The relationship between the emotional intelligence of hiring managers and the performance of those they hire

Emotional intelligence has emerged as a differentiating factor in the world of business. Moreover, hiring the right talent in a competitive global war on talent continues to be one key factor in maintain a competitive advantage. The premise of this research rests in the hypothesis that hiring managers who have higher levels of emotional intelligence will hire people that perform better and contribute more to the overall goals of the organization. Roughly 100 participants from a variety of functional disciplines in the study and two credible instruments measuring emotional intelligence and performance were utilized. The study proceeds using a quantitative regression approach to ascertain any relationship between en variables. In the end, the hypothesis that hiring managers with higher levels of emotional intelligence will select higher performing people does not show a significant enough correlation to reject the null hypothesis. However, this information is useful so that corporations think twice before placing too much emphasis on emotional intelligence in the hiring process. The study is also fodder for future research.