Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
Revisiting the emotional intelligence and transformational leadership debate: (How) does emotional intelligence matter to effective leadership?
Submitted: 18 September 2019 | Published: 27 January 2021
About the author(s)
Gina Görgens-Ekermans, Department of Industrial Psychology, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South AfricaChene Roux, Department of Industrial Psychology, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Abstract
Orientation: Empirical evidence supports the notion that emotional intelligence (EI) and transformational leadership (TFL) are related and confirms the positive effect of this leadership style on follower attitudes and performance. However, more insight is needed into the nomological net of variables that affect outcomes of effective leadership, as experienced by the follower of a leader who exhibits TFL behaviours, being influenced by various EI competencies.
Research purpose: This study developed and tested a structural model that depicts the nature of the relationships between EI competencies, TFL behaviours and three outcomes of effective leadership.
Motivation for the study: We argued that more insight into how (1) different components of EI affect TFL behaviours, and how (2) different components of TFL behaviours, in turn, affect outcomes of effective leadership, could be valuable in designing targeted interventions to increase employee commitment, job satisfaction (JS) and perceived supervisor support (PSS).
Research design/design and method: The cross-sectional data included a sample of 267 respondents, with 85 leader–follower dyads that were analysed with partial least squares modelling. Self and other ratings were employed.
Main findings: Nine of the 19 postulated relationships in the structural model were supported. Three of the four TFL components were shown to be influenced by various components of EI. Only PSS was significantly affected by idealised influence as a TFL behaviour.
Practical/managerial implications: Increased understanding of which EI competencies influence TFL behaviours may be useful in the development of leaders by guiding targeted EI intervention strategies to increase leadership effectiveness.
Contribution / value-add: This study confirmed the notion that EI competencies seem to be hierarchically ordered, whilst also providing insight into the differential impact of these competencies on TFL behaviours.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 19970Total article views: 22629
Crossref Citations
1. Enhancing public sector performance: the role of emotional intelligence in strengthening leadership effectiveness
Elias Appiah-Kubi, Francisca Omama Koranteng, Christian Narh Opata
Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/JAOC-02-2025-0029
2. Resilience as a shield: self-efficacy and well-being in the face of exploitative leadership
Natasha Saman Elahi, Muhammad Athar Rasheed, Samia Jamshed, Sami Ullah Bajwa
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management vol: 74 issue: 6 first page: 2140 year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/IJPPM-08-2024-0546
3. Linking emotional intelligence and transformational leadership: an application to technology sector firms’ leaders
Joana Filipa Amorim Moreira, Orlando Manuel Martins Marques de Lima Rua
Revista de Gestão e Secretariado vol: 14 issue: 1 first page: 1024 year: 2023
doi: 10.7769/gesec.v13i4.1569
4. Exploring the interconnection of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership in enhancing CPEC project success
Muhammad Asif, Eman Hassan Elmarakby, Nadia Sarhan, Muhammad Hashim, Muhammad Azam Zia, Uzair Aslam Bhatti, Mughair Aslam Bhatti, Valisher Sapayev Odilbek uglu
Acta Psychologica vol: 261 first page: 105897 year: 2025
doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105897
5. Leadership Development in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Leslie Rydberg, Miriam Alpert, Sarah Hwang, Allison Kessler, Lisa Laurenzana, Monica Rho
Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports vol: 13 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s40141-025-00486-6
6. Impact of transformational leadership on leadership effectiveness: the mediating effect of emotional skills in the Lebanese small and medium-sized enterprises context
Khodor Shatila, Frank Boateng Agyei, Wassim J. Aloulou
Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy vol: 18 issue: 4 first page: 857 year: 2024
doi: 10.1108/JEC-09-2023-0174
7. The Decision Behaviour Evaluation of Interrelationships among Personality, Transformational Leadership, Leadership Self-Efficacy, and Commitment for E-Commerce Administrative Managers
Weng Shih-Kun Liu
