The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Job Commitment (JC) Among Malaysian Public Librarians (MPLs)

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence (El) and job commitment (JC) of librarians working in public libraries in Malaysia. A total of 180 librarians were selected as the respondents. The instrument used in this study was adapted from Emotional Competency Inventory (ECI) and Job Commitment Questionnaire. All the formulated hypotheses (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management) of EI and JC were supported after correlation test and regression analysis were conducted. The findings indicate that a high level of EI can lead to high commitment. Practically, the study implies that an on-going concept of El and training in the library is needed to produce librarians who are empathetic, willing to accept the opinions of other employees, to provide cooperation and motivate employees. This will indirectly increase commitment and loyalty to serve and work, improving work performance while increasing productivity and job satisfaction in the workplace. Essentially, this study has three main implications: theoretical, methodological and practical that can be used by relevant agencies.