Backgroundtotheresearchandresearchproblem
Intherecentdecades,theconceptofemployeeturnoverintentionhasbeenfurtherbecomingapop ularterminvariousstudiesondifferentmanagerialdisciplines;thus,promptingm o r e executives/ managersi n manydifferentb u s i n e s s fields(e.g.salesinserviceindustry)t o a p p l y thisconceptf ortheir employeemanagement(Tett& Meyer,1 99 3; Lee& C h o n , 2000).LeeandC h o n (2000)i d e n t i f y j o b t u r n o v e r intentionask e y consideredmanagementtermf o r successfulcareersandbusine sssurvivalatalllevelinserviceindustryfor21 stcentury Therefore,organizationsintheserviceindustry shouldgiveatrytoimprovetheirpeoplework-l i f e andtakeadvantagesof theseemotionalbalancetocreatebeneficialoutcomes.
The service industry is characterized by the direct interaction between service providers (employees) and service acceptors (customers), making employees integral to the service product (Tsaur, Chang, & Wu, 2003) To meet customer expectations and enhance organizational image, it is essential for service employees to effectively manage their emotions and reduce turnover intentions (Kusluvan, 2003) Successful service organizations prioritize their employees' feelings and address any issues that may negatively impact them Traditional hierarchical management may not adequately address the emotional challenges faced by employees, especially under high workloads and stress (Cropanzano, Rupp & Byrne, 2003) Therefore, fostering a working environment built on trust, understanding, and encouragement is critical for organizational success (Taylor, 2001).
InthetrendoftransitioninganddevelopingVietnam’seconomy,servicesectorisidentified asoneofthelargestsectorsintheeconomyandoneofthebiggestcontributorstotheoverallgrowthrate. AccordingtothegeneralstatisticsofficeofVietnam,thegrowthrateoftheserviceindustryi s 6.56%/ yearandtheeconomicstructurehasbeenadjustedtothebetterdirectionthattheservicessectorcontin uedtocontributethelargestportiontotheGDPincreasingfrom4 1 7 % o f 2 0 1 2 t o 4 3 3 1 % i n 201 3.Furthermore,i t i s saidt h a t Services e c t o r playsasignificantroleintheeconomicdevelopmentofHo
In 2013, it was highlighted that the service domain must deliver excellent customer service driven by a quality workforce However, the International Labor Organization (2015) reported that Vietnam has the lowest labor productivity level among ASEAN countries due to a low-skilled labor force and high job turnover The organization projected that if current productivity growth rates continue, Vietnam will only catch up to the Philippines by 2038 and Thailand by 2069 Furthermore, Vietnam's service workforce is characterized by a lack of experience, skills, and professionalism, hindering the delivery of quality services Research by Aslam et al (2011) identified that the service sector is facing labor shortages due to high turnover rates and poor employee performance, underscoring the urgent need for improved human resource management within the industry.
The workforce in Vietnam's service industry is undergoing training to enhance their skills and professionalism for delivering high-quality services However, the hierarchical and autocratic management styles prevalent in many organizations pose a challenge, as they hinder high-level management from understanding the reasons behind employee turnover intentions Researchers highlight the importance of minimizing job turnover to maintain competitiveness in a rapidly expanding market Furthermore, turnover intention presents significant challenges in human resource management, leading to negative impacts on organizations, including increased costs related to selection, recruitment, and training.
With the growing interest in employee turnover intention, numerous studies have identified several factors influencing this phenomenon, including employee stress, job satisfaction, and work-life balance Among these, emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in affecting turnover intention (Avey, Luthans & Jensen, 2009) Research has shown that emotional intelligence significantly impacts employees' intentions to leave their jobs across various managerial levels by contributing to issues such as lack of trust, work-family conflict, and work-related stress (O'Boyle et al., 2011) Furthermore, as workplace challenges evolve, so do employees' emotions, highlighting the need for effective management of emotional changes to benefit both employees and organizations in the service industry.
According to Gabčanová (2011), human resources are the most valuable asset of any organization, emphasizing that it is the people, not technology or structure, that drive organizational development Companies with a high human development index are considered top performers (Khan et al., 2014) Consequently, retaining talented and knowledgeable employees has become a significant concern for many organizations, as reducing employee turnover is a practical solution to this issue (Aslam et al., 2011) High turnover rates not only incur substantial financial costs but also result in the loss of talent Given its profound impact on both organizational performance and employee morale, research highlights the importance of enhancing managers' understanding of the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intentions to effectively retain a critical workforce.
Uptonow,numerousstudieshavebeenconductedabouttheperceptionsofsubordinatesi n ter mo f emotionalintelligence,w o r k - f a m i l y conflict,emotionale x h a u s t i o n , andemployeeturnoverintentionandtheir significantmu tualrelationshipsin developedcountries(O'Boyleetal.,2011;Bande,Fernández-
Research on the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention in Vietnam is limited, with few scholars addressing this issue in management contexts (Ferrín, Varela & Jaramillo, 2015) Existing studies often focus on different aspects of turnover intention and do not integrate these concepts into a single model (Tuan, 2013; Ninh, 2014) This gap highlights the need for further investigation Therefore, this study aims to examine the mutual impact of emotional intelligence on work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, and subsequently explore its effect on the turnover intention of sales employees in Vietnam's service industry.
Researchobjectives
Theoverallobjectiveo f t h i s studyi s t o examinet h e r o l e o f emotionalintelligencei n work- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustion,andsubsequentlyinturnoverintentionofsalespeoplewh oareworking intheserviceindustryinHoChiMinhCity,Vietnam.Specifically,i t investigates:
Methodology
This research comprised two phases: a qualitative study and a quantitative study The questionnaire was translated from English to Vietnamese, and in-depth interviews with six participants were conducted during the qualitative phase to tailor the items to Vietnamese cultural characteristics and enhance the official questionnaire For the quantitative phase, data was collected using a convenience sampling approach through a self-administered survey The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 16 and Amos 22, with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) employed to assess reliability and validity, followed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses.
Duet o t h e l i m i t a t i o n o f t i m e , t h i s researchi s thereforel i m i t e d t o V i e t n a m e s e salesemployeesw h o arew o r k i n g i n servicei n d u s t r y i n H o C h i M i n h City;s i n c e i t i s o n e o f t h e biggestcitiesi n V i e t n a m andm o s t o f servicecompaniescentralizehere.Respondent so f t h i s researchincludeemployeesinsalesdepartments.
Researchsignificance
Accordingtothemanagerialimplications,thisfindingprovidesboardofdirectorsadeepu n d e r s t a n d i n g aboutemployeeturnoveri n t e n t i o n t h a t i t significantlyimpact o n organization
’ssurvivalanddevelopment Therefore,resultsofthis studycanbeusedtodevelopmanagement strategiest o reduceth e turnoverra te andm a x i m u m performanceandj o b satisfactiont o retaint h e i r valuable andexperiencedemployees.
Thiss t u d y alsoc o n t r i b u t e t h e o r y t o t h e a c a d e m i c field.T h i s i s a uniquest udyt h a t discovera r e l a t i o n s h i p betweenemotionalintelligenceandt u r n o v e r intentioni n t h e caseo f Vietnameseemployees.A s a result,t h e saleandeducationalfieldi s expectedt o expandthe literature.
Researchstructure
This thesis is structured into five chapters, beginning with an introduction that outlines the current state of the service industry in Vietnam and explores the interplay between emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and employee turnover intention It establishes the research problem, objectives, significance, scope, and methodology The second chapter reviews existing literature on key concepts, presenting a conceptual model and hypotheses derived from the analysis The third chapter details the research methodology employed to empirically test the proposed model Chapter four presents and analyzes the results of the data analysis in relation to the research questions and hypotheses Finally, the last chapter concludes with a discussion of the research hypotheses and problems, offering implications for theories, policies, and practices, while also identifying limitations for future research.
Thischapterpresentsrelevantliteratureabouttheresearch,whichareconductedbymanyscholar academicandarerelatedtoallresearchconceptsandresearchmodel.Firstly,researcherdescribest h e c onceptso f emotionalintelligence,w o r k - f a m i l y conflict,emotionalexhaustion,andturnoverintention.Then,itreviewsthepreviousresearch oftheseconceptsandtherelatedd i s c u s s i o n ofthechosensubject.Finally,basedonthefore goingreviewandpreviousresearch,t h i s sectiondeclaresthehypothesesof thisstudy.
Turnoverintention
Ithasbeenestablishedthatemployeeturnoverintentionisoneofstrongestfactorprojectingact ualturnover(Knudsenetal.,2008).Turnoverintentionisdefinedwhenani n d i v i d u a l intentst o leavet h e i r organization( T e t t & Meyer,1 9 9 3 ; Khanetal.,2014).Iti s i n e v i t a b l e thattur noveroccursineveryorganizationinwhichsomeofemployeesarevoluntaryt o leavetheorganizati onwhileothersaredischargedbyorganization.Eithervoluntaryori n v o l u n t a r y t u r n o v e r cr eatesseriousconsequencest o organizationi n today’sbusinessworldi n c l u d i n g anumberofd ifficultiesonreplacement,recruitment,selection,socializationcostetc.
