening the bond and enhancing team performance: Emotional intelligence as the social glue

Luo Lu (Department of Business Administration, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan)
Hsueh-Liang Fan (Department of Business Administration, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan)

Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance

ISSN: 2051-6614

Article publication date: 22 August 2017

Issue publication date: 15 September 2017

702

Abstract

Purpose

Using interpersonal relationship development as a metaphor for team process, the purpose of this paper is to explore critical psychological mechanisms transforming team inputs into successful work outcomes, at the individual level.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants in this study were full-time employees in Taiwan. The authors employed a two-phase design to examine the developmental aspect of, and the enhancer for the team process. Paper-based questionnaires were used to collect data. All the research constructs were assessed at the individual level, thus analysis was conducted at the same level.

Findings

The results from 338 Taiwanese employees revealed that perceived psychological similarity (i.e. value and attitudinal congruence, a team input) led to favorable work outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction and team performance) through the linking mechanism of team cohesion. Furthermore, team members’ trait emotional intelligence (EI) amplified the positive relationship between psychological similarity and team cohesion.

Practical implications

First, managers should purposefully assemble employees with similar values and interests to work together, giving the team a good start with the like minds. Second, the results indicated that trait EI as a key personal resource enhances the positive relationship between psychological similarity and team cohesion. Workplace learning interventions should be implemented to improve employees’ emotion management skills.

Originality/value

Adopting the interpersonal relationship development perspective to study team process, the findings have confirmed the important roles of perceived psychological similarity among members and individual’s EI for team functioning. The authors’ endeavor has demonstrated the value of solid theoretical basis and the benefit of an individual-level analysis in delineating the mediating processes that explain why certain inputs affect team effectiveness and viability.

Keywords

Citation

Lu, L. and Fan, H.-L. (2017), "Strengthening the bond and enhancing team performance: Emotional intelligence as the social glue", Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 182-198. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-10-2016-0062

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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