A Study Of Emotional Intelligence,Conflict Management Style And Innovation Performance In Construction Personnel

Conflict is inevitable during the project construction process while colleagueswithin a department may come up with different kinds of conflicts. A high level ofconflict will lead to decrease of staffs productivity and satisfaction. However, areasonable level of conflict within enterprises can enhance the enthusiasm of staffs,thus improving their job performance. Therefore, staffs should select the appropriateconflict management styles when conflict occurs. Staff s emotional intelligenceaffects their choice of conflict management styles; thereby produces impact on theirinnovation performance. Based on previous study on the relationship among staffsemotional intelligence, conflict management styles and innovation performance ingeneral enterprises, this thesis puts forward the hypotheses of staffs emotionalintelligence, conflict management styles and innovation performance in Chineseconstruction context, and explores the mediating role of conflict management styles.Based on an extensive literature review, this thesis firstly constructed a relationalmodel of emotional intelligence, conflict management styles and innovationperformance of Chinese construction staffs in order to identify the measurement ofthree variables above. A total of187staffs from Chinese construction enterprises wereasked to complete the questionnaires through e-mail and an on-site investigation. Thefinal sample consisted of138respondents. Finally the hypotheses were tested byusing correlation analyses, partial correlation analyses and linear regression analyses.This thesis confirms that for the staffs in Chinese construction enterprises, emotionalintelligence is positively related to integrating, compromising and dominating conflictmanagement styles; emotional intelligence is positively related to innovationperformance; integrating, compromising and obliging conflict management styleshave a positive relationship with innovation performance; integrating andcompromising styles partially mediate the relationship between emotional intelligenceand innovation performance. In the event of conflict within a department, staffs areinclined to select integrating and compromising conflict management styles so as tomaintain the relationship with colleagues and eventually achieve a satisfactory result.Therefore, after conflict happens between colleagues within a department, staffshad better use integrating and compromising management styles, make an open discussion with others to resolve conflict effectively and increase individualinnovation performance. On the other hand, managers should pay more attention tostaffs emotional intelligence, like holding some certain courses about how to enhancepeople s emotional intelligence; encourage them to control their own emotions better.In addition, mangers should also advocate a culture of using integrating andcompromising conflict management styles to resolve conflict between colleagues, soas to improve innovation performance of staffs.