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Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
0
Emotional Intelligence as a Moderator in the relationship between Negative
Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
by
LAU CHO YIN
07016379
Human Resources Management Option
An Honors Degree Project submitted to the School of Business
in Partial Fulfillment of the Graduation Requirement for the
Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors)
Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong
May 2010
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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TABLE OF CONTENT
CONTENT
PAGE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
1
ABSTRACT
2
I. INTRODUCTION 3-4
1.1. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM 4
1.2. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
4
II. LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT 5-9
2.1. NEGATIVE EMOTIONS 5
2.2. COUNTERPRODUCTIVE WORK BEHAVIOURS 5-6
2.3. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A MODERATOR 6-9
2.4 CONCEPTUAL MODEL AND SUMMARY OF THE HYPOTHESES
9
III. METHODOLOGY 10-13
3.1. SAMPLE 10
3.2. MEASUREMENT 10-13
3.3. DATA ANALYSIS
13
IV. RESULTS 14-15
4.1 FACTOR ANALYSIS 14
4.2 CRONBACH ALPHA RELIABILITY TEST 14
4.3 ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION 14-15
4.4 HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION ANALYSIS
15
V. DISCUSSIONS 15-23
5.1. THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS 15-18
5.2. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
5.3. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
18-20
21-23
VI. CONCLUSION
23
VII. REFERENCES
TABLES
APPENDIX
24-25
26-30
31-39
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like to express my sincere thankfulness to Dr. Wei Li-Qun, the supervisor of
my Honor Project. Dr. Wei has been very helpful indeed and she always offers professional advices
and generous guidance for my project. When I encounter difficulties and problems, she is always
there to help me and give me encouragement. Though I always trouble her and seek her advice, she
never shows impatience and is willing to answer all my questions.
Also, I would like to give thanks to my friends who had helped me to distribute and collect the
questionnaires. Without their helps, the project could not be done in such a smooth way.
Last but never the least, I would like to express my gratitude to all of the respondents in this
study, thanking them very much for their sharing and information on the issues being studied which
are the core of this project.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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ABSTRACT
Many researches before have confirmed that the level of Counterproductive Work Behaviours
(CWB) is determined by negative emotions posed by employees. Based on this foundation, the
predictive relationship between negative emotions and CWB and the moderating effect of Emotional
Intelligence (EI) are analyzed in the report.
This is a cross-sectional survey study and the quantitative data were collected in three months,
from January 2010 to March 2010. The sample size of the study is 170, coming from employees
working in a wide range of industries in Hong Kong. The respondents’ scores on EI, negative
emotions in experience with their jobs and CWB engaged were collected and analyzed.
From the results obtained, it is shown that there is a positive relationship between negative
emotions and CWB, confirming the emotion-centred model of CWB, that CWB is erected by the
negative emotions generated by employees. Moreover, it is indicated that EI is moderating the
relationship between negative emotions and CWB. Given the same situation and same level of
negative emotions experienced, the people with high EI engage less CWB compared to those with
low EI, confirming the influences of EI on the predictive relationship.
Based on the results and findings, actions can be taken by organizations to reduce CWB in the
organizations, minimizing the losses caused by CWB. Last but not the least, practical implications
with suggestions are discussed as well.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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I. INTRODUCTION
Being the extra-role behaviour in the workplace, Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB) is
one of the key factors determining the performance of the organizations (Fox, Spector, & Miles,
2001). CWB is not only non productive, but also counter-productive, severely reversing the
organizations’ operations and harming the profits. Being identified as the serious problem in the
organizations and creating huge losses every year, CWB has become the hot topic and many
researchers have interest in exploring. More investigations and studies are needed in order to better
understand it and further suggest some ways to minimize its harm.
To combat CWB, many researchers looked into the causes and the generating process of it.
From the previous researches, it is clear that the process of generating CWB is the emotion-centred
model. First, the external stressors generate employees’ negative emotions. When employees feel
they are treated unfairly, they are likely to revenge by engaging in CWB, because engaging in CWB
can reduce the dissatisfaction experienced (Fox, Spector, & Miles, 2001; Haaland, 2002). CWB can
help them to balance the inequity felt and decrease the negative feelings experienced (Fox, Spector,
& Miles, 2001; Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005).
It is widely known that the external factors which are regarded as the stressors generate negative
emotions, but not many researchers look into the internal factors of individuals. A recent research
suggests that Emotional Intelligence (EI) is positively related to Organizational Citizenship
Behaviours (OCB) (Carmeli and Josman, 2006). Because both OCB and CWB are voluntary
activities in the organizations done by individuals (Baker, 2005), it is likely that EI may also affect
the process of generating CWB, which is the relationship between negative emotions and CWB.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Given the negative impacts of CWB in organizations, there is a need to further investigate the
internal factors which affect the engagement of CWB in the individual level. From the literature, it is
shown that negative emotions lead to the engagement of CWB. So, in the study, we will first study
the predictive relationship between negative emotions and CWB.
