Exploring Emotional Competence: Its Effects on Coping, Social Capital, and Performance of Salespeople

59 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2004

See all articles by Willem Verbeke

Willem Verbeke

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics (ESE)

Frank Belschak

University of Cologne - Department of Economics

Richard P. Bagozzi

University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business

Date Written: 20 2004 1,

Abstract

We define emotional competence as a person’s domain-specific working model about how one can appropriately manage one’s emotions within interpersonal situations. Emotional competence is conceived as the integration of seven seemingly unrelated proficiencies: perspective taking, strategic self-presentation of emotions, helping targets of communication accept one’s genuine emotional reactions, lack of guilt when using emotions strategically, fostering self-authenticity, developing an ironic perspective, and incorporating one’s moral code into the self-regulation of emotions. A cluster analysis of responses to measures of the seven proficiencies by 220 salespeople revealed four distinct groups of people. The groups were defined by emotional competence syndromes consisting of combinations of different levels of the seven proficiencies. One group, the highly emotional competent, scored high on all seven proficiencies, a second group scored low on all seven. Two other groups resulted wherein one group was dominated by feelings of guilt in the use of emotions strategically, and the second was characterized by the inability to accept ambiguous and contradictory situations by assuming an ironic perspective. In a test of predictive validity, the highly emotional competent group, but not the others, coped effectively with envy and pride, achieved high social capital, and performed well.

Keywords: emotional competence, emotion regulation, coping, social capital and performance

JEL Classification: M, M10, L2, M19

Suggested Citation

Verbeke, Willem and Belschak, Frank and Bagozzi, Richard P., Exploring Emotional Competence: Its Effects on Coping, Social Capital, and Performance of Salespeople (20 2004 1,). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=513775

Willem Verbeke (Contact Author)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam, NL 3062 PA
Netherlands

Frank Belschak

University of Cologne - Department of Economics ( email )

Herbert-Lewin-Str.2
Cologne, 50931
Germany
+49 221 470 2500 (Phone)
+49 221 470 5175 (Fax)

Richard P. Bagozzi

University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business ( email )

701 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI MI 48109
United States

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