Emotional intelligence and career success: Does resilience matter?

Abstract

Achieving success in one's career has numerous positive consequences for individuals as well as for organizations. This study examines the influence of emotional intelligence measures on career success. Also, using the broaden and build theory, we propose employee resilience as an underlying mechanism connecting emotional intelligence measures and career success. Data were collected from employees working in different IT organizations in India's northern region. Confirmatory factor analysis followed by path analysis using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method in AMOS was performed. Results found that all the emotional intelligence measures directly affect career success and employee resilience. For instance, the adaptability dimension had the most significant direct impact on career success, whereas the interpersonal dimension emerged as the leading predictor of resilience among all five emotional intelligence dimensions. In addition, employee resilience was identified as a partial mediator between all emotional intelligence measures and career success. The present study offers some insightful theoretical and practical implications.

The influence of gratitude and personality traits on career resilience and career success among college students

“…The second hypothesis is in accord with the self-efficacy theory ( Bandura, 1977 ), which proposes that individuals with a higher sense of resilience are more likely to possess a robust belief in their capability to overcome challenges and succeed in their careers. Moreover, the positive association between career resilience and career success aligns with research by Ahmad et al (2019) , Rossier et al (2017) , and Sharma and Tiwari (2023) , emphasizing the positive impact of resilience on job performance. This theoretical perspective suggests that the adaptive responses fostered by resilience contribute to sustained success in the face of career-related obstacles.…”

Does emotional intelligence contribute to career success? Evidence from a systematic literature review

“…As a result, empirical research using various theoretical perspectives recommended many indicators of career success which include people's behavioral traits (e.g., gender, emotional intelligence, career commitment), career development techniques (e.g., creating a network of relationships, frequent changes in organizations) and people's perceptions of their career accomplishments, for example, are inferred as antecedents of career success (Abele et al., 2016; De Janasz & Forret, 2008; Ouedraogo et al., 2023; Poon, 2004; refer meta‐analysis by Spurk et al., 2018 for more). Talking specifically about the association between emotional intelligence and career success, many researchers have also found a positive influence of emotional intelligence on career success (Amdurer et al., 2014; de Haro et al., 2018; Jain et al., 2020; Khan, 2014; Parmentier et al., 2019; Poon, 2004; Rode et al., 2017; Sharma & Tiwari, 2022b, 2023; Tagiya et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2016). Moreover, various studies indicate that people with high emotional intelligence have strong social skills, are more confident and socially aware, have better physical and mental well‐being and are more attractive to employers, which effectively increases their ability to deal with occupational stress and continued changes in organizational structure (Abdullah & Al‐Abrrow, 2022; Fisher et al., 2018; Hartmann et al., 2019; King & Rothstein, 2010).…”

“…People do want to be successful in their careers (i.e., more salary, early promotions, work of interest, and satisfaction at work) and emotional intelligence has been found to be positively correlated with these career outcomes (de Haro et al, 2018;Richard, 2020;Sharma & Tiwari, 2023). Mayer et al (2011) stated that people who possess similar intellectual capacities might contrast in effectively dealing with emotions.…”

Resilience and well‐being among expatriate entrepreneurs: Envisioning life after a global crisis

“…Recently, Sharma and Tiwari (2023) found that emotional intelligence dimensions matter in career success. They note adaptability had a significant direct impact on career success, and interpersonal intelligence predicted resilience.…”