Moreover, the pervious researches also indicated the possibility of EI serving as a moderator in
the relationship between negative emotions and CWB. So, an interest is raised in the following
question:
“Does EI of individual affect the relationship between negative emotions and CWB in
organizations?”
Therefore, the study will also look at the moderating effect of the EI in the relationship.
This project is built on the efforts of previous studies which proved that negative emotions are
the causes of CWB in organizations. In this report, we will study how EI affects the relationship
between negative emotions and CWB engaged.
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This project will focus on how EI influences the relationship of negative emotions and CWB.
The objectives of the research are:
To explore the relationship of negative emotions and CWB
To investigate how EI will moderate the relationship of negative emotions and CWB
To suggest some ways of alleviating CWB in the workplace
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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II. LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES
DEVELOPMENT
2.1 NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
By definition, negative emotions are the bad feelings triggered by the situation (Herzberg,
Mausner, and Snyderman, 1959). Although there have been great controversial arguments over the
nature and definitions of emotions, the most popular definitions for emotions are illustrating
emotions as the systems that have many components, including cognitive, behavioural, expressive,
and physiological changes, which all of the elements affect the others (Schulze, Roberts, 2005; Van
Katwyk, Fox, Spector, & Kelloway, 2000). Because negative emotions make people feel uneasy and
not comfortable, people will behave in certain ways to decrease the negative emotions experienced
(Patton, 1997).
According to the studies, bad feelings in the workplace can be caused by “work overload, lack
of rewards, and social relations” (Oginska-Bulik, 2005). From the theory of the social exchange and
the norm of reciprocity, people behave based on the contexts (Haaland, 2002). When experiencing
negative emotions in the workplace, employees will engage in Counterproductive Work Behaviours
(CWB), certain behaviours which are harmful to the organizations or the people in the organizations
to rebalance their feelings (Fox, Spector, & Miles, 2001; Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005).
2.2 COUNTERPRODUCTIVE WORK BEHAVIOURS (CWB)
Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB) is also named as Workplace Deviance Behaviour.
Counterproductive Work Behaviours are the behaviours that are intended to have a detrimental effect
on organizations and their members (Fox, Spector, and Miles, 2001). Being recognized as the
behavioural reactions to working experiences (Bennett & Robinson, 2003), CWB are the volitional
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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acts that harm or are intended to harm organizations or people in the organizations (Spector & Fox,
2005). According to Spector & Fox (2002), engaging in CWB can be described as an
emotion-centred model: the external factors elicit negative emotions in individuals, who then engage
in CWB to re-balance their negative feelings (Fox, Spector, & Miles, 2001; Spector & Fox, 2002,
2005). Many previous studies clearly supported the emotion-centred model of CWB: the situational
stressors first erect the negative emotions of employees, who then engage in CWB to reduce the
dissatisfaction (Fox, Spector, & Miles, 2001; Haaland, 2002; Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005; Yang &
Diefendorff, 2009). If employees perceive that they are being treated unfairly, they are likely to
engage in CWB in order to balance the inequity perceived and reduce the negative feelings (Fox,
Spector, & Miles, 2001; Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005). Given the researches, it is suggested that
negative emotions lead to the engagement of CWB.
H1: Negative emotions significantly influence the Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB)
2.3 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI) AS A MODERATOR
Emotional Intelligence (EI) or Emotional Maturity comprises the capabilities and skills that
individuals possess and that influence their abilities to cope with environmental demands (Ashkanasy,
Hartel and Zerbe, 2000). EI is defined as “the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate
emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to
reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth’’ (Mayer and
Salovey, 1997:5).
The concept of EI was popularized by Daniel Goleman, who published a book in 1995 titled
“Emotional Intelligence”. Goleman’s theory of EI is a mixed model, which has five dimensions:
self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Though his book “Emotional
Intelligence” became one of the best-selling books, some disagreed with his definition of EI, saying
that the social skills should not be included.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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Different from Goleman’s model, the other leading professionals in EI, Mayer and Salovey
proposed their definitions of Emotional Intelligence in 1997. There are four dimensions in their
concepts, namely, emotional awareness of oneself, emotional awareness of others, emotional
management and emotional facilitation. The details of four dimensions are presented in the
following:
Dimensions of
Emotional Intelligence
Explanation
i. Emotional awareness of oneself The appraisal and expression of self-emotions
The awareness of own emotions is about understanding our
moment-to-moment feelings and the ways that emotions are
expressed verbally and nonverbally.
ii. Emotional awareness of others The appraisal and expression of emotions in the others
It is the capability to perceive the emotions of others and the
ability for empathy, which is to comprehend another’s feelings
and to re-experience them oneself (Salovey & Mayer, 1990). The
appraisal of feelings is very vital in making the appropriate and
substantial response.
iii. Emotional management The regulation of self-emotions
Regulation of our own emotions is the attempts or acts to
manage emotions by expressing our feelings and ideas
appropriately during the communication process.
iv. Emotional facilitation The use of emotions to facilitate performance
Aiming at improving the outcomes and the performance, the
talents in emotional facilitation are good at encouraging positive
emotions, motivation, enthusiasm and other things which could
help in building a good relationship and creating satisfaction.