(Khanetal.,2014;Saeedetal.,2014).Tobemoredetailed,there’sanunavoidabledisruptioninp r o d u c t i v i t y whenanexperiencedemployeel e a v e t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n Otheremployeesh a v e t o p u l l offtheirjobtoreplacethispositionwhilethecompanyfindsqualitycandidates.Whenthec o m p a n y doesrecruitanewemployees,thatpersonneedtobetrainedweeksormonthsbeforep r o d u c i n g attheleveloftheformeremployee(Huselid,1995).
According to Dess and Shaw (2001), turnover is categorized into two types: voluntary and involuntary Voluntary turnover occurs when employees are dissatisfied with their jobs and seek employment elsewhere, while turnover intention reflects their desire to leave the organization In contrast, involuntary turnover happens when employees are terminated by the organization High turnover rates can be detrimental to organizations due to increased recruitment costs; however, it is impossible to reduce turnover to zero, as underperforming employees must be replaced to enhance labor productivity (Saeed et al., 2014) Therefore, employee turnover can have both negative and positive effects on organizations (Staw, 1980).
Measuringa c t u a l employeet u r n o v e r i s o n e o f t h e principalobjectivest h a t turno verresearchisexpectedtoreach,however,itisunabletobereachedemployeedata.Thisdataisnotc o r r e c t l y orconsistentlycollected,soitisunavailable.Consequently,employeeturnoverintentioni s u sedasa p r o x y foractualemployee.A s a result,o n e o f t h e n e x t bestm e t h o d t o measureactualtur noveristurnoverintention(Lambert,Hogan&Barton,2001;Knudsenetal.,2 0 0 8 ) Employeet u r
Emotionalintelligence
Emotionalintelligenceisfirstidentifiedastheconceptof“socialintelligence”toreferthea b i l i t y tou s e emotionsi n b o t h oneselfando t h e r s t o producebeneficialo u t c o m e s (Thorndike,1 9
Emotional intelligence, as defined by Salovey and Mayer (1990), is a subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, discriminate among them, and use this information to guide thinking and actions With growing interest in emotions, emotional intelligence has garnered significant attention from social and organizational psychologists Mayer and Salovey (1993) identified four dimensions of emotional intelligence, including self-emotion appraisal, which pertains to understanding and appropriately expressing one’s emotions to achieve beneficial outcomes Notably, salespeople with strong emotional intelligence are more likely to negotiate effectively with customers and suppliers, as customer satisfaction is crucial for companies aiming to enhance their sales performance.
( 2 ) t h e o t h e r e m o t i o n s appraisalr e l a t i n g t o t h e a b i l i t y o f ani n d i v i d u a l t o observeandun derstandother’semotion.Apersonwhohavehighcapabilityinthisdimensionwillhavegoodobserveon otherpeople’semotionsandpredictother’semotionalreaction(Davies,Stankov&Roberts,1998); (3)theuseofemotionrelatingtotheabilityofanindividualtoaccess,generateandus e h i s o r he r em otiont o facilitatepersonalperformance.Peoplew h o rateh i g h l y int h i s a b i l i t y w i l l ablet o ret urnr a p i d l y t o normalpsychologicalstatesafters u f f e r i n g d e p r e s s e d o r upset;
( 4 ) t h e regulationo f emotionrelatingt o t h e a b i l i t y o f a persontoregulateh i s o r heremotiontoa chieveanexpectedoutcomeandabletoremainbalancefrompsychologicaldistresst o s o l v e problem(
M a y e r & Salovey,1 9 9 3 ; W o n g & Law,2002).Specifict o saless e c t i o n , a salespersonwithhigha bility inthisareawouldperformanceeffectively atenhancingcustomerenthusiasmandreducingc u s t o m e r frustration( K i d w e l l , Hardesty,M u r t h a & Sheng,2011).Therefore,theneedofu nderstandingemployeeemotionalintelligenceisstronglyconsideredint h i s study.
Work-familyconflict
The intersection of family care and paid work has been a significant focus of innovative research in the early 21st century and remains a critical public policy issue (Gao, Shi, Niu & Wang, 2013) Work-family conflict, defined as an inter-role conflict where pressures from work and family domains are mutually incompatible (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985), has been categorized into three types: time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based conflicts (Kelloway, Gottlieb & Barham, 1999) Time-based conflict arises when time demands for one role limit the time available for another, while strain-based conflict occurs when pressure from one role negatively impacts performance in another Behavior-based conflict happens when the behavioral expectations of one role clash with those of another Additionally, some researchers identify two main types of conflict: work interfering with family and family interfering with work (Boyar, Maertz Jr, Pearson & Keough, 2003) This study focuses on the dimension of work interfering with family, as it is often more prevalent and closely linked to job satisfaction, exhaustion, and turnover (Bande et al., 2015).
The growing interest in work-family conflict has led to numerous studies examining its effects on job and life satisfaction, increased stress, decreased organizational commitment, and heightened turnover intentions (Boyar et al., 2003; Allen & Armstrong, 2006) This conflict is prevalent across various jobs, but sales positions are particularly affected, as salespersons often experience more negative impacts due to the nature of their work Specifically, work-family conflict significantly diminishes job satisfaction in sales contexts compared to other fields (Boles, Dudley, Onyemah & Rouzies, 2012) While organizations can contribute to work-family conflict, employees also bear the responsibility of maintaining a work-life balance (Bande et al., 2015) Ultimately, both organizations and their employees play a crucial role in mitigating work-family conflict (Hammonds, 1996; Carmeli, 2003).
Emotionalexhaustion
Accordingt o M o o n andH u r ( 2 0 1 1 ) , emotionale x h a u s t i o n i s definedast h e awarenesst h a t emotionalresourcehasbeenfullyconsumed.Itisconsideredasthemaindimensionofthreedimensi onsi n MaslachandJ a c k s o n ’ s (1981)c l a s s i c m o d e l o f employeeburnout–
Emotional exhaustion, a core component of job burnout, is characterized by feelings of tiredness, fatigue, and a lack of energy, leading to a reduction in an individual's emotional resources (Jackson, Schwab & Schuler, 1986; Moore, 2000) It is often viewed as the initial stage of the burnout process (Gaines & Jermier, 1983) Research indicates that burnout can result in serious consequences, including decreased service quality, reduced customer satisfaction, high job turnover and absenteeism, poor job performance, and low morale (Cropanzano et al., 2003; Grandey, 2003).
Relationshipamong variables
Emotionalintelligencea n d w o r k - f a m i l y c o n f l i c t areo n e o f fundamentalimportancet o manufactureo r g a n i z a t i o n s(Lenaghan,
B u d a & Eisner,2 0 0 7).Bothorganizationandi t s employeesarer e s p o n s i b l e f o r eliminating w o r k - f a m i l y conflict.Companieshavet h e i r o w n policiesandprocedurest o helpt h e i r staffmanages t r e s s , b u t t h e i r employeess t i l l b u r n t o u t Certainly,individualsholdsomeresponsibilityf orregulatingtheirownfamilybalance,buttheyneedorganizationals u p p o r t Organizationsneedt o r ecognizeanda d a p t employees’worka n d livesto winemployeeloyalty(Keith,ascitedinCarmeli,2003).
(1989)hasidentifiedi n d i v i d u a l differencesasresourcescausingthenegativeeffectsofstressful eventsonindividuals.Individualswhohavemorepersonalresourcescandealwiththelossofotherkinds ofresources,i n c l u d i n g resourcelosscausedbywork- familyconflict.“Emotionalintelligencerepresentsi n d i v i d u a l differencesintheabilityandca pacitytomonitorandrecognizeone’sownandother’semotionsandtousethisinformationtoregulateon e’semotionsandactions”(Gaoetal.,2013,p.223).
Withrespectt o t h e r o l e o f i n d i v i d u a l s , researchersh a v e e m p h a s i z e d emotiona lintelligencei s animportantfactori n protectingemployeesfromt h e b e g i n n i n g ofwo rk - f am il y conflictandstresstoidentify,acknowledgeandmanagetheemotions.Particularly,Sulimanan dAl-
Shaikh(2007)statedthatin termofconflictmanagement,employeesw i t h inflatedlevelofemotionali ntelligences e e m t o haveeffectivec o n t r o l w i t h conflict).Indeed,p e o p l e w i t h higha b i l i t y ofemotionalintelligenceseemtosufferlesswork-familyconflict(Lenaghanetal.,2007).Accordingly,it ishypothesizedthat:
H1: Emotionalintelligence hasanegativeimpact on work-familyconflict.
