Proposal for Research on The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence

and Job Performance at Vietnamese Start-Up Companies

from

Group ABC

Rationale

The topic of Emotional Intelligence has been in the center of attention for years with

thousands of research and programs conducted showing its role in workplace success. According

to Daniel Goleman, Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, comprehend and

control emotions of human. He also argued that emotional intelligence could be just as

important, if not even more than IQ and technical skills, in the workplace. We want to conduct

research on the connection between EI and performance of employees to see whether previous

theories such as the aforementioned are correct in Vietnam. Despite being in the center of

worldwide attention, the topic is indeed very new in the country. Therefore, we also look forward

to not only clearing out some potential misunderstandings about EI but also providing later

researchers, students and any individuals who take an interest in the topic an in-depth study

about EI.

The targeted group for this study is employees from Vietnamese start-up companies

because they have a simple management structure, which can streamline the research process.

Moreover, the startup ecosystem in Vietnam has been very vibrant and the goal is to help startups

in Vietnam grow and scale up. This research can help contribute solutions and strategies in

enhancing employees' performance to meet that goal.

Significance of the study

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  Our study may clarify the relationship between EI & Job performance and how EI impact

on job performance, demonstrate that EI can determine how effectively employees work.

 Researchers who want to study on topics that are related to the relationship between EI

and Job Performance can use ours as a reference.

 Students can use this as a material for their subject, such as psychology.

 It can give suggestions for better explore of emotions for the improvement of

performance of the employees

 This may help in policy formulation and execution in a company, especially in a startup

one.

Context of the study

Have you ever wondered why startups in the world are so successful? This type of

business is very successful in developed countries but in developing countries, typically

Vietnam? One of the factors that strongly impact on a startup’s success is the influence of EQ.

Recent statistics all reflect a sad situation, that many Vietnamese startups are born, but many fail.

Specifically: only 3% of Vietnamese startups are truly successful, which means they fully meet

the criteria. Another alarming number of up to 80% of Vietnamese startups do not have the

opportunity to celebrate the 2nd birthday; they die prematurely or just exist as a "zombie"

company. For startups, work is always numerous. A lot of problems need to be solved by most

people. This makes people stressed and tired, leading to not be able to control their emotions.

Therefore, controlling EQ is very important for both leaders and employees because it greatly

affects the performance of the whole company.

Research objective and questions

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  Research objective: The relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Job

Performance

 Research questions:

o What difference does Emotional Intelligence make in the employees’

performance?

o What are the recommendations to promote EI in the workplace?

Methodology

The primary research method for this study is quantitative. This study will first review

various ways in which EI affects job performance. Based on this understanding, a suitable survey

purpose will be applied to identify how many percent of the staff performance be affected in that

way. This study will be conducted between September 2019 and November 2019.

Methods

We use questionnaire to collect data for our study. We use a simple, random sampling

method to select a sample group of equal numbers of men and women, including employees in

the companies. Multiple choice questions with open-ended questions is an appropriate selection

for this research. Multiple choice questions with available answers are suitable for worker, who

do not have time to think about answers to open-ended questions. To successfully conduct the

survey, we will learn from the previous surveyors to find out how to approach the research

subjects, then persuade them to do the survey as honestly as possible. The last step is relying on

practical situation to find the appropriate sample and create a suitable survey.

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Sample

The sample was expected to be composed of 50% male and 50% female, including

employees. Of the sample, 30% of them were between the ages of 18 and 21, 50% were between

22 and 28 years old, and 20% were over the ages of 29. Besides, 70% of them had full-time (40

or more hours per week) work experience and the rest had part-time work experience (39 or less

hours per week). The sample for our study was selected through the simple random sampling

method, and the sample size was determined by using the Yamane’s technique.

Data Collection

This research study uses a quantitative approach. A group of 30 employees were

randomly selected from three startup companies in Hanoi, Vietnam. The sample age varied from

20 to 30 years old. The links to the online surveys were sent from the companies’ emails to all

the employees. The questionnaires were in Vietnamese. 2 sets of survey are used in this research:

 The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). The survey is fairly

reliable for adults and adolescents, according to StatisticSolutions. There are many

studies on this topic using other self-assessment surveys such as that of Wong&Law;

Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. In contrast, SSEIT is not frequently

used. This present research can provide a source to compare the validity of findings on

EI-JP relationship. It is also easy to access via the Internet and allows to measure the EI

level of employees from startup companies.

 Individual Work Performance 1.0 (Koopman, 2014). The survey is designed for a myriad

of different professions and can assist with evaluating Job Performance.

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Reference

1. Goleman, D. (2000). (n.d.). Emotional intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ.

Bloomsbury

2. Admin (2018, Oct 29). Thực trạng khởi nghiệp tại Việt Nam trong thời kỳ hội nhập.

BIGFund. Retrieved from: https://bigfund.com/thuc-trang-khoi-nghiep-tai-viet-nam-

trong-thoi-ky-hoi-nhap/?

fbclid=IwAR3jCYiGu5XjfXUMPoOKrA7TS3EysRsyN4gcu1GUsdLeM0wlzJFpOfDWn

bA

3. Koopmans, Linda & Bernaards, Claire & Hildebrandt, Vincent & Buuren, Stef & Beek,

Allard & De Vet, Henrica. (2014). Improving the Individual Work Performance

Questionnaire using Rasch Analysis. Journal of applied measurement. 15. 160-75.

10.1136/oemed-2013-101717.51.