Measuring Emotional Intelligence: Development and Validation of an Instrument

Emotional intelligence has been discussed in the popular business press over the past few years and has recently found its way into prestigious business and industrial psychology journals. However, there is no validated instrument available in the academic literature for management consultants, trainers, and business practitioners to use when surveying employees’ perceptions of their emotional intelligence. The authors therefore constructed and examined a new measure, beginning with 269 items which were eventually trimmed to 30 items. All items loaded cleanly on their respective factors. In Study 1 and Study 2, reliabilities were: Emotional Intelligence measure = .86, 91; Empathetic Response dimension = .87, 92; Mood Regulation dimension = .77, 76; Interpersonal Skills dimension = .82, 82; Internal Motivation dimension = .78, 81; and Self-Awareness dimension = .69, .70, respectively. It was found that emotional intelligence was positively related to proactive personality and personal control, but negatively related to irritability/verbal hostility and emotional exhaustion. The construct’s relationships with selected demographic variables were inconclusive.