Exploring emotional intelligence and conflict management styles in Dominican Republic construction industry

Abstract

Purpose Emotional intelligence (EI) and conflict management (CM) are essential skills for construction managers towards achieving organisational effectiveness. It is believed that an individual’s EI level (EIL) is a predictor of the preferred CM styles (CMS). This study aims to explore the relationships between EIL, preferred CMS and demographic factors in the construction sector of the Dominican Republic (DR). Design/methodology/approach The EIL and CMS of a sample of civil engineers in managerial positions were evaluated using the emotional intelligence appraisal and Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II self-assessment tools. Findings There was a strong positive correlation between the rated EIL and the scores of collaboration and compromise styles, i.e. participants with higher EIL have stronger fit within the collaboration and compromise styles of managing conflicts. For participants with lower EIL, collaboration and compromise styles were also top preferences, but with no statistical significance. Significant relationships existed between gender, collaboration and compromise styles and between work experience and collaboration style. No significant relationship between demographics and EIL. Practical implications The construction industry needs innovative construction managers whose CMS and EIL are compatible with the culture and overall organisational objectives. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study appraising the EI and CMS of civil engineers working in DR construction industry.

Exploring mental health challenges and implications for construction safety

“…Mental health training including mental health first aiders, regular mental health workshops, site inductions that incorporate the opportunity for workers to start the mental health conversation, stand down days and opportunities for workers to get involved in wellbeing breakfasts are ways that organisations are communicating with employees. Modular emotional intelligence training programmes specifically tailored for managers (Lawani et al, 2022) on how to manage issues of mental health of employees within the workplace are steps being deployed to mediate on the wellbeing of the workers but the involvement of frontline workers in these types of training programmes which might be beneficial are not prioritised by many organisations.…”

“…Due to the perceived masculine nature of the industry, frontline workers that are experiencing and struggling with mental ill health issues are often reluctant to seek help (to avoid being considered as weak) and sometimes revert to alcohol abuse and substance misuse (Lawani et al, 2020). The study conducted by Milner et al (2018) suggests that some sort of substance use contributes to over half of the mental health cases recorded within the construction industry.…”

Exploring Perceptions toward Emotional Intelligence in Chilean Construction Using a Qualitative Approach

“…Regarding safety, researchers have explored the impacts of emotional intelligence on the protection of workers and their attitude toward safety regulations [33,41,42,47]. Other studies have explored how the emotional intelligence of construction managers contributes to project success and conflict management throughout the project life cycle [40,48], for instance, by including the role of stakeholders' political skills [36]. Other lines of research include how construction workers deal with stress [41,49], motivation [42,50], and job burnout [42,51].…”