Relationship Between Level of Educational Attainment and Employee Performance: Mediating Role of Individual Religious Affiliation

Purpose: This study empirically investigates the relation between education level and employees’ performance working in public sector universities from the viewpoint of Islamic religiosity when religious affiliations play mediating role. It has been experienced that more educated people are found to be more involved in performing tasks related to the religious affiliations. Due to the fact that people with higher education found less time to complete their religious obligations, they are more involved in alternative arrangements like charity and donations to fulfill the hunger of religious attainments. Therefore, in order to satisfy themselves religiously, they are more involved in religious affiliations. This high involvement in fulfilling religious arrangements impacts their individual job performance which is necessary to explore. Research Methodology: Data was gathered from the public sector university employees of Pakistan. Out of 900 distributed questionnaires, 520 were received with response rate of 73.65%. Regression analysis is performed in order to determine the association between level of education and individual performance. Further, in order to determine the mediating role of religious affiliations, the Barren and Kerry (1984) model is applied. Findings: Using questionnaire survey the results of the study showed that level of education significantly impacts the religious affiliations in positive manner and high religious affiliations increase the individual job performance. The results at this point indicated that an unobservable indicator, like propensity for logical rationale induces individuals for higher education and ultimately high religious affiliations. Recommendations: Based upon the results, it is recommended that religiosity and ethical values in management set up are need to be escorted by public reforms to let the identification of employees to their work values and their obligation to the performance of work-related tasks. Originality: This study would be a clear contribution in the field of human behavior towards making alternative arrangements in order to fulfill religious obligations and at the same time identifying the mediating role of religious attainments in determining their individual performance.

Learning to Lead People With Emotional Intelligence in an Educational Context

This Participatory Action Research (PAR) was an attempt to facilitate educational leaders in developmental Emotional Intelligence (EI) and practicing it in their context by facilitating and enhancing the dynamics of their emotional energy. Four departmental heads (Managers) in an educational organization in Karachi, Pakistan, were engaged as participants in this action research. Research consisted of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection as a cyclic process. This research has given me a deeper and richer understanding of how adults feel and a fresh appreciation for them. It has helped me, as a leader, educator, facilitator and researcher, to be more empathetic, self-aware, and self-motivated, and a socially-skilled well being, and to be in change of my emotions. There were some facilitating factors which helped me and research participants (RPs) in EI enhancement in the duration of this participatory action research. First of all, emotional literacy, EI awareness and knowledge from literature are crucial to increase emotional energy. Relevant reading materials, presentations and discussions with real examples were helping factors for developing emotional intelligence. Overall achievements in the post-self evaluation designate a heartening message to the research participants and research facilitator, as their scores on various sub-components of EI moved up considerably. Secondly, self-evaluation checklists were representing the participants' real self actual (as triangulated through other data sources). This research study revealed that EI can be learnt gradually through regular practicing and reflecting on daily experiences, giving and receiving feedback frankly, self-talk, reading other's faces and empathy, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of oneself and of others, and creating a positive emotional environment. Moreover, EI is more than IQ for life success, and it helps in becoming effective leaders. It can be developed through different ways and strategies, for instance, by enhancing real self-awareness, managing emotions in an appropriate way, increasing social skills and motivation.