The moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior in the medical device industry

Abstract

The quantitative research tested the moderating effects of the emotional intelligence constructs of intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability, stress management, and general mood on the relationship between the single construct servant leadership and the constructs of organizational citizenship behavior, including interpersonal helping, individual initiative, personal industry, and loyal boosterism, resulting in the creation of 20 separate hypotheses. The sample included 104 respondents within the US medical device industry. Multiple hierarchal regression analysis confirmed that eight of the hypotheses indicated a moderating effect on the servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior relationship. The construct of stress management did not moderate any of the servant leader and organizational citizenship behavior relationship constructs, while the personal industry construct of organizational citizenship behavior indicated a statistically significant relationship with the other four emotional intelligence constructs. This research provided supporting evidence for the importance of emotional intelligence within organizational leadership theory by demonstrating the moderating effect on organizational production, thereby providing further support on the importance of including emotional intelligence training within medical device organizational sales and marketing training programs.