Investigating the Relationship Between Construction Workers’ Emotional Intelligence an‎d Productivity through Interviews an‎d On-Site Observations in Multiple Projects

3/21/2026 12:00:00 AM

The present research aimed to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence of construction workers on their productivity, considering the mediating role of job motivation an‎d work engagement, an‎d the moderating role of emotional intelligence of supervisors. Given the low levels of labor productivity in the construction industry an‎d the fundamental role of human resources, identifying soft factors affecting workersʹ productivity is of great importance. This study seeks to bridge the existing research gap regarding the interaction between research variables in construction project environments. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a descriptive-correlational method. To collect data, a survey method was employed using structured questionnaires based on valid scales, including the Goleman model, the scale of Extrinsic an‎d Intrinsic motivation, an‎d the Utrecht work engagement scale. Additionally, the objective productivity index was also recorded for each project an‎d occupational group. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, hierarchical regression, an‎d mediation an‎d moderation analysis were used with PROCESS macro an‎d bootstrapping method in SPSS version 27. The findings indicated that emotional intelligence of workers has a positive an‎d significant correlation with productivity, work engagement, an‎d job motivation. In the final regression model analysis, the research variables could predict 72.8% of the variations in productivity, with work engagement having the strongest predictor effect with a stan‎dard coefficient of 0.554. The mediation an‎d moderation analysis revealed that work engagement has a significant partial mediating effect, but the mediating effect of job motivation an‎d the moderating role of supervisorʹs emotional intelligence were not confirmed. Furthermore, no complete alignment was observed between perceived an‎d objective productivity. The results of this research emphasize the importance of investing in developing workersʹ emotional skills an‎d enhancing work engagement as a path to improving productivity; however, to generalize the results, due to the limitations of the sample an‎d data structure, longitudinal an‎d multi-level studies an‎d improvements in objective measurements are recommended.

هوش هيجاني , بهره‌وري نيروي كار , انگيزه شغلي , مشغوليت كاري , پروژه ساختماني

Emotional Intelligence , Labor Productivity , Job Motivation , Work Engagement , Construction Project

Negin Khodaverdi

Dr. Parviz Ghoddousi