Emotional Intelligence and Success of Immigrant-Owned Small Businesses in South Africa

TLDR: The authors examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and the success of immigrant-owned small businesses in South Africa and found a significant positive relationship between EI and organisational and personal success.

Abstract: The study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and the success of immigrant-owned small businesses in South Africa. Organisational and personal criteria were used to measure success. The study utilised the quantitative research approach and the crosssectional survey method was used for data collection in a survey. The self-administered questionnaire method was used to collect data from the participants. Convenience and snowball methods were used for sampling. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used for data analysis. The Cronbach’s alpha was used as the measure of reliability. Based on data collected from 175 immigrant-owned small businesses, the findings indicated a significant positive relationship between EI and organisational and personal success. Practically, the study suggested recommendations that can improve EI by immigrant-owned small businesses.