Ithass u g g e s t e d t h a t e m o t i o n a l intelligencee n a b l e i n d i v i d u a l s t o controlpressur ea n d adapteasilywiththechallengetoavoidtheburnout(Bar-
On,1997;Taylor,2001).Inrelationtoemotionalexhaustion,peoplewhohaveelevatedlevelsofem otionalintelligencedealingbetterw i t h life’schallengesa n d j o b stresses,whichl e a d s t o goodpsy chologicalandp h y s i c a lh e a l t h (Taylor,2 0 0 1 ) andm a k e s t h e m l e s s l i k e l y t o experienceemo tionale x h a u s t i o n (VanR o o y & Viswesvaran,2004;Moon&Hur,2011).The fourthdimensionofemotionalintelligenceenablesa persontoregulatetheiremotionquicklyandwor konemotiveinformationeffectively(Mayer
&Salovey,1993;Wong&Law,2002).Regardingtothismatter,emotionallyintelligent individualhelpssalespeoplechooseappropriateapproachestocopewithfrustrationandmakearespons emoreeffectivelyrelatingtotheemotionaspect.Employeeswithhighlevelsofemotionalintellige ncec a n keepa w a y f r o m dysfunctionalanda n g r y e m o t i o n s t h a t w o u l d b e consequenceon burnout(Carmeli,2003).Individualswithhighabilityofmanagingtheiremotionswould beless likelytoexperienceburnout.Therefore,itcouldbehypothesizedthat:
Impacto f w o r k - f a m i l y conflictwasstudiedandt h e findingsshowedt h a t w o r k - f a m i l y conflictwass t r o n g l y influencet o l o w e r j o b andf a m i l y satisfaction,greaterstressandhi gherturnoverintention(Aslametal.,2011).Experiencingwork- familyconflict,individualsaresubjecttoexhaustionthatleadtotheconsequenceofconflictbetweenw orkandfamilydomains,whichseemstoresultindrainingontheiremotionalandphysicalenergy(Gol den,2012;Bandeetal.,2015).Accordingt o Hobfoll(1988,1 9 8 9 ) i n h i s
C O R theory highlights that energy and time are vital resources that individuals strive to maintain, protect, and create During recovery periods, when immediate resource needs are not pressing, individuals often seek to replenish and stockpile resources to mitigate future losses (Golden, 2012) Hobfoll (1989) noted that work-family conflict depletes an individual's energy and resources, hindering their ability to stockpile resources necessary for managing current and future demands Consequently, individuals experiencing high levels of work-family conflict are more susceptible to exhaustion, as these conflicts prevent them from fulfilling both work and family obligations effectively.
(Bandeeta l , 2 0 1 5 ; Golden,2 0 1 2 ; Hobfoll,1989).Consequently,apositiverelationship isexpec tedbetweenwork-family conflictandemotionalexhaustion.
Over the past two decades, researchers have observed a tendency for employees to quit their jobs to resolve work-family conflict Studies indicate varying relationships between work-family conflict and turnover intentions, with some suggesting an indirect impact where emotional exhaustion from conflict leads to intentions to leave (Cropanzano et al., 2003) Conversely, others argue for a direct correlation (Boyar et al., 2003) Greenhaus, Parasuraman, and Collins (2001) found that dissatisfaction in work and family life often prompts thoughts of withdrawal from the workplace As job retention increases within organizations, employees may choose to leave as a solution to their conflicts Allen and Armstrong (2006) noted that work-family conflict can drive employees to resign due to workplace frustrations and the strain that makes fulfilling family responsibilities challenging This emotional spillover affects their concentration on work tasks Similarly, Khan et al (2014) highlighted the significant impact of work-family conflict on employee retention, suggesting that higher levels of conflict are associated with increased turnover intentions (Netemeyer, Boles).
&McMurrian,1996).Basedontheforegoingreviewandpreviousresearch,the hypothesis isproposed:
Manyresearchershaveexploredthatemotionalexhaustionhavebeenshowntobes t r o n g l y associatedw i t h turnoverintention( C r o p a n z a n o etal.,2 0 0 3 ; K n u d s e n etal.,2 0 0 8 ) Simil arly,accordingtoLayne,Hohenshil,andSingh(2004),turnoverintentioniscorrespondedw i t h stre ss.Employeeswithhighlevelofstressaremorelikelytoleavetheirorganizationand
Emotional exhaustion seekf o r a n o t h e r opportunity.Inaddition,e m o t i o n a l e x h a u s t i o n w i l l r e s u l t i n lowerr a t e s oforganizationalcommitmentandhigherratesofturnover andturnover intention(Jacksoneta l.,1 9 8 6 ; DeVries& Wilkerson,ascitedi n Khaneta l , 2 0 1 4 ; Layneetal.,2004).Employeeexpe riencingh i g h e r l e v e l o f emotionalexhaustionresulti n higherlevelo f turnoverintentions(Cropanza noetal.,2003).Theamountofburnouthasasignificantpositiveeffectonturnoverintentions(Moore,20 00).Therefore,thefollowingrelationship ishypothesized:
Conceptual model
H1: Emotionalintelligence hasanegativeimpact on work-familyconflict.
Insummary,thischapterpresentstheoreticalbackgroundofeachconceptinthemodel.Basedo ndiscussionofliteraturereview,emotionalintelligenceareaffectedbyfourdimensionsincluding:t heself- emotionsappraisal,theotheremotionsappraisal,theuseofemotion,andtheregulationofemotion.Th en,theinfluenceofemotionalintelligenceonwork- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustionandsubsequentlyo n turnoverintentionisalsoconsidered.Th erelationshipso f t h e s e factorsa l r e a d y t e s t e d bym a n y previousscholarsarereviewedf o r t h e conceptualmodel.Finally,fivehypothesesareproposedtofigureouttheresearchobjectivesi n c hapterwhich isstatedinthepreviousresearchinVietnamesecontext.Thenextchapterw i l l discussaboutmetho dologythatusedtoanalyzethedataandtesthypothesesoftheresearchm o d e l
This chapter outlines the research methodology and design employed in the current study, which investigates the relationships among emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention among sales employees in Vietnam's service industry The research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, utilizing in-depth interviews for qualitative analysis to refine measurement tools For quantitative analysis, data is collected to test measurement and structural models Key elements discussed in this chapter include research design, research process, measurement scales, sampling methods, data collection, and data analysis methodologies.
Researchdesign
Researchprocess
This research focuses on the service industry within Ho Chi Minh City and is divided into two phases: a qualitative study and a quantitative study The draft questionnaire, informed by the literature review and the Vietnamese context, includes four measurement scales assessing emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention Initially designed in English, the questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese with assistance from English experts The qualitative phase involved in-depth interviews with six employees from the service sector, conducted over a week The researcher facilitated each interview in a suitable location, reading each item of the measurement scales and ensuring the interviewees understood the questions, providing clarification when necessary.
Literature Review Research Model & Hypotheses Research Problem
Structural Equation Modeling haveaskedthereasonsofmisunderstandingandaskedforthesuggestionsfromtheinterviewee.T h e i n-depthinterviewsfollowedbyonebyoneuntil theresearchergotnomoresuggestions.
Basedonthefeedbackofrespondents,thesurveyquestionnairewasslightlymodifiedtom a k e itclearerandmoreunderstandable(seeAppendixA,B,&C).Afterthequestionnairewasmodified,th e self- administratedquantitativesurvey withconveniencesampling wasconductedt o collectdatafortes tingtheresearch’shypotheses.
Participantsself-completeda s u r v e y with alli t e m s weremeasuredbyfive- pointLikertscale,anchorpointsfrom“stronglydisagree”(=1)to“stronglyagree”(=5).Thequesti onnairewasmainlydeliveredtorespondentsviaelectronicmailandhardcopies(seeTable3.1).SPSSandAMOSwere usedtotest themeasurementandstructuralmodels.
Measurementscales
Asm e n t i o n e d above,t h e finalquestionnairesconsistedo f f o u r measurementscales:e motionalintelligence,work-familyconflict,emotionalexhaustion,andturnoverintentions.
Emotionalintelligencescalewasusedf r o m t h e scaledevelopedbyW o n g andLaw(2002)a ndtheitemswereadaptedtoVietnamcontextbyeliminatingu n s u i t a b l e items.Itcompriseso f f o u r s u b c o m p o n e n t s : ( 1 ) appraisalandexpressiono f emotioni n t h e self; (2)appraisalandrecognitionofemotioninothers;(3)regulationofemotionintheself;
(4)useofemotiontofacilitateperformance.Appraisalandexpressionofemotionintheselfwasmeasure dbythreeitems,reflectingtheabilityofapersontounderstandhisorherdeepemotionsandtobeabletoexp ressemotionsnaturally.Appraisalandrecognitionofemotioninotherswasmeasuredbythreeitems,addr essingtheabilityofapersontoperceiveandunderstandtheemotionsofthepeoplearoundthem.Othert hreeitemswereusedtomeasureregulationofemotionintheselfinregulatingone’semotions,enablinga fasterrecoveryfrompsychologicaldistress.Useofemotiontofacilitateperformancewasmeasuredbyt hreeitems,reflectingthedegreetowhichani n d i v i d u a l canus e of hi s o r heremotionsbydirec tingthem towardconstructiveactivitiesandpersonalperformance.
