Impact of Psychological Capital and Emotional Intelligence on the Job Performance; Reference to Higher Education Institutes in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Psychological capital and emotional intelligence have been identified as a new approach to increase employee performance despite the fact that there are various factors that lead to the performance of the academic staff, which fulfills a very high national mission by producing educated and intelligent young generations who need to develop to protect the future of the country. Later, researchers found that it can change the way employees feel about their jobs. So, the researcher decided to investigate the impact of psychological capital and emotional intelligence on job performance in higher education institutions in Sri Lanka as this aspect has not been examined in the Sri Lankan context. The question investigated in this study is the effect of psychological capital and emotional intelligence on job performance in higher education institutions in Sri Lanka. It is the primary objective of this study. As a specific objectives of the study were developed on the four variables of the Psychological Capital and four variable of emotional intelligence construct. In summary, the researcher found that there is a positive effect of psychological capital and emotional intelligence on job performance. Finally, the study gives some recommendations for improving job performance by increasing psychological capital and emotional intelligence. Although psychological capital is a novel idea for many Vietnamese managers, they see it as a resource that can assist people improve their job performance (NGO, 2021). Understanding psychological capital, developing a questionnaire to measure its level based on work characteristics, business industries, conducting annual evaluations, and convening short-term psychological training courses for employees are some managerial initiatives. Furthermore, in order to improve employees’ job performance, managers should implement two-way internal communication activities that successfully match employees’ requirements, work goals, and assigned tasks at the personal level. Employee selection and promotion decisions can benefit from psychological capital and emotional intelligence. That is, management should prioritize self-efficacy, power contracts, and high levels of self-efficacy among those who can pay. Assist these employees in performing effectively in the workplace, they will be less likely to participate in risky behavior. During the hiring/promotion process, a psychological development status assessment might be conducted.