Emotional Intelligence in Hospitality
Since 2018, CISA is working to address a significant gap in hospitality and organizational psychology research by proposing a new conceptual framework—affective hospitality—that applies ability emotional intelligence (EI) to the hospitality domain. While prior research has established the relevance of emotional intelligence to key work outcomes such as performance and satisfaction, it has predominantly focused on trait-based models. Our project introduces a performance-based perspective, grounded in ability EI theory.
In our approach we argue that the core emotional abilities—perceiving, using, understanding, and managing emotions—play a critical role in service delivery, emotional labor, and customer interaction. By integrating these abilities within the hospitality context, we aim to offer a novel lens for examining customer orientation, resilience, and the co-creation of emotional value.
The project also concerns the development of a novel assessment tool: the Hospitality’s Emotional Intelligence Test (HEIT).
The HEIT is grounded in ability-based emotional intelligence theory and employs a situational judgment test (SJT) format. It evaluates hospitality professionals’ performance-based emotional competencies in authentic workplace scenarios—such as recognizing, understanding, and managing both their own emotions and those of others.
This scientifically validated tool enables the objective measurement of emotional intelligence in a way that is directly relevant to the unique interpersonal and emotional demands of the hospitality industry. Its development was supported by close collaboration with industry experts, ensuring both theoretical soundness and practical relevance.
PUBLICATIONS
- Völker, J., Blal, I., & Mortillaro, M. (2023). Emotional intelligence matters in hospitality education: contributions of emotional intelligence, fluid ability, and personality to hospitality grades. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1148863.
- Völker, J., & Mortillaro, M. (submitted). Affective hospitality: applying ability emotional intelligence to hospitality.
- Völker, J., & Mortillaro, M. (in preparation). The HEIT: An Emotional Intelligence Assessment for Hospitality Workers