Normalizing Difference: Emotional intelligence and diversity management competence in healthcare managers

Intangible Capital IC, 2018 – 14(3): 429-444 – Online ISSN: 1697-9818 – Print ISSN: 2014-3214 https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 Normalizing Difference: Emotional intelligence and diversity management competence in healthcare managers Adebukola E. Oyewunmi Covenant University (Nigeria) [email protected] Received April, 2017 Accepted April, 2018 Abstract Purpose: The diverse workforce presents an array of complexities which necessitates the deployment of specific managerial competencies. Empirical evidences have indicated the role of emotional intelligence in the enhancement of abilities. Thus, this study investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and diversity management competence amongst healthcare managers in Southwest Nigeria. Design/methodology: The descriptive survey method was adopted for the study. A total of 360 respondents completed the structured questionnaire titled Emotional Intelligence and Diversity Management Competence Questionnaire (EIDMCQ). Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, hierarchical regression model and Structural Equation Model (SEM). Findings: A positive significant relationship was found between emotional intelligence and diversity management competence. Further findings on the dynamics of relationships between the constructs of emotional intelligence and diversity management competence are presented in the study. Practical implications: As difference is the reality of modern organizations, it is important to conceptualize it as normal and positive. Emotional intelligence is recommended as a critical tool to normalize the individual perceptions of difference. The re-assessment of the functions of managers must be followed by total commitment to capacity building in emotional intelligence, as well as the reengineering of organizational and national cultures to promote equal opportunities, inclusion and diversity leveraging. Originality/value: This study pioneers research on emotional intelligence and diversity management competence in Nigeria’s public healthcare sector. It conceptualizes diversity management on an individualmanagerial level. Practical interventions are provided to enhance the application of specific competencies to optimize a diverse workplace. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Diversity, Diversity Management, Healthcare, Leadership, Managers Jel Codes: J24, M12 1. Introduction The existence of any organization is usually geared towards the achievement of set objectives. As a subsystem, the organization operates within an environment and is therefore subject to environmental factors. These internal and external factors have the potential to impact on performance outcomes. As agents of an -429- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 organization, managers have a measure of control over the internal milieu of their organization. A major component of the organization’s internal environment is its human asset, which is central to the viability and survival of the organization. Hence, there is a critical need to understand and embrace the heterogeneous nature of the workforce (Ashkanasy, Hartel & Daus, 2002; Meyer & Bromley, 2013). The functions of management and the convoluted demands of the modern workplace requires managers to possess a wide range of competencies, which refer to performance capabilities that distinguish effective from ineffective managers within the organizational context. Managerial competencies include intra-personal, interpersonal, leadership, and business skills. A manager’s intra-personal and inter-personal competencies will influence the ability to effectively relate with and lead the diverse workforce. Therefore, human skills are crucial for the survival of contemporary organizations. If organizations select and evaluate managers based solely on cognitive abilities and business skills, whilst ignoring intra-personal, inter-personal and leadership skills; they consequently disregard the human aspect of enterprise (Hogan & Warrenfeltz, 2003). Emotional intelligence is fundamental to managers’ understanding of the needs of others. The manager understands the multidimensional and interrelatedness of emotions and the responses that relate to specific emotions; as well as the need for strong communication skills and the ability to appreciate differing perspectives (Caruso, Mayer & Salovey, 2002). The growing recognition of the significance of emotions at work, the changing role of the manager and empirical evidence linking emotional intelligence to performance outcomes, validates emotional intelligence as imperative in organizational life. Today’s diverse workforce reflects the evolution of the world and business environment. The lack of homogeneity in the workplace and the identification of the importance of inclusion, has prompted the practice of managing diversity (Downey, van der Werff, Thomas & Plaut, 2015). The aim of managing diversity in an organization is to increase opportunities to achieve competitive advantage, by managing the similarities and