Conclusiones Parciales

In order to investigate the relationship between EI and burnout, it was hypothesised that:

Hypothesis 19: A significant negative relationship exists between EI (total score) and emotional exhaustion.

Hypothesis 20: Significant negative relationships exist between the dimensions of EI (emotional recognition and expression, understanding emotions external, emotions direct cognition, emotional management and emotional control) and emotional exhaustion.

Hypothesis 21: A significant negative relationship exists between EI (total score) and depersonalisation.

Hypothesis 22: Significant negative relationships exist between the dimensions of EI (emotional recognition and expression, understanding emotions external, emotions direct cognition, emotional management and emotional control) and depersonalisation.

Hypothesis 23: A significant positive relationship exists between EI (total score) and diminished personal accomplishment.

Hypothesis 24: Significant positive relationships exist between the dimensions of EI (emotional recognition and expression, understanding emotions external, emotions direct cognition, emotional management and emotional control) and diminished personal accomplishment.

The relationships between the various dimensions of EI and burnout were investigated through the calculation of various Pearson Product-Moment Correlation coefficients.

The results are presented in table 4.6. Some support was found for the hypothesised relationship between EI and burnout, with the strongest relationships being found with diminished personal accomplishment. It can be reported that, firstly, emotional exhaustion was not significantly related to EI (total score), hence hypothesis 19 is not supported. Emotional exhaustion showed only weak to moderate significant negative relationships with two of the dimensions of EI: emotional management (r = -.222, n = 210, p = < .01]) and emotional control (r = -.312, n = 210, p = < .01). Therefore only partial evidence emerged in support of hypothesis 20. This result indicates that CCRs who are able to effectively foster positive moods and emotions in themselves and others

and not let strong emotions override their capacity to think and act effectively (Palmer &

Stough, 2001) are less likely to report experiencing emotional exhaustion. This makes sense as it could be argued that individuals who are able to mange and control emotions in the above way should feel less emotionally depleted by emotional interactions at work and more able to maintain a positive disposition. This, in turn, could result in greater feelings of self-efficacy regarding their ability to cope with the emotional demands of a normal workday.

No significant relationship emerged between depersonalisation and EI (total score) hence hypothesis 21 is not supported. Depersonalisation did show weak, significant negative relationships with two dimensions of EI: emotional management (r = -.236, n = 210, p = < .01) and emotional control (r = -.266, n = 210, p = < .01), so resulting in partial support of hypothesis 22. These results suggest that CCRs who are able to engage in mood regulation to foster positive moods and control strong emotions from affecting their thoughts and actions are less likely to report experiencing depersonalisation, where they objectify the client and alienate them so as to have as little emotional contact as possible. It is noteworthy that a weak, positive relationship was found between depersonalisation and emotions direct cognition (r = .156, n = 210, p

= < .05). This result seems to suggest that CCRs who make more use of emotional content when making decisions are more likely to report engaging in depersonalisation.

This could possibly be because they are more prone to be overwhelmed by their emotions when considering decisions, which could escalate the amount of emotion

“work” they experience. This could, in turn, possibly result in decreased productivity as they place a greater emotional burden on themselves in an already “emotionally laden”

environment. In attempting to alleviate this increased emotional burden they might try to distance themselves from the client (i.e. “alienating”/depersonalising the client), in the hope that this will reduce the emotional burden. Palmer and Stough (2001) argue that low/average scores on this dimension of EI are more closely related to success than higher scores, which would mean that excessive use of emotions when making decisions can have unfavourable results. What has emerged from multiple regression analyses, reported on below, is that emotional management and emotional control play a role in “tempering” the negative effects of using emotions too liberally when interacting

with clients. These results highlight the complexity of the relationship between EI and burnout and require extensive investigation in future research projects.

Finally, diminished personal accomplishment showed a weak to moderate significant positive relationship with EI (total score) (r = .314, n = 210, p = < .05), resulting in hypothesis 23 being supported. Similarly diminished personal accomplishment showed weak to moderate, significant positive relationships with four of the dimensions of EI:

emotional recognition and expression (r = .223, n = 210, p = < .05), understanding emotions (external) (r = .190, n = 210, p = < .05), emotional management (r = .341, n = 210, p = < .05) and emotional control (r = .213, n = 210, p = < .05)], resulting in hypothesis 24 being supported. This result implies that CCRs who are more adept at perceiving, expressing, understanding, managing and controlling emotions in the workplace are more likely to exhibit a higher sense of personal accomplishment. This is possibly due to the fact that expressing and dealing with emotions effectively in the workplace (owing to the specific nature of the work and type of client interactions in call centres) will result in better feedback from clients and colleagues and likely result in an increased sense of accomplishment and success on the job.

Table 4.6: Correlations between EI (SUEIT) and Burnout (MBI-GS)

Construct Measurement EE DP PA Scale sub-

Dimensions

EI EI (TOTAL SCORE) -.073 -.073 .314**

EREXP .077 -.018 .223**

UEX .049 .077 .190**

EDC .131 .156* -.013

EM -.222** -.236** .341**

EC -.312** -.266** .213**

n = 210; ** Correlation is significant at the .01 level (two-tailed); * Correlation is significant at the .05 level (two-tailed)

EREXP = Emotional Recognition and Expression; UEX = Understanding Emotions (external); EDC

= Emotions Direct Cognition; EM = Emotional Management; EC = Emotional Control; EE = Emotional Exhaustion; DP = Depersonalisation; PA = Diminished Personal Accomplishment