A Mediating and Moderating Analysis of the Relationship Between Team Emotional Intelligence and Team Performance

Abstract

The study aims to examine the association between team emotional intelligence (EI) and team performance, particularly in construction projects, with a deliberate focus on identifying the factors that may foster or hinder team performance. To examine the hypothesized nexus of the model, dyadic data of 302 project employees and their site supervisors was collected, representing 53 teams in total. Organizations working on construction projects and relevant participants were selected through purposive sampling method. Findings of the study pronounce a positive association between team EI and team performance of engineers. Further, this study supports the mediating role of team trust between focal variables. Notably, task interdependence buffers the association between team EI and team performance. Coupled with the theoretical contribution, the study also offers valuable insights for managerial consideration, which may help them to maintain the workflow in construction projects and enhance team performance. Although EI constitutes essential resources for higher performance, prior research has not investigated whether and when team EI facilitates team performance, particularly in construction projects. We contributed to filling this gap by establishing the direct and indirect association between team EI and team performance via team trust. Moreover, the study also established task interdependence as a relevant moderator. In sum, the study at hand brings to the fore the dispositional and contextual antecedents that could potentially impact team performance, particularly in the construction project context.