(1996),wereusedtomeasurework-familyconflicttorealizetheformofinter- roleconflictinwhichther o l e pressuresfrom theworkandfamilydomains aremutuallyincompatiblein somerespect.Theitemswerea d a p t e d t o h e l p respondentst o u n d e r s t a n d byeliminatingu n s u i t a b l e itemsi n t h e qualitativeresearch.
ThescaleswereestablishedbyMaslachandJackson(1986),wereusedtoaccessemotional exhaustionwhichistheawarenessthatemotionalresourcehasbeenfullyconsumedwhenemploy eesareb o t h atworkandathome.S o m e itemswereeliminatedbecausetheyseemedtoodifficultforres pondentstounderstandortheywere alsoduplicatedbyotheritems.
EmoExhaus3 EmoExhau s4EmoExh aus5EmoE xhaus6
Turnoverintentionw a s measuredu s i n g f o u r - i t e m froma scaledevelopedbyW a l s h , AshfordandHill (1985).Theseitemswereusedto measuret heintentionto leavetheorganizationsofemployees.
4 IthinkIwill beworkingfor thiscenter5yearsfromnow.(reversecoded).
Thequantitativestudy
Samplinganddatacollection
This research was conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on salespeople in private organizations A self-administered survey was utilized, comprising four constructs and 26 variables, adhering to a minimum subject-to-item ratio of 5:1 as recommended by Hair et al (2006), necessitating at least 50 observations for valid analysis To achieve a sample size of 130, a total of 350 questionnaires were distributed using a non-probability convenience sampling method Ultimately, 223 responses were collected, yielding a response rate of approximately 64% After eliminating 22 invalid questionnaires—due to respondents providing implausible answers or not working in the service industry—201 valid responses were retained, which is satisfactory compared to the minimum sample size required.
Table 3.1Sourceofdatacollection Source Delivered Collected Response rate Eliminated Valid
Dataanalysisprocedure
The reliability and validity of the collected data were assessed using Test of Reliability, CFA, and SEM analyses SPSS 16 was utilized to calculate Cronbach’s alpha, while Amos 22 was employed for conducting Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to evaluate the reliability of each measurement component individually and the overall validity of the scales The research model's composite reliability (CR) was used to assess the reliability among constructs CFA results indicated that the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) was employed to determine convergent validity, and the correlation between items (r) was analyzed to establish discriminant validity For the measurement to be considered adequate, Cronbach’s alpha for each construct should be at least 0.6, factor loadings must be above 0.5, and the minimum value of AVE should also be met, as highlighted in prior research.
0.5(Chong,Ooi,Lin&Tan,2010);andthecompositereliabilityshouldbeover0.7asrecommendedby
N u n n a l l y ( a s citedi n C h o n g eta l , 2010).Consideringt h e convergentanddiscriminatedvalidit y,t h e inappropriateitemsw o u l d b e r e m o v e d i f necessity.M o r e o v e r , t h e CFAwouldindicat ethemodelfitifCMIN/DFwaslessthan2withp- valuelargerthan5%,andt h e comparativefitindex(CFI)analyzedthemodel fitbyexaminingthediscrepancybetweenthedataandthehypothesizedmodel,whileadjustingtheissue sofsamplesizeinherenceinthechi- squaredtestofmodelfit,andthenormedfitindex.ACFIvalueof0.90orlargerwasgenerallyconside redtoindicateacceptablemodelfit.Thenon-normedfitindex(NNFI;alsoknownastheTucker- Lewisindex-
The TLI has addressed some issues related to negative bias, although NNFI values may occasionally exceed the 0 to 1 range Both NFI and NNFI values should ideally be 0.95 or greater to indicate a good model fit The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) mitigates sample size issues by analyzing the discrepancy between the hypothesized model with optimally chosen parameter estimates and the population covariance matrix An RMSEA value smaller than 8% signifies an acceptable model fit (Tho & Trang, 2008) Consequently, structural equation modeling is employed to evaluate these metrics effectively.
Asmentionedabove,fourmeasurementscalesweresufficientforconvergentanddiscrimin antvalidity,wereanalyzedbytheConfirmatoryfactoranalysisbeforethehypothesizedm o d e l wast estedbyS E M T h e f i r s t - o r d e r c o n s t r u c t s werew o r k - f a m i l y conflict,emotionale x h a u s t i o n andturnoverintention.Thesecond- orderconstructwereemotionalintelligence,whichconsistedoffoursub-components:self- emotionsappraisal,other-emotionsappraisal,useo f emotionsandself-regulations ofemotion.
Insummary,thischapterdescribedtheresearchprocess,measurementscaleconstruction,calcul ationo f samples i z e , andresearchm e t h o d conductedt o analyzet h e collecteddata.T h i s s t u d y w a s designedi n t o t w o stages:qualitatives t u d y ( i n - d e p t h interview),quantitativestudy(mainsurvey).Thein- depthinterviewwasconductedtomodifythemeasurementscaleandthequestionnairewasadjust edslightlyforthequantitativesurvey.Mainsurveyhadsamplesizeof2 0 1 validquestionnairesth atwereusedfordataanalysiswithCFAandSEM.Thenextchapterw i l l presentdataanalysisofmai nsurvey.
Chapter 4 presents the analysis results of sample size n=1, utilizing SPSS to review the sample's characteristics and descriptive statistics, which tested the normal distribution of variables based on respondents' demographics AMOS was then employed for confirmatory factor analysis to assess the reliability and validity of both first-order constructs and the second-order construct, as well as the final measurement model Additionally, structural equation modeling was applied to evaluate the conceptual framework The findings from this analysis culminate in a discussion of the research's explanations.
Respondents’demographics
CFAforthefirst-orderconstructs
Work- familyconflictwasmeasuredby4items.ForthefirstrunofCFA,theCFAmodelo f work- familyc o n f l i c t f i t t e d t h e datawell(Chi-square/ df=0.023;P=0.977;CFI=1.000;TLI=1.016;NFI=1.000;RMSEA=0.000;PCLOSE=0.986).Additiona lly,t h e factorl o a d i n g o f itemstomeasurework- familyconflictweresignificantwith0.75forWorkfaC1,0.87forWorkfaC2,0.82forWorkfaC3and0.6 9forWorkfaC4(seefigure4.1andtable4.2).
Fort h e firstr u n o f C F A f o r emotionale x h a u s t i o n construct,standardizedregression weightsofE m o E x h a u s 2 , E m o E x h a u s 3 , EmoExhaus5andE m o E x h a u s 6 wereh i g h e r t h a n 0 5 (0.64,0.78,0.78,and0.77insequence).Althoughtheseestimatesfittedthedatawell,thefact orloadingso f E m o E x h a u s 1 andE m o E x h a u s 4 weren o t significant(0.015and0 0 0 6 < 0 5 )( s e e Table4.2).
Table 4.2 ThefirstrunofCFA(ofwork-familyconflict,emotionalexhaustionandturnover intention)
WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC1 0.75 WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC2 0.87 WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC3 0.82 WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC4 0.69 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus1 0.015 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus2 0.64 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus3 0.78 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus4 0.006 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus5 0.78 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus6 0.77 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI1 0.78 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI2 0.91 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI3 0.80 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI4 0.51
Afterr e m o v i n g insignificantitemEmoExhaus1andE m o E x h a u s 4 , t h e m o d e l o f e motionale x h a u s t i o n wasmeasuredbyf o u r items:EmoExhaus2,EmoExhaus3,EmoExhaus5andE m o E x h a u s 6 Figure4 2 displayedt h e r e s u l t o f CFAanalysisa n d t h e CFAm o d e l o f emotionalexhaustionforthesecondrunalsofittedthedatawell(Chi-square/ df=1.280;P=0.278;CFI=0.998;TLI=0.994;NFI=0.991;RMSEA=0.038;PCLOSE=0.438)
Fort h e firstr u n f o r CFAm o d e l o f t u r n o v e r intention,t h i s firstorderconstructwasm easuredbyfouritemsTurnoverI1,TurnoverI2,TurnoverI3andTurnoverI4.Thefindingsshowt h a t al lfactorloadingswerehigherthan0.5(0.78,0.91,0.80and0.51respectively)andtheCFAm o d e l alsof i t t e d t h e datawell( C h i - s q u a r e / d f = 0 57 2; P=.565;CFI=1.000;TLI=1.008;NFI=0.997;RMSEA=0.000;PCLOSE=0.699).