Previous studies in EI clearly show that an emotion or a feeling would influence thinking, feeling
and acting; on the other hand, an action would influence thinking, feeling and acting (Ashkanasy,
Table 1: A Summary of the Emotional Intelligence model proposed by Mayer and Salovey (1997)
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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Hartel and Zerbe, 2000). Over the years, many researchers have clearly indicated that EI affects their
feelings as well as behaviours (Patton, 1997). If people have high EI, they will find it easier to
overcome the obstacles and feel happier than those with low EI. It is likely that EI also contributes to
the engagement of CWB by moderating the relationship between negative emotions and CWB.
The possible relationships between the four dimensions of EI and the relationship between
negative emotions and the engagement of CWB: are
i. Emotional awareness of oneself
People who are aware of their own feelings can identify their emotions easily (Goleman, 1995).
This ability can let them be able to cope with negative emotions quickly (Tjiong, 2006). Given
the same level of negative emotions, people with high EI can handle their moodiness and
decrease the possibility of engaging in CWB while people with low EI get trapped by negative
emotions and increase the likelihood of engaging in CWB.
ii. Emotional awareness of others
Employees who can understand others better will have more empathy for people around.
Therefore, they can understand the limitations and weaknesses of the others and definitely find
it easily to forgive the wrong doings of people and be more tolerant to the flaws. Even though
people with high and low EI face the same level of negative emotions, employees with high EI
are less likely to revenge the organizations and the colleagues by engaging in CWB, but the
opposite for people with low EI.
iii. Emotional management
For those who are good at self-management, they are able to control their feelings as well as
emotions. As a result, they can control themselves for not doing misbehaviors which will harm
the organizations and their colleagues (Khalid et al, 2009). So, in the same level of negative
emotions, high EI can stop employees from engaging in CWB but low EI will even increase the
likelihood of having CWB because people cannot control themselves well.
iv. Emotional facilitation
People who can use the emotions to facilitate the performance and outcome usually have good
and high quality interpersonal relationships with others (Tjiong, 2006). High EI will stop them
from just focusing on own negative emotions while low EI will be another way round. Because
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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they understand that negative emotions will harm the productivity of organizations and have
better relationships with others (Goleman, 1995), they have less CWB compared to the people
with low EI in the same level of negative emotions.
To sum up, it is possible that employees with high EI will engage less CWB than those with low
EI in the same level of negative emotions because of the moderating effect of EI in the relationship
between negative emotions and CWB. Thus, it is likely EI serves as a moderator in this relationship.
H2: Given the same level of negative emotions, the relationship between negative emotions
and Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWB) is stronger for people with low Emotional
Intelligence (EI) than high Emotional Intelligence (EI)
2.4 CONCEPTUAL MODEL AND SUMMARY OF THE HYPOTHESES
Given the above literature review, the conceptual model of the hypotheses and the summary of
them are suggested as the following:
Figure 1: A Conceptual framework of the hypotheses
Independent variable (IV): Negative Emotions
Dependent variable (DV): Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB)
Moderator (MV): Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Hypothesis
H1: Negative emotions significantly influence the Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB)
H2: Given the same level of negative emotions, the relationship between negative emotions and
Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWB) is stronger for people with low Emotional Intelligence (EI)
than high Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Table 2: A Summary of hypotheses
Emotional
Intelligence (EI)
Negative
Emotions
Counterproductive Work
Behaviours (CWB)
+ IV DV
MV
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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III. METHODOLOGY
3.1 SAMPLE
This is a cross-sectional survey design, and a pool of participants was chosen on a voluntary
basis. A quantitative survey was used and questionnaires were structured and disturbed to people
who are working in organizations.
The cover letter was attached with the questionnaires as well, in order to clearly show the
objectives of the project and to protect the privacy of the information returned, increasing the
confidentiality. 200 questionnaires were sent and 170 questionnaires were collected, the response
rate is about 85%.
44.1% of the participants are female and the rest are male. Half of the people are aged from 26
to 35 years and the second large group is the young people from 16 to 25 years old. About 44.1% are
secondary school graduates and 38.8% are university graduates. 68.8% and 78.8% of the respondents
have worked in their organizations from 1 to 5 years. For the job level, 17.6% of the people are
supervisors and the rest, about 82.4%, are subordinates. The study has covered a wide range of
people with different backgrounds.
-----------------------------
Insert Table 3 here
-----------------------------
3.2 MEASUREMENT
To increase the reliability and validity of the study, the set-up of the survey is based on the past
studies and researches. The major variables of the study were measured by the following
measurement:
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3.2.1 Emotional Intelligence (EI)
The self-rated Emotional Intelligence (EI) test used was developed by Schutte et al (1998), built
on the theoretical model of EI proposed by Salovey and Mayer in 1990. Based on the availability of
the EI tests, it is chosen because of the easy administration, the adequate reliability (Cronbach’s
alpha 0.9 and 0.87) and the validity (0.78).
