Title: The impact of emotional intelligence on employee motivation in the construction industry in South Africa

Authors: Ridwaan Essop; Muhammad Ehsanul Hoque

Addresses: Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, 4000, South Africa ' Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, 4000, South Africa

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate employee motivation and emotional intelligence and their interdependencies. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 60 employees from a construction company. The pertinent factors of employee motivation and emotional intelligence were identified based on a dissection of the levels of emotional intelligence and employee motivation. Age, marital status, tertiary education and authority were identified as salient categorical components that affected emotional intelligence and employee motivation. The predominant determinants discovered were remuneration, purposeful job, and feeling of accomplishment. The study yielded a significant positive correlation between emotional intelligence and employee motivation at 0.732 (p < 0.001) and a coefficient of determination of 0.5358. It was also subsequently discovered that there is a more significant correlation between emotional intelligence and intrinsic employee motivation. The level of an individual's emotional intelligence had greater dominance over intrinsic employee motivation than on extrinsic employee motivation. Therefore, the organisation should use the predominant factors of motivation as part of a strategic plan to augment employee motivation. The organisation needs to consider employment of employee wellness programs, succession planning, skills development and monetary incentives as part of their policies.

Keywords: construction industry; emotional intelligence; employee motivation; feeling of accomplishment; remuneration; purposeful job; South Africa.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWOE.2018.093254

International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 2018 Vol.9 No.2, pp.125 - 138

Received: 05 Jul 2016
Accepted: 12 Nov 2017
Published online: 24 Jul 2018 *

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