differences amongst people. The essence of diversity management is reflected in Martin Luther King’s landmark speech, ‘I have a dream’. He envisioned that a time will come when people will only be judged by their character and capabilities, rather than their gender, age, colour of their skin, ethnic or cultural backgrounds and disabilities. The vision includes the hope that someday, all individuals irrespective of their differences will be able to ‘sit together at the tables of sisterhood and brotherhood with open minds and not clenched fists’ (Smith, 2009). Scholars have made a case for diversity management competence in the healthcare sector (Gathers, 2003; Simms, 2013). This is because diversity management competence in healthcare is necessary for the adequate provision of services to the diverse customer base. The public healthcare workforce in Nigeria is relatively reflective of the Nigerian State, which is widely regarded as the most populous nation in Africa (The World Bank, 2013) and one of the most diverse countries in the world (Society for Human Resource Management, 2009). There are multiple facets of Nigeria’s diversity which portends numerous positives for the workplace when managers possess the requisite skills to leverage on diversity. However, a lack of requisite competencies portends poor management of diversity, which could lead to many negative outcomes (Akinnusi, Sonubi & Oyewunmi, 2017). Potentially, differences could result in members of the workforce having varying perceptions of each other, ranging from negative, neutral, and positive (Chattopadhyay, Tluchowska & George, 2004). These variations in perception could impact on collaborations, interpersonal relations, and performance outcomes within the workplace. A major challenge of the diverse workforce is the exclusion of certain individuals or groups based on differences such as, gender; age; ethnicity or cultural affiliation; religion; social class; disability etc. Within the Nigerian context, the public space is synonymous with the politics of exclusion (Alubo, 2011). Public healthcare in Nigeria is overwhelmed by many operational challenges (Oyewunmi & Oyewunmi, 2014), hence the sustainability of the sector depends considerably on managers’ competence in motivating the workforce towards the accomplishment of the sector’s objectives. This study appraises the relationship between emotional intelligence and diversity management competence amongst managers in selected public healthcare institutions in Southwest Nigeria. The relevance of this study is apparent against the backdrop of the Nigerian State, given the multiple diversities which characterize the country and the attendant socio-dynamics. -430- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 2. Conceptual clarifications 2.1. Emotional intelligence The first appearance of the emotional intelligence construct was in a German publication by Leuner (1966). As an English word, the construct was used in the doctoral thesis of Payne (1985), who studied emotional experience and therapy. Salovey and Mayer (1990) were first to present a conceptual outline of aptitudes that constitute emotional intelligence. Goleman (1995) popularized the construct and conceptualized it as a universal characteristic possessed by all persons; a measurable spectrum of individual difference in which persons may be ranked on emotional scales. Caruso and Salovey (2004) state that emotional intelligence involves being able to perceive, express, assimilate and make judgements with emotion. Emotional intelligence is a concept with multiple factors that incorporates different inter-connected emotional, personal, and social competencies, which enables individuals to adapt to the demands of the environment (Bar-On, 1997; Goleman, 1995). Gendron (2007) explains the concept as the ability to comprehend and apply emotions as a source of strength, creativity, and connection. Emotional intelligence is the consciousness and management of emotions, ability to influence the emotions of others with sensitivity, the sustenance of motivation, enthusiasm, and conscientiousness. In relation to the workplace, it is the skill to discern, communicate, comprehend, and coordinate emotions effectively at work. There are variations in opinions as to what should constitute the domain of emotional intelligence (Zeidner, Matthews & Roberts, 2004). For instance, the distinction amongst the ability, trait and mixed models of emotional intelligence have contributed to the debate on the legitimacy of the construct (Stough, Palmer, Gardener, Papageorgiou & Redman, 2002). The theories of emotional intelligence are usually classified in two (2) forms; as an ability-based skill, as seen in definition of Mayer and Salovey (1997) and as a mixed model, which implies that emotional intelligence includes personality traits as seen in Goleman’s (1995) definition. The variations in conceptualization is regarded as the ‘ability model’ versus ‘mixed model’ debate (Mayer, Caruso & Salovey, 1999). Whilst some researchers have argued that there must be a singular, correct theoretical framework for emotional intelligence, others maintain that the divergence of