Originally, this measurement contains 62 items. In this study, the participants were asked to
answer all 33 questions on five-point scales, from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree). The
interviewees should, based on their past experience and feelings, answer all questions honestly.
Moreover, the EI score would be obtained by taking the average score of the answers.
3.2.2 Negative Emotions
The job-related affective well-being scale (JAWS) short version (Van Katwyk, Fox, Spector, &
Kelloway, 2000) was used as the measurement of negative emotions. There are totally 11 negative
emotions, namely: anger, annoyance, anxious, bored, depressed, discouraged, disgusted, fatigued,
frightened, frustrated and miserable.
For the categories of Job Events for negative emotions experienced, they were adopted from
negative event emotion matrix from the book: “Emotions in the Workplace: Research, Theory, and
Practice”. In chapter 3 of the book, the researchers conducted a survey about the negative emotions
experienced by hotel employees. There are totally 13 events in job causing negative emotions,
namely: acts of colleagues, acts of management, lack of goal achievement, lack of receiving
recognition, acts of customers, task problems, making mistakes, lack of influence or control,
company policies, external environment, physical situations, workload and personal problems.
All participants were asked to indicate how often they felt in those 13 job events and rated on a
five-point scale, from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Always). The average internal consistency reliability
was .93 for this measure.
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3.2.3 Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB)
The items of CWB were adopted from the research conducted by Yang and Diefendorff (Yang &
Diefendorff, 2009), which is a study conducted in Hong Kong last year. The researchers conducted a
few interviews and researches before the experiment in order to have the most accurate CWB items
which suited Hong Kong people most. The reasons for choosing this study are the same experiment
location and the updated CWB items. The average internal consistency reliabilities for
Counterproductive Work Behaviours was .92. Overall, there were 24 items selected from the list and
were rated on five-point scales.
The items of CWB were listed in the questionnaire, and participants were asked to identify what
level they were engaged in such activities before in the scale from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Always). The
score of CWB was processed by obtaining the average marks of those items.
3.2.4 Control Variables
In the study, 10 different control variables were also included in the questionnaire. These
variables are gender, age, marital status, number of children, educational level, tenure in the
organization, tenure in the position, monthly salary, job level and working class. They were
controlled to test the impact of the hypotheses.
From the previous studies, many suggested that CWB engaged is affected by different factors.
Some suggested that gender difference may exist because women tend to conform more to norm
compared to men (Eagly, 1987; Eagly & Chrvala, 1986). Also, older people might have less CWB
because of the organizational commitment (Burke, 2006). Regarding to the marital status, married
people might be engaged in less CWB since they are afraid of being fired. The number of children
may also decrease the tendency of engaging in CWB because of the increasing family burden.
(Yang & Diefendorff, 2009). People have higher education may think CWB is unethical. Tenure in
the organization, tenure in the position and monthly salary may affect employees’ organizational
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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commitment (Burke, 2006), which then influences the tendency of engaging CWB. For the job level
and working class, they may influence the CWB engaged as the difference of job nature and norm
(Fox, Spector, & Miles, 2001; Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005).
3.3 DATA ANALYSIS
To test the correlation between variables, the zero correlation was conducted in the study. A
hierarchical regression was also used to process the data collected, aiming to test the relationship
between the negative emotions and CWB, as well as the moderating effect of the EI in the
relationship.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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IV. RESULTS
4.1 FACTOR ANALYSIS
The principle component factor analysis with varimax was deployed in the study. The results for
all three dimensions were satisfactory and there is no cross loading. For the negative emotions, 11
out of 13 questions in the negative emotions were retained and the result of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin
(KMO) Measure of Sampling Adequacy is .86. For the CWB, 21 out of 24 questions were retained and
the result of KMO is .90. For the EI, 13 out of 14 questions in the EI were retained and the result of
KMO is .88.
----------------------------
Insert Table 4 here
----------------------------
4.2 CRONBACH ALPHA RELIABLITY TEST
Cronbach alpha coefficient was examined to test the reliability of the three sections. All of the
scales adopted are above 0.80 and passed the reliability test.
---------------------------
Insert Table 5 here
---------------------------
4.3 ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION
First, as predicted before, there is a significant positive correlation between negative emotions
and CWB (r = .38, p<.01). Moreover, there is a significant negative relationship between EI and
CWB (r = -.32, p<.01). The results shown give a solid foundation for further studies.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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For control variables, only one control variable, working class, is negatively related to CWB (r =
-.29, p<.01).
----------------------------
Insert Table 6 here
----------------------------
4.4 HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION ANALYSIS
The hierarchical regression analysis was deployed in the study to test the relationships between
the independent variable negative emotions and the dependent variables CWB.
Step 1: Controlled variables
Step 2: Negative emotions (Independent Variable)
Step 3: Emotional Intelligence (Moderator)
Step 4: Interaction of Negative Emotions and Emotional Intelligence
In step 1, when only control variables were put, the significant positive relationship was found in
working class (β = .39, p<.01, ∆R2
= .06).
