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VISION AS AN AMPLIFIER OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN ORGANIZATIONAL ENGAGEMENT Ed Mahon, D.M. Organizational and individual drivers of employee engagement can define the interaction of individual characteristics with cultural and job related factors in order to determine their joint effect on employee level of engagement. Applying survey data and causal modeling using SEM techniques underscored the impact of individual, structural and cultural characteristics on employee engagement. Overall, these findings are new in that they show that when individual emotional intelligence and culture characteristics (such as an employees perception of the corporate vision) interact, the results are intensifying. Drawing upon lenses such as social exchange theory, prior research has found that jobrelated factors such as job characteristics and organizational support positively influence employee engagement (Kahn, 1990; Saks, 2006; Kular, Gatenby, Rees, Soane, & Truss, 2008). While this work represents a significant initial step toward understanding the drivers of employee engagement, it provides an incomplete explanation for such a complex sociopsychological phenomenon. Alternatively, the contingency theory of action and job performance (Boyatzis, Goleman et al. 2000) provides an integrated approach for analyzing employee effectiveness of which job-related factors are but one component. The contingency model developed by Boyatzis and associates integrates individual and cultural factors with job-related ones. The theory suggests that the degree to which all three areas represented overlap for an individual result in a more effective employee or organizational member. Defining Emotional Intelligence (EI) and PNEA & NEA

EI allows for the description and study of variety specific competencies that can causally relate to engagement. Boyatzis (1982) defines emotional intelligence as those competences that help one understand how to influence others. He suggests to use emotional intelligence effectively is to acquire an awareness of both yourself and the environment around you. As a means of defining emotions (Boyatzis and Sala 2004) define a positive emotional attractor (PEA) as the personal hopes, dreams, possibilities, optimism and self-directed learning goals that make up our ideal self, and the negative emotional attractor (NEA) as the present reality, fears, problems, shortfalls, pessimism, and improvement goals that constitute our real self (Boyatzis and Sala 2004). Further, (Akrivou, Boyatzis et al. 2006) and (Boyatzis and McKee 2005) contend that dimensions of Hope/Vision, Compassion/Caring, and Overall Positive Mood are the essential components of a positive versus negative emotional climate. This study observed these personal characteristics had a sensitizing or amplifying effect on the structural/cultural characteristics on engagement. I found that Emotional Intelligence will increase the effects of structural/cultural characteristics on Organizational Engagement. In an effort to extend the social exchange approach with this contingency perspective, we examined the extent to which engagement is linked to individual and cultural characteristics, such as emotional intelligence and attitudes toward organizational culture and work climate. We investigate how employee attitudes about their work environment and their individual characteristics may contribute to their level of engagement. The exploration assesses the way that individual characteristics and attitudes toward the work climate interact with job-related factors to determine whether these relationships are sensitizing The Contingency Theory of Action and Job Performance The Contingency theory of action and Job performance (Boyatzis, Goleman et al. 2000)

offered an integrated system approach to analyzing employee effectiveness. This model integrates individual, cultural, and structural factors with three concentric circles consisting of 1) individual vision, values, philosophy and knowledge 2) Job demands of tasks, functions and roles and 3) Organizational environment consisting of culture or climate. The theory suggests that the degree to which all three areas represented overlap for an individual result in a more effective employee or organizational member. I argue that this same combination of drivers will likely hold for employee engagement, and our adaptation of the model is shown in Figure 1. FIGURE 1: Adapted Contingency Model

I tested this model using a variety of instruments. To test for individual factors I used the well-established emotional intelligence (EI; Boyatzis, 1982) measure. To test for cultural variables I used measures for positive and negative emotional attractors (Boyatzis & Sala, 2004). To test for employee engagement, I used Sakss established measures for employee engagement, attitudes toward work climate, and established drivers of engagement such as job characteristics and organizational engagement (Saks, 2006). Figure 2 diagrams the sensitizing pattern. These factors increase the relationship between structural and cultural characteristics and engagement. In sum, the analyses that follow are designed to determine the role that individual characteristics play in determining employee and

emotional engagement. FIGURE 2: Conceptual Diagram of Sensitizing Pattern

S tructural/C ultural Fa ctors + E ng ag em ent Individual C haracteristics +

Structural elements and individual characteristics amplify their effect on organizational engagement Existing literature emphasizes how job-related, structural characteristics drive engagement. I argue that individual characteristics drive engagement as well. Further, I argue that individual characteristics interact with contextual factors (structural and cultural). For organizational engagement, all significant interactions suggest a sensitizing pattern in which personal characteristics (EI) amplify the effects of structural and cultural factors. This research supports this assertion as I found an interaction. This interaction indicates that EI are important moderators in amplifying the effect of structural and cultural factors on engagement. More specifically, vision is amplified by organizational engagement. In reviewing the structural interactions, I find that when individuals have high EI job characteristics have a sensitizing or amplifying affect on the level of organizational engagement. I find structural elements of the organization affect employee perceptions of the organizational climate and they effect organizational engagement. For example, job characteristics and EI have a positive effect on an employees level of organizational engagement. EI*Vision has a significant positive effect on organizational engagement (b=.291, p<.05). This coefficient suggests that increasing levels of EI amplify the relationship between vision and organizational engagement. Individuals with high EI and low vision are less engaged in their organizations, yet individuals with high EI and high vision are more engaged.

FIGURE 3: The Effect of Vision on Organizational Engagement by High and Low EI (Model 2) as EI Increase the Effect of Vision on Org Engagement Increases
5 4.5 4 Organizational Engagement 3.5
Low EI

3 2.5 2 1.5 1 Low Vision High Vision

High EI

References Akrivou, K., R. Boyatzis, et al. (2006). "The evolving group: towards a prescriptive theory of intentional group development." Journal of Management Development 25(7): 689-706. Boyatzis, R. (1982). The competent manager: A model for effective performance, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Boyatzis, R., D. Goleman, et al. (2000). "Clustering competence in emotional intelligence: Insights from the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI)." Handbook of emotional intelligence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Boyatzis, R. and A. McKee (2005). Resonant leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion, Harvard Business School Pr. Boyatzis, R. and F. Sala (2004). "The emotional competence inventory (eci)." Measuring emotional intelligence: Common ground and controversy: 147180. Boyatzis, R. E. and F. Sala (2004). "Assessing emotional intelligence competencies." The Measurement of Emotional Intelligence, Novas Science Publishers, Hauppauge, NY.