Foreachconstruct,theauthortestedthereliabilityandconvergentvaliditybycalculatingCronba ch’α,compositereliability(CR)andaveragedvarianceextracted(AVE)valuesbasedonitems’stan dardizedloadings.Cronbach’α,c o m p o s i t e r e l i a b i l i t y ofwork- familyc o n f l i c t , emotionalexhaustionandturnoverintentionwerehigherthan0.7(0.86and0.86;0 84and0.83;
Table 4.3SummarizedofCR,AVEandCronbach’α(firstorder constructs)
Notes:CR: compositereliability;AVE:averagedvariance extracted
Theaveragedvarianceextractedvalueofemotionalexhaustionwaslowerthan0.5initsfirstr unofCFA.However,this valuewashigher than0.5 inthe second runofCFAaftertheauthorel iminatedEmoExhaus1andEmoExhaus4.Thus,theAVEvalueofemotionalexhaustioni s acceptable.Additionally,AVEv a l u e s o f w o r k - f a m i l y conflictandt u r n o v e r intentionw e r e highert h a n 0 5 ( 0 6 1 a n d 0 5 7 respectively).
I n summary,t h e C F A m o d e l o f t h e f i r s t - o r d e r constructsincludingwork- familyconflict,emotionalexhaustionandturnoverintentionfittedthedatawell.All thedataanalysisof thesefirst-orderconstructsispresentedinTable4.3.
CFAforsecond-order constructs
Thesecond-orderconstructwasemotionalintelligence,whichconsistedo f f o u r sub- components:self-emotionsappraisal,o t h e r - e m o t i o n s appraisal,u s e ofemotionsands e l f - regulationsofemotion.ForthefirstrunofCFAmodel,thedatafittedthemodel(Chi- squarea.660;d f = 4 8 ; Chi-square/df=1.285;P=.089;CFI=.990;TLI=.986;N F I = 9 5 6 ; RMSEA=.038)andallo f t h e itemsh a d significantfactorloadings( > 0 5 )
Notes:CR: compositereliability;AVE:averagedvariance extracted
The reliability of emotional intelligence was confirmed with Cronbach’s α and composite reliability (CR) values for all sub-components exceeding 0.70 Convergent validity was also established, as the average variance extracted (AVE) for the sub-components was significant, exceeding 0.5 Despite correlations among sub-components being less than 0.8 and significant at 0.001, a notable correlation of 0.76 between other-emotions appraisal and use of emotions warrants further investigation To assess discriminant validity, a chi-squared difference test was conducted comparing constrained and unconstrained models Results indicated that the unconstrained model, which treats the two sub-constructs separately, provided a better fit than the constrained model, where the correlation was fixed at 1.00 Specifically, constraining the correlation reduced the degrees of freedom from 49 to 48 and resulted in a significant decrease in chi-square from 72.840 (constrained model) to 61.660 (unconstrained model), with p-values less than 0.001.
(seetable4.9).Thus,discriminantvalidityisachieved(Bagozzi&PhillipsascitedinPham& Le,2010 ).Therefore,t h e s e findingssupportedreliability,convergentvalidity,andwithin- constructdiscriminantvalidity.(SeeTable4.4andTable4.5)
CFAforthefinalmeasurementmodel
RunningtheCFAforthefinalmeasurementmodel,theauthorremovedtheinsignificantitems( EmoExhaus1andEmoExhaus4)becausetheirfactorloadingswerelowerthan0.5(0.006and0 0 1
5 respectively).A l l t h e constructsandsub- constructsweres t i l l measuredbyover3 observeditems.Therefore,t h e measurements c a l e s ares t i l l retainedt h e contentv a l i d i t y ofconstructs.Thefinalmeasurementmodelalsoachievedagoo dfittothedata(seefigure4.5&t a b l e 4.11).T h e factorloadingso f t h e itemso f firstandsecondo r d e r constructsi n t h e finalm o d e l weresignificantandsubstantial(>0.5,p0.977);CFI=1.000;TLI=1.016;RMSEA=0.000 0.86 0.61 Emotionalexhaustion:χ2[2]=2.561(P>0.278)CFI=0.998;TLI=0.994;RMSEA=0.038 0.83 0.55 Turnoverintention:χ2[2]=1.143(p>=.565);CFI=1.000;TLI=1.008;RMSEA=0.000 0.84 0.57
Note: r(SE):correlationswithstandarderrors;CR:compositereliability;AVE:averagedvarianceextracted
Discussion
Fromthestudytoexaminetheroleofemotionalintelligenceonwork- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustion,roleof work-familyconflict onemotionalexhaustionandsubsequentlytherolesofwork- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustiononturnoverintentionofemployeeswhoarew o r k i n g i n servicei n d u s t r y i n H o C h i M i n h City,t h e findingsshowt h a t t h e componentstructureo f emoti onalintelligencei s a second- orderstructure.T h i s resulti s consistentw i t h emotionalintelligenceconcepts(Wong&Law,2002), whichstatedthatemotionalintelligenceiscomposedo f f o u r s u b - c o m p o n e n t s : self- emotionsappraisal,other-emotionsappraisal,u s e ofemotionsandself-regulations ofemotion.
Regardingt h i s finding,i n ordert o e x p l a i n andconfirmt h e s e o u t c o m e s i n m a n a g e r i a l practicef o r sales& marketingi n t h e services e c t o r , t h e authorp r o p o s e d allf i v e hypothese sbasedo n previousresearchandrelatedtheories.Then,t h e authoralsoconductedt h e i n - d e p t h interviewswith06respondentsaboutemotionalintelligenceanditspredictedoutcomesinVietna mw o r k i n g e n v i r o n m e n t culture.Consequently,t h e m a s s i v e s u r v e y wasemployedt ocollectasamplesizeof201andtheresultsofdataanalysiswereusedtoindicatethediscussionsasfollow :
0.29andatt h e statisticalsignificancelevelo f 0 0 0 1 , correspondsw i t h m a n y studieswhichsugges tedthatemotionalintelligenceisoneofthepreliminaryfactorspreventingemployeesfromestabl ishingofwork-familyconflict(Suliman&Al-
Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in helping individuals achieve a balance between work and family life, as it allows them to recognize the significance of their work and leverage this balance for mutual benefits, such as job success and family happiness (Shaikh, 2007; Hammonds, 1996; Carmeli, 2003) Employees with higher emotional intelligence are better equipped to navigate work-family conflicts and manage their emotions effectively, leading to improved conflict management This includes skills such as self-emotion appraisal, other-emotion appraisal, emotion utilization, and emotional self-regulation, which foster feelings of autonomy, competence, and self-control These factors are essential for individual differences in regulating emotions within the context of work and family life, thereby supporting the hypothesis that emotional intelligence positively influences work-family balance.
Theresultsshowedthat emotionalintelligencehadnegative impacto n emotionale x h a u s t i o n atthestatisticalsignificancelevelof0.001andwithstandardizedpathcoefficientofβ =-
0.17isconsistentwithresearchpaperwhichstatesthatemotionalintelligencestronglyoffersi n d i v i d u a l s controlt h e workpressuresanda d a p t e a s i l y w i t h t h e challenget o avoidt h e workburn out(Bar-
On,1997).Inrelationshipofemotionalintelligencetoemotionalexhaustion,employeeswhohaveam oralorintellectuallevelofemotionalintelligencedealing betterwith life’schallengesandjobstresses, whichleadstogoodpsychologicalandphysicalhealth(Taylor,2 0 0 1 ) andseemst o lessenemployee s’sufferfromemotionalexhaustion(VanR o o y &Viswesvaran,2004; Moon
H3.Work-familyconflict has apositive impactonemotionalexhaustion.
Hypothesis3 e x h i b i t e d a p o s i t i v e impacto f w o r k - f a m i l y conflictfactoro n emotionale x h a u s t i o n Asindicatedinthefigureofpathcoefficient s(β=0.46,p=0.001),itprovedthatH3wassupportedbythedata.Thisresultwasconsistentwiththe findingsofthepreviousstudyofA l l e n andArmstrong(2006),andJaramillo,BandeandVarela,
Employees who experience prolonged work-family conflict can suffer from significant energy depletion, leading to emotional exhaustion Research indicates that this conflict not only has negative repercussions on emotional well-being but also affects both work and family life High levels of work-family conflict are linked to increased feelings of emotional exhaustion, with a notable correlation showing that as work-family conflict rises (β = 0.46), its impact on emotional exhaustion becomes more pronounced Thus, the hypothesis regarding the relationship between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion is supported.
This analysis reveals a significant relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intention, with a standardized path coefficient of β=0.26 and a p-value of 0.001, supporting the findings of Greenhaus et al (2001) Vietnamese sales employees experiencing higher levels of work-family conflict demonstrated a greater likelihood of intending to leave their jobs The results indicate that conflict arising from workplace demands impacting employees' home life significantly influences their job turnover intentions, thus confirming hypothesis 4.
