Effect of emotional intelligence on work stress - a study of Indian managers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and work stress in the sample of managers. The study also aimed to see if EI and work stress varied across various management levels. The sample consisted of 103 managers across three levels of management, i.e. senior management, middle management and junior management working in various private sector organisations. The participants completed two questionnaires, Emotional Quotient Inventory by Bar-On and occupational stress index by Srivastava and Singh. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a negative correlation between EI and work stress. The results of analysis of variance showed that EI and work stress varied significantly across three management levels, with senior managers scoring better on EI test than their younger counterparts. However, the stress experienced by senior managers was found to be less than the other two levels. The results of regression analysis showed that there is a significant impact of EI in controlling work stress as 24% of variation in work stress could be explained by the variation in EI.