theories serves the purpose of providing additional insights into the complex construct (Badenhorst & Smith, 2007). Emmerling and Goleman (2003) opine that this is characteristic of theory building in any area of study, as theories emerge and differentiate; thereby providing robustness and not weakness. Emotional intelligence has also been criticized as an unverified idea that is not useful to the comprehension of differences in people, beyond existing psychological dimensions (Woodruffe, 2001). Locke (2005) states that emotional intelligence is a void concept because it has become too broad, with too many variegated components and as such, is no longer an intelligible concept. Another criticism is that since emotional intelligence is closely related to intelligence and personality, being able to control these factors, equals emotional intelligence being useless (Decker, 2003). Despite these criticisms, emotional intelligence has reportedly indicated significant positive effects on several workplace outcomes. This study adopts Goleman’s (1995) model of emotional intelligence which consists of self-awareness, selfregulation, social awareness, and relationship management. Self-awareness as the capacity to recognize one’s emotions and comprehend the effects of emotions on actions or behaviour (Goleman,1998). It is an individual’s in-depth appreciation of his or her feelings, flaws, strengths, inclinations, and impulses (Goleman, Boyatzis & Mckee, 2002). In the workplace, self-awareness refers to the practice of reflection and accurate appraisal of one’s own behaviour and abilities. Self-regulation is a sense of positivity, initiative, dutifulness, and the ability to persevere in the pursuit of goals (Goleman, 1998). It is the capacity to react to constant environmental demands with the right emotions, in a way that is acceptable and suitable to allow spontaneous responses (Cole, Michel & Teti, 1994). It may also be described as both an external and internal process, involving the observation, evaluation, and modification of emotional responses (Thompson, 1994). Human beings are constantly subjected to experiences that can stimulate various emotions. Unregulated emotional responses to such stimulations could hamper relationships within and outside the workplace (Zeman, Cassano, Perry-Parrish & Stegall, 2006). Social awareness is a diverse and noncognitive set of skills present in most social settings (Goleman, 2006). It is -431- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 synonymous with the use of empathy, along social cognition, to go beyond verbal communication for a deeper assessment of intentions. Relationship management is the capacity to communicate, collaborate, and manage conflict in interpersonal relationships with others (Goleman, 1998). It refers to the facilitation of effective interaction and communication with others. According to Bradberry and Greaves (2005), relationship management employs the consciousness of individuals’ emotions to manage interactions effectively. 2.2. Diversity management competence Diversity has the power to evoke emotions within and outside the workplace. This is a major reason it has been a feature of management literature over the last twenty (20) years. Defining and conceptualizing diversity appears to be shrouded in ambiguities and has been regarded as an uneasy task (Nkomo & Stewart, 2006). Originally, the term diversity comes from the Latin diversitas and the old French word diversité meaning difference, unique feature, oddness. In defining diversity, Carrell, Elbert, Hatfield, Grobler, Marx and Van der Schyf (1998) state that there are two (2) paradigms of diversity, i.e. primary and secondary. The primary paradigm of defining diversity refers to human differences such as age, gender, ethnicity, physical abilities. Another perspective argues that diversity is concerned with differences beyond the primary paradigm which include education, religion, and social class (Osland, Kolb & Rubin, 2001). Diversity incorporates several demographic and socio-economic facets of the society, like the aging population, increase in immigration, the changed role of women at work, gender, and cultural disparities in the workplace (Drucker, 2007). Workforce diversity connotes the variations and features that are attributable to individuals, like gender, age, ethnicity/culture, physical attributes, religion, economic and educational background. A diverse workforce comprises of persons with varying human attributes, as well as different cultures or ethnicities. An encompassing definition of workforce diversity includes differences in gender, age, race, culture, ethnicity, religion, affectionate orientation, etc. Workforce diversity may like likened to a doubled-edged sword because of its potential benefits and its possible challenges. It may portend increased creativity, innovation, and the probability that members of a diverse workforce may fail to identify with other persons with differing identities (Saxena, 2014). A diverse workforce is of great benefit to organizations seeking to maintain a competitive edge, particularly considering the dynamic business environment where flexibility