In step 2, when negative emotions were put, the results were consistent with H1. A significant
positive relationship was found (β = .27, p<.01, ∆R2
= .12). So, H1 is supported.
When the moderator, EI, was added in step 3, the results were significant as well. There is a
significant negative relationship found (β = -.27, p<.01, ∆R2 = .09).
In step 4, when the z score of the interaction was added into the regression, the results were
significant as well. The interaction has a negative moderating effect on CWB (β = -.13, p<.01, ∆R2
= .10). So, H2 is supported as well.
-----------------------------
Insert Table 7 here
-----------------------------
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V. DISCUSSIONS
5.1 THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS
From the correlation table, working class (1 = Blue–collar; 2 = White–collar) is negatively
correlated with CWB (r = -.29, p<.01). It is clear that employees who come from blue–collar may
engage more in CWB compared to white-collar. From the regression table, working class is also
negatively correlated to CWB, where a significant positive relationship is found (β = .39, p<.01, ∆R2
= .06).
The reason might be the differences in job natures. The job content of blue –collar may create the
availability and easiness for CWB. Because the situation and the norm also affect the likelihood of
CWB engaged (Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005), CWB may be engaged easily by blue–collar workers
who can move around and perform a wide range of tasks. For example, the workers who are
responsible for cleaning streets usually work without the supervisor around and move around in a
district assigned. Thus, they might have more opportunities to take a longer break or skip the tasks
because no one monitors and evaluates their behaviours. As the monitor of the supervisor is closer
for white–collar, where the supervisor is right around them, they will have less chance to engage
CWB.
5.1.1 Positive relationship between negative emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
(CWB)
Although CWB has been a hot topic, many researchers just focused on the external causes.
From the literature, most of the researchers examined the effects of causes, job insecurity,
organizational justice and other outside stressors. In frequently testing the relationships between
causes, most of them ignored the important mediator in the middle of the emotion-centred model of
CWB: negative emotions. Negative emotions are the vital parts of erecting the CWB, without them,
stressors can do nothing in creating the CWB (Martinko, Douglas, and Harvey, 2002). Based on the
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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proposed emotion-centred model, the external causes generate negative emotions and then
employees will engage in CWB to rebalance their negative feelings (Fox, Spector, & Miles, 2001;
Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005). To fill in the gap of the studies of CWB, this project focused on the
linkage between negative emotions and CWB, testing the relationship between the two variables.
This study examined the importance of the negative emotions in the engagement of CWB. From
the study, it is suggested that CWB has positive relationships with the negative emotions, confirming
the emotion-centred model of the CWB proposed by the academics.
The emotion-centred theory is supported by the affective events theory (AET, Weiss &
Cropanzano, 1996), which said people tend to react emotionally to work events and these affective
experiences directly influence individual behaviours and attitudes (Tjiong, 2000). When employees
feel they are treated unfairly, no matter from the organizations or the colleagues, they will engage in
CWB, doing something harmful to the organizations or the colleagues to re-balance their negative
feelings. And, the relationship is positive, suggesting that more negative emotions people have, the
more possibility of them engage in CWB.
5.1.2 EI is the moderator between negative emotions and CWB
From the previous studies, most of the professionals put too much emphasis on the external
factors of causing CWB but neglected another important source of the CWB, which is the person.
Given the same level of external stressors, like the similar working environment and compensation
package, some may engage in CWB, some may not. The reasons behind may not be the external
factors, the cues might be the mind of people. A study (Yang & Diefendorff, 2009) conducted before
also agreed this idea, agreeing internal factors might also affect the tendency of engaging in CWB.
EI, which is about the capability of monitoring and managing emotions of your own and the others,
might be the next factor.
From the result of the study, the assumption was supported. EI was proven to be a moderator in
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
18
the relationship of negative emotions and CWB, having significant effects in the emotion-centred
model of CWB. The negative relationship found suggested that people with high EI tend to have less
CWB compared to people with low EI in the same level of negative emotions. Because EI can let
people be able to understand and control their feelings as well as behaviours, given the same level of
negative emotions, it can strengthen or weaken the linkage between negative emotions and CWB.
Therefore, people with high EI engage less CWB but people with low EI engage more CWB.
The results obtained in the research, which EI was proved to serve as a moderator in the
relationship between negative emotions and CWB, echo the research conducted by Deshpande et al.
in 2005, which also concluded that people with high EI believe that CWB are more unethical than
those with low EI (Deshpande et al, 2005). Furthermore, the result is also consistent with the
research in 2009 which suggested that employees with high level of EI are able to control and avoid
themselves from doing such misbehaviors that will harm the organizations they work with (Khalid et
al, 2009).
EI of individuals contributes to the engagement of CWB and, most importantly, people who are
high in EI are less likely to engage in CWB and people with low EI are more likely to have CWB.
For those with high EI, they can identify their own and people’s immediate feelings, and be able to
manage their moods and deploy the emotions to facilitate daily life. This gifted ability will let them
handle their negative emotions better than the people with low EI, decreasing their tendency of
engaging in CWB to balance their negative emotions.
