Affective Information Processing in Self-Managing Teams: The Role of Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

Based on a multilevel data set collected from 599 individuals working in 102 self-managing teams, we examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and team member performance, focusing on the dimensions of teamwork and leadership performance. Furthermore, we explored the moderating role of team-level characteristics, such as noninformational diversity, size, and collective EI on the EI–performance relationship. As predicted, team members with higher EI were better at facilitating teamwork and playing the role of an informal leader than those with lower EI. The positive contribution of EI on team member performance was stronger for teams with greater diversity, larger sizes, and with lower average levels of team member EI. The study suggests that managers of self-managing teams should emphasize EI in their selection, training, and evaluation systems.

Individual Competencies for Self-Managing Team Performance: A Systematic Literature Review

“…However, the effect disappeared in the case of high team average emotional intelligence. Applying the same questionnaire as Paik et al (2019), Rozell and Scroggins (2010) found that the understanding of emotions was related to negative feelings regarding group member relationships and group cohesion, both being dimensions of group satisfaction. The authors explained this phenomenon stating that this is because a better understanding of the team colleagues' emotions allows the perception of tensions that other colleagues could not even sense.…”

“…The relevance of characteristics that only one team member displayed was the subject of only a few studies. Paik et al (2019) showed that individual emotional intelligence was especially effective when the team average emotional intelligence was low. Similarly, the assertiveness of the team members holding critical roles was predictive of high team performance and satisfaction (Pearsall & Ellis, 2006).…”

“…Zhou et al (2020) found that individual and team-level emotional intelligence predicted psychological safety and team decision performance. Based on hierarchical linear modeling, Paik et al (2019) found in their detailed investigation that the skills to perceive and understand certain emotions predicted higher individual performance, while the skills to use and manage emotions were irrelevant. This highlights the relevance of the empathy-related aspects of emotional intelligence.…”

How Team Emotional Intelligence Connects to Task Performance: A Network Approach

“…Third, although research on whether team EI contributes to more effective team functioning and outcomes has increased recently (e.g., Jamshed & Majeed, 2019; Macht et al, 2019; Paik et al, 2019), how and when team-based EI affects team performance has been rarely examined (for one exception, see Wang, 2015). We traced mean levels of team member EI to task performance and examined the effects of team EI on team effectiveness through the structural influence of team process which is moderated in part by the shared perceptions of team processes.…”

Why Are Emotionally Incapable Managers Selected

“…The role and impact of emotional intelligence on performance has been studied also at team level. A brand new study (Paik;Seo, and Jin, 2019) found out that team members with higher EI were better at facilitating teamwork and playing the role of informal leaders than those with lower EI. The positive contribution on team performance was stronger for teams with greater diversity, larger sizes, and with lower average levels of team member EI.…”