It is who you know and what you know: An examination of the relations among emotional intelligence, social network centrality, and performance

The conceptualization and measurement of emotional intelligence are becoming increasingly refined, and recent research has shown that it is related to important work outcomes, including performance. The reasons why emotional intelligence is related to performance, however, are unclear. I develop and test a model that posits social network centrality explains, in part, why emotional intelligence is associated with performance. Two hundred and forty-six participants were randomly assigned to 53 small groups to complete a nine-week long project. Emotional intelligence, social network centrality, and performance were measured at three different points in time. The results suggest that occupying central positions in advice networks (i.e., social networks through which individuals exchange job-related information, assistance, and guidance) explains, in part, why individuals with high emotional intelligence exhibit strong task performance and a high level of organizational citizenship behaviour. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.