5.2 PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Undoubtedly, CWB is a nightmare for all managers of the organizations because these
behaviors are not only non productive, but also counter-productive, severely reversing the
organizations’ operation and harming the profit. Because CWB results in huge organizational losses,
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
19
management must think of some ways to minimize the negative emotions in order to alleviate the
CWB engaged.
Although some companies might choose to set up strict policies and monitoring systems to
prevent the engagement of CWB, these ways will not have a significant effect. In most circumstances,
CWB is the small acts, like petty theft, but not stealing a huge amount of money. Having rules and
monitoring systems cannot tackle the problems, because CWB is comparatively invisible and hard to
observe.
Previous researches have clearly pointed out the emotion-centred model of CWB. From the
result of the study, it is confirmed that negative emotions are the causes of CWB in the organizations.
Therefore, there are ways to reduce CWB, by weakening the link between external stressors and
negative emotions or between negative emotions and CWB.
For the former one, the relationship between the external stressors and negative emotions,
two-way communication is the key decreasing the accumulation of negative feelings among workers.
The management should explain clearly to employees about the organization structure, job
nature, job evaluation, etc, especially the common external stressors that can easily erect negative
emotions of employees (Yang & Diefendorff, 2009). Moreover, they should also pay more attention
to the organization settings, creating a better working environment for employees and seek advice
and feedback from employees regularly (Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005), especially those who are
blue-collar workers, because they tend to have high possibility of engaging in CWB from this study.
Managers should also sincerely build the friendship with staff and use more informal channels to
communicate, because these will ease the tension and doubt from employees and let them feel the
sincerity of the management.
Furthermore, management should create a harmonious atmosphere in the organization,
encouraging mutual understanding, positive communications and helping behaviours among workers.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
20
By creating a friendly culture and the norm of cooperation, employees can be inoculated from having
too much negative feelings (Yang & Diefendorff, 2009).
For the latter one, the relationship between negative emotions and CWB, negative emotions is
the crux of the problem. Some suggested that despite the presence of external stressors, unless
employees feel negatively, CWB may not be engaged (Martinko, Douglas, and Harvey, 2002). To
alleviate negative emotions, staff can undergo some workshops to better manage their negative
feelings and dissatisfaction. Also, the culture of the organization is very vital in influencing the mood
of employees (Spector & Fox, 2002, 2005). The management should encourage the positive
affectivity and even put it in the Vision, Missions and Values of the organization to educate the
employees and decrease the CWB.
Because EI also plays a moderating role in the relationship between negative emotions and CWB,
and high EI is well known to be the key of career success. Organizations may take it into account for
the selection criteria or training objectives. To select new bloods for the organization, EI Test can be
deployed in the selection process (Yang & Diefendorff, 2009). For the current employees, training
and workshop can be organized for them (Patton, 1997). According to Goleman, EI can be learnt
regardless of age and increase as one matures (Goleman, 1995). To increase the productivity of the
employees, it is worthwhile to invest in increasing the EI of employees, like training employees’
competence in expressing their feelings and managing their emotions (Khalid et al, 2009). The
improvement of EI does not only create a harmonious working environment, it also helps employees
to have a better life and most importantly, the organization to achieve its business objectives.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
21
5.3 LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
5.3.1 Limitations
The scale of the report is rather small. For only about 170 participants included in the research,
the statistic might not be able to generalize the common phenomenon in the society. For the accuracy
of the further research, it is better to extend the sample pool.
Moreover, the result obtained from the self-evaluation might not be accurate because of the
self-bias (Glenn, 2004). Individuals tend to rate themselves much higher than do the others
unconsciously. This is because participants tend to have higher opinion of themselves than others;
thus, they may not give accurate answers in the questionnaire. To increase the accuracy of the future
research, it is suggested to invite respondents, their immediate superiors as well as their colleagues to
fill in the questionnaire. By analysing the information from multiple sources, the results obtained will
be more objective compared to the participants’ subjective evaluation. To eliminate the
embarrassment and the confidential information, it is also recommended that they should return the
questionnaires by confidential mail.
The inaccurate result might also be the outcome of the social desire behaviours. It is especially
true in this research because the CWB is regarded as unethical and improper, people rarely mention
about these acts publicly. In order to look smart and loyal to the organizations, participants may
inflate the actual rating in the questions. Because of the lack of confidence in the confidentiality of
the survey, they might not reveal their actual behaviours in the questionnaires. To increase the faith
of participants and the confidential level of the research, it is suggested to provide the questionnaires
as well as self-addressed and stamped envelops for participants. They can send the questionnaires by
mail once they finish the questionnaires, avoiding the leakage of the information to the participants
who are being rated.
Furthermore, there is no agreement on the definition of EI until now. There are two models of
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
22
Emotional Intelligence suggested: the ability model and the trait, or the mix model. The former
model defines EI as a set of different abilities while the others define emotional intelligence as a set
of non-cognitive personal traits which affect the ways of responding to situations (Goleman 1995).
