However, research thus far has focused on the positive aspects
of emotional intelligence among the non-task related behaviors
of employees. No study has used outcome variables in a negative
dimension. In particular, since OCBs and CWBs as voluntary
behaviors are non-task related behaviors that appear as employees’
emotional intelligence declines, they will be more significant
as outcome variables. Furthermore, in service-oriented businesses
such as hotels, employees are service providers in direct face-toface
contact with customers; thus, emotional intelligence that plays
important roles in controlling emotions is more influential. However,
studies of hotel employees in relation to the effectiveness of
emotional intelligence are very rare. Consequently, for employees
to maintain emotionally healthy conditions in service encounters
in hotels and continuously create positive outcomes, their ability
to control their emotions should be prioritized. Indeed, emotional
intelligence is thus required of employees who must perceive and
control their own emotions as well as those of customers in the
course of performing their emotional labor (Mayer and Salovey,
1997). Therefore, it can be supposed that the emotional intelligence
of employees can also reduce the adverse effects of CWBs
among employees. In this respect, this study verifies that employees’
emotional intelligence significantly affects both OCBs, which
are positive behaviors in organizations, and CWBs, which are negative
behaviors, through the results of a case study of the emotional
intelligence of hotel food and beverage employees. It also explores
the details of the sub-factors of emotional intelligence that significantly
affect OCBs and CWBs. Thus, this study identifies the
associations among emotional intelligence, CWBs, and OCBs that
have not yet been fully explored in the food service literature
(Fig. 1).
2. Literature review and conceptual model
2.1. Emotional intelligence, CWBs, and OCBs
Emotional intelligence (EI) has been defined as “the ability to
perceive accurately, appraise, and express emotion; the ability
to access and/or generate feelings when they facilitate thought;
the ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge;
and the ability to regulate emotions to promote emotional and
intellectual growth” (Mayer and Salovey, 1997, p. 10). Goleman
(1995) noted that emotional intelligence is an important factor
in identifying employees who could create excellent work outcomes
and for predicting managers’ work abilities. Dulewicz and
Higgs (1998) considered emotional intelligence to be a process by
which one manages one’s feelings and emotions, defining it as
an ability to perceive one’s own emotions and provide motives