The mediating role of the dark triad in the effect of emotional intelligence on turnover intention

Abstract

Turnover intention refers to an employee's tendency or intention to voluntarily leave or move from their current position and seek employment elsewhere. This study aims to analyze the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention with dark triad as mediating variable, based on the Social Exchange Theory and Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Theory. A quantitative approach with a causal associative method was employed in this research. The sampling method used was proportional random sampling, with a total sample of 235 employees. Data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling based on Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the study variables. The findings reveal that emotional intelligence has a significant negative effect on turnover intention. Furthermore, emotional intelligence significantly negatively influences Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. In turn, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy have a significant positive effect on turnover intention. The mediation analysis indicates that Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy partially and competitively mediate the effect of emotional intelligence on turnover intention. These results provide practical implications for IHG as valuable input and consideration in managing human resources to reduce employee turnover.&nbsp