and creativity are crucial to competitiveness. It can promote business opportunities, innovation, and corporate image. Also, organizations that employ a diverse workforce enjoy multiple resolutions to problems, because a diverse workforce contributes individual talents and ideas to problem solving processes. If the workforce feels at ease to communicate differing perspectives, it provides a wealth of ideas for the organization, resulting in better performance outcomes and profitability (D’Netto, Shen, Chelliah & Monga, 2014). A major challenge of workforce diversity is poor cohesiveness amongst employees. It may be difficult to cultivate cohesion because of differences in language, culture, and background of employees. The workforce may experience communication problems and misunderstandings. There could also be issues of mistrust and tension within the workplace because people generally prefer to associate with those that share the same background, values and beliefs that are similar to their own. This makes it important for organizations to effectively manage workplace diversity by ensuring the inclusion of all persons, fostering self-esteem and belongingness (Akinnusi et al., 2017). Diversity management has become a popular term used in modern society and management practice. Many organizations around the world have developed policies that aim to promote and manage diversity. The birth of diversity management took place in the United States of America in the 1980's; and Roosevelt coined the term in 1983(Kelly & Dobbin, 1998). Diversity management was driven by the increasing criticisms of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action (AA) initiatives which were in place in the 70’s (Kandola & Fuellerton, 1994). The dominant understanding of diversity management highlighted the voluntary nature of the engagements, the inclusion of all differences, and corporate business interests as the driving force behind diversity initiatives. Generally, the motives for diversity management may be divided into external and internal possibilities. External -432- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 possibilities of diversity management are new markets or new customer segments and social responsibility. Internal prospects include better performance, creativity, motivation, and employee retention (Reisinger, 2009). Globalization and the dynamic business environment makes diversity management an imperative for organization looking to thrive and survive in these contemporary times. The manager’s role in diversity management is crucial. This is because roles and tasks of managers have changed to include, encouraging, inspiring and supporting the inclusion of all employees in spite of their backgrounds, to ensure the achievement of organizational goals. Managers must redefine the functions leadership and develop competencies that are requisite for managing workforce diversity. Competence refers to an individually or inter-individually available collection of prerequisites for successful action in meaningful task domains (Weinert, 2001). Competencies are a combination of skills, knowledge, attitudes, personality traits and other individual characteristics that differentiate or impact on performance in a positive sense. Competencies are useful in linking education and job specifications (Boon & van der Klink, 2002). The effective management of a diverse workforce requires specific managerial competencies conceptualized to include diversity awareness, diversity adaptability, diversity leveraging and inclusiveness. Diversity awareness is a person’s ability to reflect on his/her own identity and recognize differences. It is an active, ongoing conscious process in which an individual recognizes similarities and differences amongst various social or cultural groups (Jeffreys, 2008). The awareness, respect, and value of differences in other people, makes it possible to genuinely value and appreciate diversity. Diversity adaptability is an individual attribute that is necessary in managing differences (Pearlman & Barney, 2000). It equates flexibility and openness to new ideas and diverse identities; understanding and balancing diverse views to achieve practical solutions; valuing change and acting effectively under pressure. Diversity leveraging involves the strategic engagement of diversity in achieving specific objectives (Davidson, 2011). When managers leverage on diversity, it becomes increasingly effortless. The organization begins to orient itself toward determining how differences can contribute to results in a sustainable sense. Inclusiveness refers to fair employment practices that eliminate bias and discrimination; norms and expectations that promote openness of individuals to be themselves. Managers must be competent in providing an inclusive workplace where all employees are appreciated and recognized regardless of differences, perceived as equals to other employees and encouraged to maintain their uniqueness (Bell, Özbilgin, Beauregard & Sürgevil, 2011). 