Thus, there is no agreement on the measurement of EI based on the diversified opinion (Schulze,
Roberts, 2005). This can result in the inconsistence between different EI evaluation tools.
5.3.2 Future Research
Based on the results found in the research, some suggestions are given for the further research
related to this area. Firstly, the relationships between the perceived sources of negative emotions and
the types of CWB are suggested. It is advised to investigate the linkages between the sources of
negative emotions and the types of CWB engaged. According to social exchange theory, people react
based on the given situation and stressors. It is possible that the sources of negative emotions
indicate the types of CWB engaged. If employees identify the negative emotions coming from the
organizations, they will revenge on the organizations. It is widely known that CWB is erected by
negative emotions generated, but not many researches have proved the hypothesizing relationships
between contextual factors, such as perceived justices and organizational culture and
Counterproductive Work Behaviours targeted at organizations (CWB-O). In 2004, researchers Vardi
and Weitz proposed that all factors, including individual, group and organizational reasons generally
contribute to all kinds of CWB (Vardi & Weitz, 2004). But, the others confirm their specific linkages
(Suzy et al, 2001). So, further researches about the relationships between the perceived sources of
negative emotions and the types of CWB engaged are suggested.
Secondly, the other internal factors affecting the engagement of CWB are recommended as well.
The researches before put too much focus on identifying the external factors of the CWB, like the
perceived justice and the working environment which can influence the negative emotions of
employees. Not many of them have looked at the internal factors which can explain the different
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
23
levels of CWB engaged by employees in the same working environment. This research has
successfully proved that EI served as the moderator the relationship and some researches before also
identify the roles of personality in the role of CWB (Yang & Diefendorff, 2009). Other than the
external situations, these results suggest that internal side of people also contributes to the CWB.
More factors can be proved, more actions can be taken to reduce the CWB.
VI. CONCLUSION
The project has attempted to look at the relationship between negative emotions and
Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB). The moderating effect of Emotional Intelligence (EI)
on the relationship between negative emotions and CWB has also been examined.
From the result of the study, it is shown that there is a significant positive relationship between
the negative emotions and CWB. Moreover, the result has also suggested that EI is the moderator in
the two relationships between the independent variable negative emotions and the dependent variable,
CWB, suggesting that given the same level of negative emotions, people with high EI are less likely
to engage in CWB compared to the people with low EI.
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
24
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Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
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Variables Items Percentage (%) 1. Gender Male
Male
44.1
44.1
Female 55.9
2. Age 16-25
16-25
24.7
24.7
26-35 50.0
36-45 17.6
46-55 7.1
56 or above .6
3. Marital Status Single
Single
66.5
66.5
Divorced 1.8
Married 31.8
Widowed 0.0
4. Number of Children 0
0
79.4
79.4
1 13.5
2 6.5
3 or above .6
5. Educational Level Secondary School
Secondary School
44.1
44.1
Associate’s degree 6.5
Bachelor’s degree 38.8
Postgraduate 0.0
Doctoral degree 5.9
Other 4.7
6. Tenure in the Organization 1-5
1-5
68.8
68.8
6-10 16.5
11-15 11.2
16-20 .6
>20 2.9
7. Tenure in the Position 1-5
1-5
78.8
78.8
6-10 12.9
11-15 7.1
16-20 0.0
>20 1.2
8. Monthly Salary <10,000
<10,000
35.9
35.9
10,001-20,000 41.8
20,001-30,000 14.7
30,001-40,000 5.3
40,001-50,000 0.0
50,001 or above 2.4
9. Job Level Supervisory
Supervisory
17.6
17.6
Non-supervisory 82.4
10. Working Class Blue –collar
Blue –collar
14.1
14.1
White –collar 85.9
Table 3: A Table of Demographic information of the respondents (N=170)
TABLES:
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
27
Variables Negative
Emotions
Counterproductive
Work Behaviours
Emotional
Intelligence
Q 114 I seek out activities that make me happy
Q 109 I am aware of my emotions as I experienced them
Q 104 Other people find it easy to confide me
Q 103 I expect that I will do well on most things I try
Q 112 When I experience a positive emotions, I know how to
make it last
Q 102 When I am faced with obstacles, I remember times that I
