Studying the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Commitment among the Library Information Assistants

Abstract

The study discusses about the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Organizational Commitment (OC) among the Library Information Assistants (LIA) working at the University of Peradeniya Library Network. All Library Information Assistants were participated to the study. Based on Goleman (1998) four dimension of EI scale and Allen and Meyer’s survey of organizational commitment (1990) scale, the questionnaire was developed and administered to collect data. Data obtained from this study were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regressions in order to identify the relationship between the variables. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that a significant and positive correlation between organizational commitment and four independent variables of emotional intelligence at .01 alpha level among Library Information Assistants. Only three constructs of EI that have influential effect on organizational commitment. Results indicated that linear combination of three predictor variables significantly affect the OC level of Library Information Assistants. Out of four predictors, three was identified the most influential, namely teamwork collaboration (β=0.249, P<0.05), adaptability (β=0.210, P<0.05), self assessment (β=0.181, P<0.05). The values show that teamwork & collaboration was the most influential factor on organizational commitment of Library Information Assistants. This implies that the positive level of teamwork and collaboration would be enhancing of organizational commitment of library employees. According to study results, it can be concluded that emotional intelligence is a significant determinant of organizational commitment of Library Information Assistants. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance emotional intelligence skills of Library Information Assistants to achieve organizational goals through training and professional programs.