The association between emotional intelligence and decision making for pilots

Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the regulation, perception, and management of self and others’ emotions. EI has been used to gain insights into decision making in corporate Human Resource Management (HRM) contexts, as well as in stressful situations. The link between EI and decision making in HRM could have great benefits to training and management in high-consequence and safety-critical industries. This research investigated the association between EI and decision making of pilots in the aviation industry. The aim was to uncover the level of association between EI dimensions and decision making for pilots; as well as to understand the role that pilots perceive EI dimensions play in their decision making in safety-critical scenarios. One hundred and seventeen pilots completed an online survey comprised of the Wong-Law EI Scale, decision making scenarios, and open-ended questions. The mixed-method analysis of the survey data showed a correlation between individual EI dimensions and decision-making scenarios, rather than the total scores. There are potential implications for general HRM research in EI and decision making as well as practical implications for the aviation industry. Overall, it was found that there is a link between EI and decision making, specifically for scenarios that involve other cognitive functions.