Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Labour and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour in service environments

There is increasing recognition regarding the role of emotions in predicting the performance of workers. In particular, there has been extensive interest regarding the constructs of Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Labour in the promotion of more productive worker behaviour. Research focusing on emotions in the workplace has typically been conducted within western settings. In this study, we examine the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on Emotional Labour (EL) and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) in the Malaysian service industry. Data were collected from 131 front desk employees across four resorts within a Malaysian hotel chain. In line with expectations, analyses revealed that EL partially mediated the relationship between EI and OCB. Implications for theory and practice in non–western settings are discussed.