Content area
Abstract
Despite mounting evidence of emotional intelligence on creating positive attitudes, fostering collaboration, and managing conflict, the relationship of emotional intelligence and workforce diversity in women and minorities is not widely known. The proliferation of emotionally intelligent women and minorities in the American workforce misaligns with the current insufficiency in workplace diversity in senior roles at United States (U.S.) firms in the high-tech sector. This quantitative descriptive-comparative study was conducted to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and workplace diversity. The sample consisted of 330 White, Hispanic, Asian, and Black employees in managerial and leadership roles. Participants’ emotional intelligence responsiveness were assessed with the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0) assessment. A theoretical framework incorporated foundational theories in emotional intelligence, cultural diversity, organizational, and diversity and inclusion. Descriptive statistical analysis, inferential statistical procedures, MANOVA tests, and post hoc analyses were applied using SPSS Software® to evaluate results. Results show that EI is a predictor to workplace diversity by diverse leader employee group, ^ = 0.89, X2 (15) = 37.57, p = .00; by ethnicity ^ = 0.91, F(10, 516) = 2.37, p = .01; and by race ^ = 0.90, F(10, 516) = 2.86, p = .00. Recommendations are presented with varied approaches such as a mixed method research study, a developmental research study with a longitudinal design, or a qualitative study that can corroborate the current study findings for women and minorities in the high-tech sector.