Accordingt o figure4 6 , employeeemotionale x h a u s t i o n wasf o u n d t o havea s t r o n g influenceo n dependentfactor( j o b t u r n o v e r intention)att h e s t a t i s t i c a l significanceleve lo f
0.001,withstandardizedpathcoefficientof0.27.Therefore,therewasapositiverelationshipofemotio nalexhaustionandemployee’sjobturnoverintention.Emotionalexhaustionisrelatedtosalesperson i n t h e s e r v i c e i n d u s t r y p r o p e n s i t y toleaveh i s o r herj o b basingona prolongedperiodo f t i m e b e i n g emotionallyoverextendedandexhaustedbyemployees’w o r k T h u s , hypothesis5wa ssupported.
This chapter presents the results of data analysis for measurement scales, research model, and hypotheses Out of 26 theoretical measurement items, two were eliminated, resulting in a total of 26 items measuring four constructs (refer to Appendix G and Table 4.8) The final measurement constructs maintained relevance within their respective categories Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated that most measurement scales were appropriate for assessing each construct The elimination of certain measurement items was attributed to issues such as wording problems, conceptual inappropriateness, individual differences, duplication by other scale items, or the uniqueness of Vietnamese culture (see Appendix C).
Regardingt h e S E M results,thereweret o t a l l y f i v e hypotheses,whichweres u p p o r t e d S pecifically,emotionalintelligencehadapositive impactonwork- family conflictatthestatisticalsignificancelevelof0.001andβ=-
0.29,emotionalintelligencehadapositiveimpacto n emotionalexhaustionatthestatisticalsignifica ncelevelof0.001andwithstandardizedpathcoefficientof-0.17,work- familyconflicthasapositiveimpactonemotionalexhaustion(β=0.46,p=0.001),work- familyc o n f l i c t hasa p o s i t i v e impacto n turnoverintentionw i t h β = 0 2 6 andp=0.001,emotionale x h a u s t i o n hasa p o s i t i v e impacto n t u r n o v e r i n tention(β=0.27,p = 0 0 0 1 ) T h e nextchapter would conclude thisstudy,andsuggestitsimplicationsanditslimitations.
The study focuses on the influence of key variables—emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, and emotional exhaustion—on employee turnover intention, rather than examining the antecedents of salesperson turnover intention Using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, significant relationships were found between these three determinants and turnover intention, aligning with previous research conducted in developed countries Chapter five discusses the conclusions drawn from this study, highlighting its implications and limitations.
Conclusionsandimplications
This paper investigates the impact of emotional intelligence on work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, as well as the subsequent effects of these factors on turnover intention The findings support the proposed hypotheses, indicating that emotional intelligence negatively correlates with work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion Conversely, high levels of work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion are linked to increased turnover intention The study suggests that individuals with strong emotional intelligence can mitigate work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, ultimately reducing turnover intention Given the significance of these issues, the article emphasizes the need to promote emotional skills development to alleviate work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention.
The sales position is often viewed as a stressful job due to the need to manage various situations while meeting customer demands (Bande et al., 2015) In today's competitive sales environment, salespeople frequently travel, making it challenging to cover all customers and prospects, which can lead to high workloads and interfere with other responsibilities Additionally, interpersonal conflict is a significant concern in this role (Jaramillo, Bande & Varela, 2011) Retaining talented salespeople has emerged as a major issue for sales executives, highlighting the importance of addressing turnover (Boles et al., 2012; DeConinck, as cited in Khan et al., 2014).
Research has demonstrated the significant impact of emotional intelligence in high-interaction jobs, particularly in sales roles (O'Boyle et al., 2011) This study advances the understanding of emotional intelligence by highlighting its crucial role in reducing work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions Maintaining a positive and motivated workforce is essential for sales organizations, making it a critical concern for leadership When a salesperson departs from an organization, it incurs substantial costs, including recruitment expenses for advertising, interviewing, selection, and hiring, as well as management costs related to orientation and training (Boles et al., 2012; Hrehocik, 2007; Mulki).
Fristo f all,h i r i n g salespeoplew i t h highlevelso f emotionalintelligencecouldhavea conside rableimpactonreducingorganizationalwork- familyconflict,emotionalexhaustion andturnover.Aneffectiveretentionstrategiesoftenbegind uringtheemployeerecruitmentprocess
When selecting the right salesperson, managers should prioritize candidates' personality, temperament, and capacity Individuals who are outgoing, passionate, and active tend to possess strong emotional regulation abilities Therefore, incorporating psychological tests and interviews during the recruitment process is recommended Psychological assessments typically include clinical interviews, evaluations of intellectual functioning (IQ), personality assessments, and behavioral evaluations Personality tests are particularly crucial as they provide interviewers with a comprehensive understanding of a candidate's behavior, including their temperament, interests, attitudes, values, and motivation During interviews, interviewers can adapt their approach to explore various aspects such as education, knowledge, experience, and achievements.
B y t h e s e a p p r o a c h e s , t h e e m p loyercanp r o p e r l y j u d g e t h e intervieweeandselectt h e q ualifiedstafff o r t h e c o m p a n y (Lv,X u & J i , 2012).Inthisways,theorganizationhiressalespeople withhighlevelsofemotionalintelligencewhichfurthersucceed onholdingitscriticalworkforce.
Enhancing training for staff is essential, as practical training can significantly improve individual emotional intelligence levels Organizations should consider implementing Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to foster emotional competence among salespeople EAPs, widely adopted in U.S companies, provide professional advice and guidance to help employees address personal issues or work-related conflicts These programs positively impact reducing work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover rates within the organization Therefore, sales managers should develop and incorporate EAPs into their training programs for sales personnel.
To mitigate the negative effects of work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover, it is essential to foster a fair work environment Fairness is a fundamental human need and plays a crucial role in shaping individuals' emotions, creating a positive atmosphere that motivates employees and enhances enthusiasm within the organization Salespeople should have a clear understanding of their responsibilities toward customers and set realistic performance expectations Sales managers must prioritize their team members' well-being, providing recognition and support to help them navigate challenges effectively A fair workplace benefits both employees and employers; when employees feel valued, they are more likely to treat customers well, leading to a retention of positive emotions in the workplace Consequently, this approach will reduce work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions.
LimitationsandrecommendationsforFutureResearch
Inthis study,there issome limitations asmatter.Thelackofgeneralizationisthe firstl i m i t a t i o n Samplesizeoftheprojectisabout200whichisnotgeneralizedtotheoverallservicei n d u s t r y anditisnotrepresentativeofthepopulation.Futureresearchshoulduseanothersamplingtechni quetomaketheresearch’sfindingsmoregeneralized.Thus,findingswillbenotconsistentifparticipant sarefromdifferentregionsduetothevarietyofintentionsfromregiontoregionand economytoeconomy.
The limitations of this study include time constraints, as data was exclusively collected from salespeople in the service industry in Ho Chi Minh City To gain a more comprehensive understanding, future research should extend the timeframe and gather data from various sectors and regions Additionally, the current market trends in Vietnam may differ from those in other cities, potentially impacting employee retention It is also noted that turnover intentions may vary by gender, with the majority of respondents being female, which could further limit the findings Furthermore, the study lacks a discussion on the influence of cultural differences on emotional intelligence, despite its universal relevance Lastly, the research solely employed survey methods; incorporating experimental and field studies in future investigations is recommended.
Despite certain limitations, this research offers valuable insights for managers in the Vietnamese service industry, aiming to enrich the existing literature on employee turnover It encourages further exploration of the direct relationships between emotional intelligence and turnover Collecting actual turnover data is crucial, as it provides a clearer picture than merely assessing turnover intentions, which do not always align with actual departures The study primarily investigates how emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention are interconnected Additionally, other factors such as job satisfaction, well-being, and employee engagement should be considered to fully understand the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intentions.
Allen,T D , & Armstrong,J.(2006).Furtherexaminationo f t h e l i n k betweenw o r k - f a m i l y conflictandphysicalh e a l t h t h e r o l e o f health- relatedbehaviors.AmericanBehavioralScientist,49(9),1204-1221.
(1988).Structuralequationmodeling inpractice:A reviewandrecommendedtwo- stepapproach.PsychologyBulletin,103(3),411-423.
Aslam,R.,Shumaila,S.,Azhar,M.,&Sadaqat,S.(2011).Work- familyconflicts:Relationshipbetweenwork-lifec o n f l i c t andemployeer e t e n t i o n – Acomparatives t u d y o f p u b l i c andprivatesectoremployees.InterdisciplinaryJournalofRes earchin Business,1(2),18-29.
Bande,B.,Fernández-Ferrín,P.,Varela,J.A.,&Jaramillo,F.
(2015).Emotionsandsalespersonp r o p e n s i t y toleave:Theeffectsofemotionalintelli genceandresilience.IndustrialMarketingManagement,44(1),42-153.
Bar-On,R (1997).T h e emotionalquotienti n v e n t o r y (EQ- i):A t e s t o f emotionalintelligence.Toronto,Canada:Multi-HealthSystems.
