Emotional intelligence research within human resource development scholarship

The purpose of this study is to review and synthesize pertinent emotional intelligence (EI) research within the human resource development (HRD) scholarship.

An integrative review of literature was conducted and multiple electronic databases were searched to find the relevant resources. Using the content analysis technique, the literature was reviewed and thematically organized.

Seven major themes emerged through the process of content analysis on the body of the reviewed literature. The themes which described the presence of EI-related research within the field of HRD, included: Conceptual connections between EI and HRD; various aspects of EI training and development; the strengths and weaknesses of different EI measurement tools; EI profiles of individuals across various careers; the influence of context in the interpretation of EI; the role of EI in productive interpersonal interactions; and, finally, the impact of EI in leadership development and performance.

The search for this review was limited to peer-reviewed published EI-related articles which contained the keywords “human resource development” or “HRD”. While the field of HRD encompasses a wide variety of areas, this study has the limitation of excluding other relevant articles that did not contain the key terms.

The originality of this study lies in its focus on EI and developing human resources. It argues that EI is a legitimate organization development intervention that can be effectively utilized to improve performance at individual, group, process and organizational levels.