Emotional Intelligence and Employees’ Innovator Role: The Moderating Effect of Service Types

Abstract

Services vary significantly. Some services require high level of customization while others are focusing on standardization as the main objective. Customized services absolutely require service providers’ creativity in meeting the customers’ expectation. Studies have shown that Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be used to enhance service providers’ innovator role. Therefore, this study aims at investigating the moderating effect of service types on the relationship between EI factors (self emotional appraisal, others’ emotional appraisal, regulation of emotion, and use of emotion) and employees’ innovator role. Analyses of 167 responses revealed that the differential slopes of the moderator-based subgroups for the relationship between self emotional appraisal (SEA) and innovator role were significant. The findings highlight the importance of EI for employees in different service types to enhance their innovator role.