Boyar,S.L.,Maertz Jr,C.P.,Pearson,A.W.,&Keough,S.(2003).Work- family conflict:Am o d e l oflinkagesbetweenworkandfamily domainvariablesandturn overintentions.JournalofManagerialIssues,15(2),75-190.
( 2 0 0 3 ) T he relationshipbetweenemotionalintelligenceandworkattitudes,behaviorandoutc omes:Anexaminationamongseniormanagers.JournalofManagerialPsychology,18(8), 788- 813.
(2003).Therelationshipofemotionalexhaustiontoworkattitudes,j o b performance,andorgani zationalcitizenshipb e h a v i o r s Journalo f AppliedPsychology,88(1),160-169.
(2001).Voluntaryturnover,socialcapital,andorganizationalperformance.AcademyofManage mentReview,26(3),446-456.
(2007).R e a d i n g yourcounterpart:Thebenefitofemotionrecognitionaccuracyforeffect ivenessinnegotiation.Journalof NonverbalBehavior,31(4),205-223.
Gabčanová,I.V E.T.A (2011).T h e e m p l o y e e s – themostimportantasseti n t h e organizations.HumanResourcesManagement&Ergonomics,5(1),30-33.
Gao,Y.,Shi,J.,Niu,Q , &Wang,L.(2013).Work– familyc o n f l i c t andjobsatisfaction:E m o t i o n a l intelligenceasamoderator.Stress andHealth,29(3),222-228.
(2003).Whentheshowmustgoon:Surfaceactinganddeepactingasdeterminantsofemotion alexhaustionandpeer-ratedservicedelivery.AcademyofManagementJournal,46(1),86-96. Greenhaus,J.H.,&Beutell,N.J.
(2001).C a r e e r i n v o l v e m e n t andf a m i l y involvementasmoderatorsofrelationships betweenwork–familyconflictandwithdrawalfrom a profession.JournalofOccupationalHealthPsychology,6(2),91-100.
Hair,J.F.,Black,W C.,Babin,B.J.,Anderson,R E., &Tatham,R.L.
(2006).Multivariated a t a analysis(6 thed) UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:PearsonPrenticeHall.
27.Hobfoll,S E (Ed.).(1988).T h e ecologyo f s t r e s s.NewYork:HemisphereP u b l i s h i n g
(1995).Theimpactofhumanresourcemanagementpracticesonturnover,productivity,andcorp oratefinancialperformance.Academyo f ManagementJournal,38(3),635-672.
? Retrieved May 5, 2015, fromhttp://www.ilo.org/hanoi/Informationresources/Publicinformation/newsitems/
WCMS_340867/lang en/index.htm.
(2015).Servantl e a d e r s h i p andethics:A dyadicexaminationo f supervisorbehaviorsandsale spersonperceptions.Journalo f PersonalSelling&SalesManagement,35(2),108-124.
( 2 0 1 1 ) Workplacestressors,j o b attitude,andj o b behaviors:i s interpersonalconflictt h e m i s s i n g link?.JournalofPersonalSelling& S a l e s Management,31(3),339-356. Kelloway,E.K.,Gottlieb,B.H.,&Barham,L.
(1999).Thesource,nature,anddirectionofworkandf a m i l y c o n f l i c t : A longitudinalinvesti gation.Journalo f OccupationalHealthPsychology,4(4), 337-346.
(2011).E m o t i o n a l intelligencei n marketing exchanges.Journal ofMarketing,75(1),78- 95.
Khan,M R.U.,Nazir,N.,Kazmi,S.,Khalid,A.,Kiyani,T M.,&Shahzad, A.(2014).Work- f a m i l y conflict and turnoverintentions:Mediatingeffectof stress.International ofJournalofHumanitiesandSocialScience,5(1), 92-100.
(2008).Clinicalsupervision,emotionale x h a u s t i o n , andturnoverintention:A studyofsubstanceabusetreatmentcounselors int h e clinicaltrialsnetworkof thenationalinstituteon drugAbuse.Journalof SubstanceA b u s e Treatment,35(4),387- 395.
(2003).Managingemployeeattitudesa n d behaviorsi n t h e t o u r i s m andh o s p i t a l i t y industry(pp.25-50).NewYork:NovaPublishers.
(2004).T h e relationshipo f occupationalstress,psychologicalstrain,a n d c o p i n g resources t o t h e t u r n o v e r intentionsofrehabilitationcounselors.RehabilitationCounselingBulletin,
(2012).Emotionallaborstrategies,emotionalexhaustion,andturnoverintention:Anemp iricalstudyofChinesehotelemployees.JournalofHumanResourcesi n
(2008).T h e r o l e ofe m o t i o n i n e x p l a i n i n g consumersatisfactionandfutureb e h a v i o r a l intention.Journalo f ServicesMarketing,22(3),224-236.
Mayer, J D., & Salovey, P (1993) The intelligence of emotional intelligence.
(2011).Emotionalintelligence,emotionale x h a u s t i o n , andj o b performance.SocialBeha viora n d Personality:AnInternationalJ o u r n a l,39(8),1 0 8 7 - 1 0 9 6
(2011).Workplaceisolation:salespeopleandsupervisorsinU S A TheInternationalJourn alof HumanResourceManagement,22(04),902-923.
Netemeyer,R.G.,Boles,J.S.,&McMurrian,R.(1996).Developmentandvalidationofwork– f a m i l y c o n f l i c t andfamily– workc o n f l i c t scales.Journalo f AppliedPsychology,81(4),400-410.
O'Boyle,E H , Humphrey,R H , Pollack,J.M , Hawver,T H , & Story,P A (2011).T h e relationbetweenemotionalintelligenceandjobperformance:Ameta‐ analysis.JournalofO r g a n i z a t i o n a l Behavior,32(5),788-818.
(2010).Servicepersonalvaluesandcustomerloyalty:A s t u d y o f bankingservicesi n a transiti onaleconomy.InternationalJournalo f B a n k Marketing,28(6),465-478.
(2007).The relationshipbetweencompetitivestrategies andproductquality.IndustrialMa nagement&Data Systems,107(1),69-83.
(2014).Therelationshipofturnoverintentionw i t h j o b satisfaction,j o b performance,lead erm e m b e r exchange,emotionalintelligenceandorganizat ional commitment.Internatio nalJournalof Learningand Development,4(2),242-256.
(1990).E m o t i o n a l intelligence.Imagination,C o g n i t i o n a n d Personality,9(3),185-211. Suliman,A.M.,&Al-Shaikh,F.N.
Staw,B.M.(1980).Theconsequencesof turnover.Journalof Occupational Behavior,1(1),253-2 7 3 TapChi CongSan(2013).OverviewofVietnam’seconomy2013and forecast in
2014.RetrievedM a y 11,2016fromhttp://english.tapchicongsan.org.vn/Home/Socialist- oriented-Market-Economy/2014/413/Overview-of-Viet-Nams-economy-in-2013-and- forecast-in-2 0 1 4 a s p x
Taylor,G.J.(2001).Lowemotionalintelligenceandmentalillness.InJ.Ciarrochi,J.P.Forgas,
(1993).Jobsatisfaction,organizationalcommitment,turnoverintention,andt u r n o v e r : Patha nalysesb a s e d o n m e t a - a n a l y t i c findings.P e r s o n n e l Psychology,46(2), 259-293. ThanhTam(2014,December9 th ).ImprovingqualityofVietNam’stourismhumanresourceforA S E
A N integration Retrieved fromhttp://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/english/index.php/items/8067.
(2007).Factorsaffectingtheutilizationoftheinternetbyinternationalizingfirmsintransitio nmarkets:EvidencefromVietnam.MarketingIntelligence& Planning,25(4),360-376.Doi: 10.1108/02634500710754592.
C h i M i n h , VN:H C M C NationalU n i v e r s i t y P u b l i s h i n g H o u s e (inVietnamese). Thorndike,E.L.(1920).Intelligence andits uses.Harper'sMagazine.140(1),227–235.
VanRooy,D L.,& Viswesvaran,C (2004).E m o t i o n a l intelligence:A meta- analyticinvestigationofpredictivevalidityandnomologicalnet.JournalofVocationalBeha vior,65(1),71-95.
( 1 9 8 5 ) Feedbackobstruction:T h e i n f l u e n c e oft h e informationenvironmentonemployeeturnov erintentions.HumanRelations,38(1),23-46.Wong,C.S.,&Law,K.S. (2002).Theeffectsofleaderandfolloweremotionalintelligenceonperformanceandattitude:A n e x p l o r a t o r y study.TheLeadershipQuarterly,13(3),2 4 3 -
XuanH u o n g (2013,A p r i l 2 2 ) V N l o o k s t o t a p t o u r i s m p o t e n t i a l VietN a m N e w s.Retriev edfromhttp://vietnamnews.vn/economy/238446/vn-looks-to-tap-tourism-potential.html.
