A Correlational Study of Emotional Intelligence and Resilience in Asset Managers During the Global Pandemic Explored Through Chaos and Intentional Change Theories

Date of Award

Fall 2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Committee Chair

Kathy Richie

Committee Member

Susan Campbell

Committee Member

Bethany Poore

Abstract

The global pandemic posed an uncertain economic environment that required holistic thinking to succeed, especially for asset managers. Due to the complexity, severity, and unprecedented nature of the environment, there was a need to possess skills beyond analytical intelligence that allowed for thriving in ambiguity and uncertainty. Emotional intelligence and resilience are two of the proposed skills applicable in this environment. High levels of emotional intelligence help individuals navigate ambiguity, read situations, and pose more holistic solutions. Resilience allows individuals to rebound from misinterpretations of indicators quickly. A non-experimental, correlational study quantitatively examined asset managers, gathering anonymous demographic, emotional intelligence, and resilience data. The researcher measured their self-reported emotional intelligence using the Self-Reported Emotional Intelligence Test (SREIT) and resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 (CD-RISC10), with a multi-part electronic assessment delivered using SurveyMonkey. Both instruments used a five-point Likert scale to measure the independent variables. An asset management industry-related professional organization circulated the email inviting study participation. Asset managers self-selected to participate. There was no segregation regarding age, gender, experience, years in the role, or educational background. Hypotheses posed a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and resilience. From a theoretical standpoint, the constructs of chaos and intentional change theories were used as lenses to view the study results. The study uncovered a modest correlation between emotional intelligence and resilience and concluded with implications and suggestions for further research.

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