The paper will hypothesise and test a dual-factor structural equation model (SEM) relating cognitive intelligence (CI), emotional intelligence (EI), and professional performance among Indian employees. CI has been established as a fundamental predictor of task performance, especially in mentally demanding occupations. EI, in turn, is becoming increasingly closely linked to job performance, engagement, and leadership in the Indian IT, banking, manufacturing, and service industries. CI and EI in a cross-sectional survey of 380 IT, banking, manufacturing, healthcare and education professionals in large Indian cities were conceptualised and found to be correlated yet independent latent constructs, which directly and indirectly predicted professional performance via positive work attitudes and self-regulation. The SEM was acceptable in the dual-factor model (χ 2 = 548.2, df = 224; CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.05). CI was an important predictor of task performance, but EI was more strongly related to contextual performance and had an indirect influence through work attitudes and self-regulation. EI also expounded incremental variance in performance over CI. The results highlight the complementary value of analytical and socio-emotional skills in Indian workplaces and propose implications for selection, training, and leadership development.
Kumar et al. (Mon,) studied this question.