The Dynamic Role of Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship Between Emotional Labor and Job Satisfaction: A Comparison Study of Public Service in China and South Korea

• Author: Seung-Bum Yang,Hyun Jung Lee,Min Hye Song,Xiaojun Lu
• Published date: 01 September 2021
• Date: 01 September 2021
• DOI: 10.1177/0091026020946476
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026020946476

Public Personnel Management

2021, Vol. 50(3) 356 –380

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0091026020946476

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Article

The Dynamic Role of

Emotional Intelligence on

the Relationship Between

Emotional Labor and Job

Satisfaction: A Comparison

Study of Public Service in

China and South Korea

Xiaojun Lu1, Hyun Jung Lee2, Seung-Bum Yang3,

and Min Hye Song3

Abstract

Today, research on emotional labor in public service has been growing both in China

and South Korea; however, few studies have explored the management–performance

relationship between countries with similar cultures. This study provides a new case

for the comparative public management domain by conducting empirical research

on two countries with similar cultures and clarifying the existing literature on the

relationship between the dimensions of emotional labor and job satisfaction with

emotional intelligence as the mediating role. Samples from public service employees

were collected. The findings reveal that, among the dimensions of emotional

intelligence, emotional self-regulation emerges as the sole important mediating

variable in the relationship between the two countries.

Keywords

emotional labor, job satisfaction, emotional intelligence, eastern culture countries,

comparative studies

1Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

2MyongJi University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

3KonKuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Corresponding Author:

Hyun Jung Lee, Department of Public Administration, MyongJi University, 2912, Geobookgolro 34,

Seodaemoongu, Seoul 120-728, Republic of Korea.

Email: tweety06@mju.ac.kr

946476PPMXXX10.1177/0091026020946476Public Personnel ManagementLu et al.

research-article2020

Lu et al. 357

Over time, an increasing number of researchers in the field of public administration

have emphasized the importance of emotional labor in public service. Compared with

the private sector, where the goal of service is to maximize customer satisfaction for

organization profit, public service work tends to be more emotionally intense. For

example, administrative workers at the Department of Motor Vehicles, police officers

who arrest criminals, and child protection workers who help abused children might

serve hundreds of people daily with a pleasant demeanor. Therefore, suppressing and

expressing emotions are much more common activities for public service workers than

for private-sector workers (Lee, 2018b).

Although many studies have found harmful outcomes (e.g., burnout, absenteeism,

and turnover intention) associated with jobs entailing high levels of emotional labor,

some studies have disagreed regarding workers in the public sector. Yang and Guy

(2015) and Lee (2018b) found positive associations between surface acting and job

satisfaction among public service employees in South Korea, and Stenross and

Kleinman (1989) found a positive relationship between surface acting and job satisfac-

tion among police detectives. However, although many researchers have found posi-

tive relationships that are associated with emotional labor (Hsieh et al., 2012; Jin &

Guy, 2009; Lopez, 2006), Cheung et al. (2011) found no significant relationship

between emotional labor and job satisfaction in a sample of Chinese public teachers.

These inconsistent results on emotional labor among public service workers make it

difficult to draw reliable conclusions about the relationship and impede the ability to

make suggestions for public service management practices (Hülsheger & Schewe,

2011). Studies, including particular parameters or variables, are necessary to conclude

emotional labor outcomes successfully.

One factor that might influence the relationship between emotional labor and job

satisfaction is emotional intelligence. Although some service workers attempt to be

emotionally involved in their work, as opposed to faking their emotional displays,

many of them seem unable to avoid surface acting because they lack or are not aware

of emotive skills, which might lead to job dissatisfaction or burnout. Service work-

ers require emotive skills, such as the ability to perceive others’ emotions and man-

age their own emotions, which combined are often referred to as emotional

intelligence when they provide services. Individuals with high levels of emotional

intelligence can code and decode their personal and others’ emotions and manage

their emotional states to correspond to their work’s emotional demands. Consequently,

when individuals possess and use their emotive skills successfully, they tend to feel

comfortable serving people, which might mitigate the disadvantages of emotional

labor and promote job satisfaction.

Emotional intelligence has become a popular topic for in-service training (Guy &

Lee, 2015); however, its use in public service is underexplored. Understanding

which emotional intelligence skills influence employees’ emotional labor and job

satisfaction might guide researchers and practitioners’ efforts to enhance employees’

work performance and personal wellbeing. Generally, very little is known about the

relationships among emotional labor, emotional intelligence, and job satisfaction

among public service employees, and even less is known about these associations in