3. Theoretical framework The theory of multiple intelligence proposes that individuals possess diverse abilities; hence, the concept of intelligence should not be stereotyped (Gardner, 1983). Emotional intelligence is based on Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences as it embodies the interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. Criticisms relating to the theory of multiple intelligences stem from the absence of psychometric support. Some of the advanced intelligences are not easily amenable to psychometric assessment, and there are methodological issues as some traditional assessments produce results that are biased against multiple intelligence theory (Almeida, Prieto, Ferreira, Bermejo, Ferrando & Ferrándiz, 2010). Social identity and social categorization (Tajfel & Turner, 1986; Tajfel, Flament, Billing & Bundy, 1971) are complimentary theories that explain the dynamics of intergroup interactions. They imply that organizations may or may not benefit from the relationship between individuals and social structures. This relationship may result in either an insider or outsider experience for the individual. Being part of a social group is a characteristic of human existence and this dynamic is apparent in the organizational context where individuals identify and categorize themselves in social groups. The social identity theory was advanced by Tajfel and Turner (1986) to explain the association between social structures and individual perception of identity. This connection determines membership in social groups and implies that people identify themselves with social groups per social comparisons that have are meaningful to them. Studies by Tajfel et al. (1971) found that when people identify with an in-group, they tend to see the positives of their in-group over other (out) groups. -433- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 The social categorization theory refers to the cerebral process of comparison where individuals categorize themselves into groups based on similarities (Mor Barak, 2011). It is a cognitive instrument used to categorize individuals based on social environment, resulting in in-group or out-group biases and motivations (Tajfel et al., 1971). Tajfel and Turner (1986) state that people associate and collaborate with people that are like them. The social categorization theory advances the view that, status differences amongst social groups will result in stronger identification of individuals with their in-group and behavior that is in the interest of the in-group. Based on these theories, potential challenges for the diverse workplace include in-group favoritism and biases. These could impact negatively on behaviour and lead to outcomes such as, conflict, poor cohesion, poor communication, less cooperation amongst employees, job dissatisfaction and turnover intention. The conscious competence theory suggests that individuals can be categorized in terms of their awareness of unawareness of their competence or incompetence (Robinson, 1974). The four (4) stages of competence include: •Unconscious Incompetence: This suggests that an individual does not comprehend of recognize a deficit in skill. Without an awareness of incompetence, it might be difficult to assume the second stage of competence. •Conscious Incompetence: The individual at this stage is aware of a competence deficit. This may result in the stimulation and willingness to acquire learning and competence. •Conscious Competence: The individual is aware of his or her competence. Task execution however requires a measure of conscious concentration. •Unconscious Competence: The individual’s competence has become second nature and can be performed with ease and no pressure. A relevant theory associated with the Theory of Conscious Competence is the DunningKruger Effect (Kruger & Dunning, 1999). This refers to a form of cognitive bias where individuals who are relatively unskilled, incompetent or inept, have a form of delusional or illusory superiority, because of wrong assessment of their abilities. Kruger and Dunning (1999) state that highly skilled individuals may underestimate their relative competence. The Dunning-Kruger Effect resonates the thought of Confucius that ‘real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance’ and the opinion of Charles Darwin that ‘ignorance can frequently beget confidence than does knowledge’. The theory of conscious competence and the Dunning-Kruger Effect can be applied to emotional intelligence and diversity management competence. Managers are either at the stage of unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, or unconscious competence. The first two stages have negative implications for the workplace. Managers who are unconsciously incompetent will find it difficult to motivate employees to achieve set objectives, may be egoistical, unamenable to change and unable to effectively manage a diverse workforce. Individuals in this category are unaware of their ineptitude and will consistently do things the wrong way because of the unawareness of incompetence. Managers who are conscious of their incompetence and are unwilling to acquire requisite skills and competencies will find it difficult to manage diverse and competent employees. The challenge however is getting managers who are unconsciously incompetent to become self-aware and acquire competencies, and managers who are consciously incompetent to acquire competencies. In relation with workforce diversity, many individuals have set biases and stereotypes, and may not be open to perspectives and competencies that oppose their convictions. 