The Effect of Student Work Group Emotional Intelligence on Individual Task Performance in Teams

Background: The development of employability skills is a concern of educational institutions, which must introduce experiential learning scenarios for undergraduate students. Purpose: This study is aimed at testing the relationship between emotional intelligence and individual task performance in teams, during a recruiting activity for an experiential learning program. Methodology/Approach: Self-reported and third rater’s measures were used to assess both variables as part of the selection process of participants on an experiential learning program focused on engineering competitions. Exploratory structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Findings/Conclusions: Results show partial support of the hypothesis by revealing a significant but apparently counterintuitive relationship. Implications: The study reveals the measurement of employability skills as a challenge and a necessity. For employers, it reinforces that teamwork, socialization, and daily organizational endeavors require the appropriate soft skills to obtain good performance levels.