Conflict, emotional intelligence and emotional regulation at work

Abstract

Emotions trigger and result from conflict in the workplace. In this chapter, we consider the emotional nature of conflict with a specific focus on the emotion-related constructs of emotional intelligence and emotional regulation within dyads and groups. Taking a contingency-based approach, we present a model showing the moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the conflict-outcome relationship and subsequent mediation by emotional regulation strategies. The conflict-outcome moderated (COM) model informs the series of testable propositions we present. We also consider the impact of an organization's display rules regarding the expected emotional expressions of employees. We argue that, although emotional intelligence typically strengthens the positive effects of task conflict and weakens the negative effects of relationship and process conflict on emergent and performance outcomes, these relationships are dependent on the strategic intent of employees.