4. Hypotheses formulation Studies which clearly demonstrate the relationship between managers’ emotional intelligence and diversity management competence are limited. Magoshi and Chang (2009) studied the effects of diversity management on employee commitment in Japan and Korea, where the workforce is highly homogenous. The study sampled five hundred and eighty-two (582) respondents from both countries and the results indicate that diversity management strategies have positive effects on employees’ commitment to their organizations. Although there is a popular perception that individuals prefer homogenous groups, this might not necessarily translate to -434- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 performance or effectiveness in the workplace. When heterogonous groups are properly managed, they have great potential for productivity. Using a sample of ninety-eight executive MBA students, Lillis and Krzystofiak (2007) found that group emotional intelligence indicates positive performance outcomes in heterogeneous groups than in homogenous groups. As international corporations operate in a dynamic environment defined by multi-cultural differences, Reilly and Karounos (2009) examined the connection between emotional intelligence and cross-cultural leadership effectiveness. Being a cross-cultural study, four cultural clusters were sampled; Anglo, Latin European; Eastern European; and South Asia. Mid-to-upper-level international sales managers were surveyed, and results showed that emotional intelligence is more esteemed compared to cognitive abilities. The study supported earlier findings that transformational leadership style is favored across cultures. The results also suggested that emotional intelligence is crucial to global management. The need to establish strong relationships with cross-cultural customers and employees is an example of social awareness and relationship management. Saberi (2012) studied the role of emotional intelligence in promoting inter-cultural sensitivity using a sample of respondents from nine countries. The findings indicated that emotional intelligence abilities enhance intercultural sensitivity in the process of inter-cultural adaptation. Kamps and Engelbrecht (2011) found a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and the appreciation of differences. A study on the effect of age diversity on the Nigerian workforce as conducted by Owoyemi, Elegbede and Gbajumo-Sheriff (2011) expressed the importance of harnessing the potential each employee towards organizational performance. The findings of their study reveal the importance of a balanced workforce composition as well as the need to develop models to promote compatibility and cooperation among diverse age groups in the workplace. Management research has been integrative in establishing the relationship amongst emotional intelligence, leadership effectiveness, employee and organizational performance and so on (e.g. Batool, 2013; Popoola & Zaid, 2015; Oyewunmi, Oyewunmi, Ojo & Oludayo, 2015). However, the increasing heterogeneity of the global workforce makes it imperative to clearly ascertain the relationship between emotional intelligence and diversity management competence. Therefore, this study hypothesized that: H1: motional intelligence contributes significantly to diversity management competence. H2: Gender and age moderate the relationship between emotional intelligence and diversity management competence. Figure 1. Schematic Model -435- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 5. Methods 5.1. Participants The participants for the study consisted of three hundred and sixty (360) professional healthcare practitioners in the managerial cadre. The sample was limited to the managerial cadre of employees because they are either currently managing diverse teams or have managed diverse teams in the past. This set of employees possess a reasonable amount of insight regarding the intricacies of managing differences and similarities in the workplace. The study covered selected public healthcare institutions in the four (4) oldest States in Southwestern Nigeria. Government-owned hospitals are at the tertiary level of the national care system. Hence, they have a broader scope of operations, teaching and research facilities. 5.2. Research instrument The research instrument contained items from the Emotional Intelligence Scale, designed by Schutte et al. (1998). The 33-item measure is structured to appraise an individual’s perceptions of the extent to which she/he can recognize, comprehend, and manage emotions in themselves and in other people. Respondents for this study were asked to rate themselves on these emotional intelligence traits. Schutte et al. (1998) report a satisfactory internal consistency reliability (r = 0.87 to .90) and adequate test-retest reliability (r = 0.78).Additional items were added to the questionnaire to determine diversity awareness, diversity adaptability, diversity leveraging (Davidson, 2011) and inclusiveness (Hollander, Park, Boyd, Elman & Ignagni, 2008). Other items in the research instrument targeted the demographic profiles of espondents. The internal consistency of the research instrument is found at Cronbach’s Alpha value of .820, which indicates a high level of internal consistency. 