faced similar obstacles and overcame them
Q 110 I expect good things to happen
Q 106 Some of the major events of my life have led me to
re-evaluate what is important and not important
Q 107 When my mood changes, I see new possibilities
Q 111 I like to share my emotions with others
Q 113 I arrange events others enjoy
Q 101 I know when to speak about my personal problems to
others
.74
.69
.69
.68
.67
.66
.64
.63
.61
.60
.56
.52
Q 206 Task problems
Q 209 Company policies
Q 203 Lack of goal achievement
Q 212 Workload
Q 204 Lack of receiving recognition
Q 211 Physical situations
Q 208 Lack of Influence or control
Q 202 Acts of management
Q 201 Acts of colleagues
Q 210 External environment
Q 207 Making mistakes
.75
.75
.69
.68
.68
.63
.61
.59
.59
.58
.56
Q 321 Did something to make co-workers look bad
Q 306 Put little effort into your work
Q 307 Intentionally worked slower than you could have
Q 323 Ignored a co-worker
Q 320 Delayed actions on matters that were important to others
Q 324 Showed favouritism
Q 309 Worked on personal matter instead of working for your
employer
Q 322 Refused to help a co-worker
Q 305 Tried to be looked busy while doing nothing
Q 311 Took supplies or tools home without permission
Q 318 Withheld needed information from someone at work
Q 303 Left work earlier than you were allowed to take
Q 304 Took an additional or longer break than you were
allowed to take
Q 319 Avoided returning a phone call or other communications
to someone you should at work
Q 317 Insulted or made fun of a co-worker personal life
Q 308 Daydreamed rather than you could have worked
Q 316 Gossiped about someone at work
Q 313 Verbally abused someone at work
Q 301 Called in sick when you were not
Q 310 Called or e-mailed to family or friends during work time
Q 315 Acted rudely toward someone at work
.74
.74
.72
.71
.69
.68
.66
.66
.64
.64
.61
.61
.59
.58
.58
.55
.55
.55
.55
.55
.52
Table 4: A Table of Factor Analysis for Emotional Intelligence, Negative Emotions and
Counterproductive Work Behaviours (N=170)
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
28
Scale Cronbach Alpha Reliability Coefficient
Negative emotions .87
Counterproductive Work Behaviours .93
Emotional Intelligence .85
Table 5: A Table of the Cronbach Alpha Reliability Coefficient of the Scale (N=170)
Emotional Intelligence as the Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
0
Variables Mean S.D. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1. Gender a 1.56 .50 -
2. Age b 2.10 .87 -.10 -
3. Marital Status c 1.65 .93 -.13 .58** -
4. Number of Children 1.28 .61 -.13 .45** .56 -
5. Education Level d 2.25 1.33 .00 -.13 .00 -.08 -
6. Tenure in Organization (year) 1.52 .93 -.11 .46** .40** .34** .02 -
7. Tenure in this Position (year) 1.32 .71 -.17 .29** .30** .30** -.02 .63** -
8. Monthly Salary 1.99 1.05 -.15 .49** .44** .36** -.22** .52** .27** -
9. Job Level e 1.82 .38 .09 -.43** -.37** -.34** -.11 -.30** -.10 -.55** -
10. Working Class f 1.86 .35 -.16 .00 .10 .08 -.09 -.06 -.03 .13 -.10 -
11. Emotional Intelligence (EI) 1.64 .49 -.03 -.05 -.09 -.06 .03 .06 -.06 .00 -.13 .02 -
12. Negative Emotions 3.82 .55 .08 -.11 -.01 -.09 .10 -10 -.08 -.08 .09 -.08 -.03 -
13. Counterproductive Work Behaviours
(CWB)
2.82 .64 .13 -.02 -.01 -.04 -.01 -.04 -.08 -.08 .15 -.29** -.32** .38**
Table 6: A Table of Mean, Standard Deviation and Zero-Order Correlation (N =170)
Note: *p<.05; **p<.01
a Male= 1; Female= 2.
b 16 to 25 years old= 1; 26 to 35 years old= 2; 36 to 45 years old= 3; 46 to 55 years old= 4; 56 years old or above= 5.
c Single= 1; Divorced= 2; Married= 3; Widowed= 4.
d Secondary School= 1; Associate’s degree= 2; Bachelor’s degree= 3; Postgraduate= 4; Doctoral degree= 5; Other= 6.
e <10,000= 1; 10,001-20,000= 2; 20,001-30,000= 3; 30,001-40,000= 4; 40,001-50,000= 5; <50,001= 6.
f Blue –collar= 1; White –collar= 2.
29
Emotional Intelligence as a Moderator in the relationship between Negative Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behaviours
CWB
Variable M1 M2 M3 M4
Control variables
Gender
Age
Marital Status
No. of Children
Education Level
Tenure in the Organization
Tenure in the Position
Salary
Job Level
Working Class
.06
.01
.06
.00
.00
.02
-.08
-.01
.18
-.39**
.04
.02
.03
.02
-.02
.03
-.07
.00
.16**
-.35**
.03
.01
.01
.01
-.01
.06
-.10
-.02
.08
-.34**
-.01
.00
.02
-.02
.00
.10
-.12*
-.04
.04
-.30**
Independent variable
Negative emotions (NegEmot)
.27**
.27**
.28**
Moderator
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
-.27**
-.22**
Interaction
NegEmot X EI
-.13**
Adjusted R2 .06 .19 .27 .37
∆R2 .12 .09 .10
F 2.11* 4.49** 6.28** 8.69**
∆F 25.08** 19.95** 25.71**
Table 7: A Table of Hierarchical Regression Analysis for variables predicting Counterproductive Work Behaviours targeted at individual and
Counterproductive Work Behaviours targeted at organization (N=170)
*p<.05, **p<.01
30