Relationship between emotional intelligence of managers and voluntary turnover intentions of employees/followers

This quantitative correlational study examined the relationships between managers' emotional intelligence and employees/followers' turnover intentions. The study was conducted at an aerospace company located in the northeastern U.S., and used volunteer samples consisting of 232 full-time salaried employees from seven groups. Managers' emotional intelligence was evaluated with the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) survey instrument, while employees/followers' turnover intentions was examined with the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire (MOAQ). Pearson product-moment correlation was used to investigate relationships between the variables. The study showed overall correlations between managers with higher EQ scores and subordinates who are more likely to stay with the organization. There was variation among the group results however, with a mix of both positive and negative significant correlations (p<.05). The overall results of the current study showed that managers' emotional intelligence is a minor determining factor in an employee's decision to continue as a member of the organization. The results of the current study lead to the conclusion that due to the non-statistically significant results for some measures, leaders should exercise caution before generalizing the results.