5.3. Data analysis Collected data were coded and the moderation statistical technique was deployed to measure the interaction effect of demographic variables on the tested relationships, through the hierarchical regression model. Stata 12.0 was used to generate the structural equation model for the relationships tested. 6. Results N % Gender M 175 49 F 185 51 Age 31-40 145 40 41-50 152 42 Above 50 63 18 Marital Status Single 32 9 Married 217 60.2 Divorced 84 23.3 Separated 16 4.4 Widowed 11 3.1 Highest Educational Qualification Diploma 3 0.8 1st Degree (Bachelors) 217 60 2nd Degree (Masters) 126 35 3rd Degree (Ph.D.) 14 4 Work Experience 1-5 years 12 3 6-10 years 130 36 11-15 years 97 27 15years and above 121 34 -436- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 N % Profession Medical Doctors 62 17 Nurses 165 46 Administrators 71 20 Pharmacists 23 6 Others 39 11 Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Respondents To conduct the analysis showing the level of influence of independent variables on the dependent variables, one of the main assumptions to be established is that the data collected are normally distributed, hence the need to standardize (or centralize as in some text). The standardized variables were used for the analysis. The influence of emotional intelligence on diversity management competence is significant, with emotional intelligence explaining 15% of the variation in diversity management, with β-coefficient of 0.387 and p-value of 0.000. The relationship was not moderated by gender but was significantly moderated by age. To understand the influence of emotional intelligence on diversity management competence, the constructs were further composed to shows the influence that each of the sub-constructs of emotional intelligence has on sub-constructs of diversity management competence. The structural equation model that was tested is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Structural Equation Model of Sub-constructs The results shown in Table 1 indicate that relationship management and social awareness significantly influence diversity awareness. From the regression analysis, it shows that relationship management has a beta coefficient value of 0.245 with p-value of 0.000 while social awareness has coefficient of 0.286 with p-value of 0.000. The model of all four independent variables (i.e. relationship management, social awareness, self-awareness, and selfregulation) explained 14.6% of the variation in the diversity awareness, with p-value of 0.000, indicating that the model is significant. Using relationship management, social awareness, self-awareness, and self-regulation as independent variables that influence diversity adaptability, the models shows that the independent variables explained 17.9% of the variation in diversity adaptability. The model is significant, having a p-value of 0.000. Only the influence of social awareness was significant on the dependent variable, having a coefficient of 0.424 with p-value of 0.000.The influence of relationship management and self-regulation were significant on diversity leveraging, each having coefficient of 0.178 and 0.141 respectively, with p-value of 0.001 and 0.012 respectively. The model (with -437- Intangible Capital – https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1050 Robinson, W.L.C. (1974). Conscious competency – The mark of a competent instructor. The Personnel Journal – Baltimore, 53, 538-539. Saberi, M.A. (2012). The role of emotional intelligence in enhancing inter-cultural sensitivity. Unpublished doctoral thesis, United Kingdom: Brunel University. Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185-211. https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG Saxena, A. (2014). Workforce diversity: A key to improve productivity. 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(2004). Emotional intelligence in the workplace: A critical review. Applied Psychology, 53(3), 371-399. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2004.00176.x Zeman, J., Cassano, M., Perry-Parrish, C., & Stegall, S. (2006). Emotion regulation in children and adolescents. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 27, 155-168. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004703-200604000-00014 Intangible Capital, 2018 (www.intangiblecapital.org) Article's contents are provided on an Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 Creative commons International License. Readers are allowed to copy, distribute and communicate article's contents, provided the author's and Intangible Capital's names are included. It must not be used for commercial purposes. To see the complete license contents, please visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. -444-