Mediating role of individual market orientation in emotional intelligence and job performance relationship for banking industry

Abstract

This empirical article fills the research gap by testing individual market orientation as a mediator in the relationship between the emotional intelligence (EI) and individual performance of operational employees in banking industry. Data were gathered from a survey of 10 banks, from which 188 respondents filled the questionnaires for this study. To decide on the sample size for this study, the G*power software was used to calculate the minimum sample size required. The study analyzed data using structural equation model (SEM) and specifically the partial least square-based structural equation modelling. Two stages of analysis were conducted: the measurement model and the structural model. The results indicate that market orientation has a significant impact on individual performance in which it has provided enough evidence to support the hypothesis that the employees with individual market orientation in the organization perform better. Consistently, the market orientation significantly mediates the relationship between EI and individual performance. The research is expected to contribute in threefold: increase the literature database regarding the antecedents of individual market orientation, change the way we perceive the relationship between EI and performance by introducing individual market orientation as a mediator and lastly, assist the decisions of managers in the organization and provide the basis for future researchers.