Thanksforyourattentionsintotheinterviewoftheresearch“Therelationshipbetweenemot ionalintelligenceandturnoverintentions:EvidencefromVietnam”.Allyouropinionsaremeanin gfulf o r t h e interview.P l e a s e presentyourt h i n k i n g andideashonestly!
I w i l l readl o u d l y eachmeasurementitem.Ifyoufullyunderstand,Iwillbereadinganextitem.If youdon o t understandoryouthinkitisnotsuitablefortheVietnamesecontext,pleasetellmewhy,andt e l l m e yoursuggestions.
2 Theamountoftime myjobtakesup makesi t difficulttofulfi llfamilyresponsibilities.
5 Duetowork- relatedduties,Ihavetomakechangestomyp l a n s forfamilyacti vities.
2 IfeelfatiguedwhenI getu p i n t h e m o r n i n g andhavet o facea notherdayon the job.
Theyconfirmedtheirunderstandingaboutself-management,psychologicalempowerment,self- efficacy,andjobperformanceaswellastheconsequentialrelationshipamongthesedimensions.Howev er,t h e m e a s u r e m e n t scalehass o m e i t e m s whicha r e n o t suitablefort h e V i e t n a m e s e c o n t e x t s , especiallythetourismandhospitalityworkingenvironmentofVietnam.Theyneedto b e modifiedandcomplementedt o b e m o r e a p p r o p r i a t e Indetail,t h e i t e m s weremodifiedasbel ow:
Emotionalintelligence:Self-Emotions Appraisal (SEA)
Therespondentsstatedt ha t theyunderstoodt hescalemeaning.Howe ver, theyadmittedt h i s itemi s p a r t l y describedclearerbyothe riteminscale.
I have goodundersta ndingoft h e em otionsof peoplearoundm e.
Inregardt o t h i s item,t h e intervieweess t a t e d th at
Vietnameseemployees m i g h t n o t seethedif ferences.This itemi s e a s i l y duplicatedbyoth
Excludedthisitemd u e t o i t i s e a s i l y du plicatedbyotheritemi nscale. iteminscale.
Iw o u l d always encouragemysel f to trymybest.
With this item,respondentsstatedt h a t i t i s n o t clarifiedi n meaning,aswellasi t i s difficult forVietnamesesubordin ates tomeasure.Thisitemisp ar tl y
Excludedthisitemd u e t o i t i s n o t comm oninVietnamconte xtanditisdifficult for employees tomeasurethisitem.
I am a self- motivating pe rson
The intervieweerecommend edt h e researchertoadd thephrase“ingeneral”i n frontofthesentenceto makethisscalemoreu nderstandable.
All respondentscriticizedth isitemispartly describedclearerbyothe riteminscale.
Excludedthisitemd u e t o i t i s n o t necess ary. old,Salesperson
Theamountofti memyjobtakes u p makesit diffi cultt o fulfillf a m i l y responsibi lities.
Withregardtothis sente nce,respondentsm e n t i o n e d thatitisquitevag ue.Iti s alsopartly mea suredbyot he r iteminsc ale.
Withregardtothis item, theintervieweesmenti onedthatitisnotclarifie di n m e a n i n g anditisn otpopularinVietnamc ontext.
Workingdirect ly withpeoplep u t s t o o much stre ssonme.
The intervieweesm e n t i o n e d theyunderstoodthescal emeaning.However,the yadmittedthisitemis partlyd e s c r i b e d c learerbyotheriteminscal
Excludedthisitemd u e to it is not
32yearsold,Salesperson rope criticizedt h a t t h e phr aseof“endofmyrope”is notacommonhabitofVi etnamese.This itemi s p a r t l y describedclear erbyo t h e r iteminscale commoninVietnamc ontext.
IamNguyenThiThienHuong,astudentofMasterProgramofUniversityofEconomicsHoChiM i n h Ci ty.I amu n d e r t a k i n g a researcht o investigate“ t h e relationshipbetweenemotionalintelligence andturnoverintention”.Itshouldtakeyounolongerthan10minutestocompletet h e questionnaire.
Your personalinformationwillnotbe disclosed withoutyourpermission.Ifyouh a v e concernso r questionsovert h i s study,p l e a s e contactmev i a e m a i l a d d r e s s : thienhuong761@gmail.com.
2 Areyouasalespersoninservice industry? a No,I’mnot b.Yes,Iam
Ifyouranswerforquestion1and2are“a”,youcanstopyourworkhere.Thankyouforyourcooperationi ncompletingthisquestionnaire.Ifyouranswerforquestion1and2are“b”,pleasecontinue answeringthequestions inSectionBandSectionC.
Thissectionexploresyourattitudeandperceptionsregardinge m o t i o n a l intelligence,work- f a m i l y conflict, emotional exhaustionandturnoverintention.
Towhat extentdoyou agreewith eachofth efollowingstatement s,pleaseindicateyouranswerusingthefollowing5- pointscalewhere:
Stronglydisagree Disagree Neitheragreenoragree Agree Stronglyagree
1 Ih a v e a goods e n s e ofw h y I h a v e certainfeelingsm o s t oft h e t i m e
10 Iama b l e t o controlmytempers o t h a t I canh a n d l e difficultiesration ally.
14 ThingsIw a n t t o d o ath o m e d o n o t getd o n e becauseo f t h e demandsmyjob puts onme.
15 Myj o b producesstraint h a t makesi t difficultt o fulfillf a m i l y dut ies
16 Duet o work- relatedduties,I havet o m a k e changest o myplans f o r familyactivitie s.
18 IfeelfatiguedwhenI getu p i n t h e m o r n i n g andhavet o faceanother dayon the job.
19 Workingdirectlywith people puts too muchstresson me 1 2 3 4 5
23 As soonasIcanfind abetter job,Iwillleavethiscenter 1 2 3 4 5
Thissectiono f th e questionnairereferst o backgroundor biographicalinformation.T h e informationw ill allow me to classifyandcomparegroupsofrespondents.
Highschool/Intermediate College/university Postgraduate
Chị,tôitênNguyễnThịThiênHương,hiệnđanglàhọcviêncaohọccủatrườngĐạihọcKinhtếTp.HCM. Tôiđangnghiêncứunhữngyếutốtácđộngđếnýđịnhluânchuyểncôngviệccủan h â n v i ê n (cán h â n )tạicơq u a n nơicáca n h chịđangl à m v i ệ c.Rấtm o n g A n h /
Chịcóbấtkỳthắcmắcnào,xinvuilòngliênlạcvớitôithôngquađịachỉemail:thienhuong761@gmail.co m.
1 Anh/Chịđanglàm côngviệchiệntạiđượcbaolâu? a Dướisáutháng b.Trênsáutháng
Nếuởcâusố1và2,anh/chịtrảlờilàđápán“a”,anh/chịcóthểdừngviệctrảlờikhảosáttạiđây.Chân thànhcámơnsựgiúpđỡcủaanhchị.
Nếuởcâusố1và2anh/chịtrảlời đápán“b”, xinanh/chịvui lòngtrảlời tiếp cáccâuhỏiởphầnB vàphần C.
Chịđốivớicácphát biểu sau bằngcáchđánh dấu
( X) vàoôtươngứng,với: Ô số 1: Hoàn toànkhôngđồng ýÔ số 2:Khôngđồng ý Ô số3:Trungdung/khôngcóý kiếnÔ số 4:Đồngý Ô số 5: Hoàn toàn đồngý
Hoàntoànkhôngđồngý Khôngđồngý Trungdung/khôngcóýkiến Đồngý Hoàntoàn đồng ý
1 Hầuhếtthờigiantôi nhận thứcrõtạisao tôicócảm xúcnàođó 1 2 3 4 5
4 Tôi luôn luônbiếtcảmxúccủabạn tôi thôngquahànhvi củahọ 1 2 3 4 5
5 Tôi luôn luônbiếtcảmxúccủabạn tôi thôngquahànhvi củahọ 1 2 3 4 5
9 Tôi là mộtngườibiếttự độngviên bản thân 1 2 3 4 5
10 Tôicóthểđiềukhiển tâmtrạng củatôi đểcóthểxửlýkhó khăn mộtcáchh ợ p lý 1 2 3 4 5
12 Tôicóthểnhanhchónglấylại bình tĩnh khitôiđangrất tứcgiận 1 2 3 4 5
19 Làmviệcvới mọingườicảngàythựcsự là một sự căngthẳngchotôi 1 2 3 4 5
23 Ngaykhi tôi tìm đượcmộtcôngviệctốt hơn, tôi sẽrời khỏi côngtynày 1 2 3 4 5
Chịchobiếtmộtsốthông tinsauđểp h ụcvụchoviệcphân loại và sosánhcácnhómđốitượngkhảosát.
Phổthông/Trungcâpnghề Caođẳng/Đạihọc Sauđạihọc