Economics vol: 18 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.1515/econ-2022-0069
8. Measuring Leadership Quotient in Educational Leaders: Development and Validation of the ZION Instrument
Reynaldo JR Collado, Susana C. Bautista
Diversitas Journal vol: 10 issue: 2 year: 2025
doi: 10.48017/dj.v10i2.3365
9. The influence of emotional intelligence dimensions on school leadership
Juliana Borghi Neppel, Vitor Azzari
International Journal of Educational Management vol: 40 issue: 3 first page: 423 year: 2026
doi: 10.1108/IJEM-10-2024-0638
10. Exploring transformational leadership in education by leveraging diversity and technology for inclusive practices
Easaw Alemayehu Assefa, Bahaudin G. Mujtaba
International Journal of Public Leadership vol: 21 issue: 4 first page: 356 year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/IJPL-10-2024-0112
11. Examining the moderating role of a leader's emotional intelligence on the influence of organizational climate on job satisfaction among Youth-Owned and Managed Small Businesses (YOMSB) in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) Economy
Samuel Koranteng Fianko, Crispen Chipunza, Dennis Dzansi Phd
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147- 4478) vol: 13 issue: 5 first page: 397 year: 2024
doi: 10.20525/ijrbs.v13i5.3343
12. Innovative leadership and sustainable performance: a moderation study through personality traits
Attia Aman-Ullah, Azelin Aziz, Waqas Mehmood, Aidar Vafin, Mohammad Hassan
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education vol: 16 issue: 5 first page: 2126 year: 2024
doi: 10.1108/JARHE-09-2023-0425
13. Emotional intelligence and transformational leadership strategy: The study of the financial sector governance in the emerging market
Dhruba Lal Pandey, Nischal Risal, Madan Kumar Luitel
Journal of Governance and Regulation vol: 13 issue: 4, special issue first page: 284 year: 2024
doi: 10.22495/jgrv13i4siart7
14. THE EVALUATION OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON EMPLOYEE INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR OF PROJECT MANAGERS IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMOTION INTELLIGENCE
SYED ARSLAN HAIDER, SHEHNAZ TEHSEEN, RUI MIGUEL DANTAS, ANABELA CORREIA, MÁRIO NUNO MATA, MARY ANTHONY, SYED MONIRUL HOSSAIN
International Journal of Innovation Management vol: 29 issue: 01n02 year: 2025
doi: 10.1142/S1363919625500094
15. Modeling structural equations of relationships between leadership intelligence, professional capital and value-based management of managers with sustainable improvement of schools in Urmia: the mediating role of organizational readiness
Nasrin Goodarzi, Maryam Sameri, Javad Keyhan
Quarterly Journal of Managing Education In Organizations vol: 13 issue: 4 first page: 13 year: 2024
doi: 10.61186/meo.13.4.13
16. The impact of emotional intelligence on leadership effectiveness and organizational performance
Shaik Mohammad Khasim Vali
Quality & Quantity vol: 60 issue: 2 first page: 4365 year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s11135-025-02421-2
17. Emotional Intelligence, Organizational Commitment, Work-Related Quality of Life, and Transformational Leadership Among Administrators in Higher Education Institutions
Vergie Otig, Edzen Espina
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal vol: 55 issue: 2 first page: 124 year: 2026
doi: 10.70838/pemj.550201
18. President Mwanawasa’s transition to transformational leadership in combating political corruption in Zambia
Rueben L. Lifuka, Shanil J. Haricharan
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology vol: 50 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/sajip.v50i0.2161
19. Identyfikacja związku pomiędzy inteligencją emocjonalną a przywództwem transformacyjnym - systematyczny przegląd literatury
Marta Adamczyk, Agnieszka Springer
Debiuty Naukowe Studentów Wyższej Szkoły Bankowej year: 2024
doi: 10.58683/dnswsb.1961
20. Una relación entre la inteligencia emocional, el liderazgo transformacional y la satisfacción laboral de los líderes empresariales en Colombia
Sandra Idrovo Carlier
Innovar vol: 35 issue: 96 first page: e102592 year: 2025
doi: 10.15446/innovar.v35n96.102592
21. Strategic Alignment of Emotional Intelligence with Project Management: A Framework for Enhancing Project Success and Team Performance
Nelsen A. Rahul
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management vol: 14 issue: 04 first page: 553 year: 2024
doi: 10.4236/ajibm.2024.144028
22. Transformational leadership and work engagement in remote work settings: the moderating role of the supervisor’s digital communication skills
Gabriele Boccoli, Luca Gastaldi, Mariano Corso
Leadership & Organization Development Journal vol: 45 issue: 7 first page: 1240 year: 2024
doi: 10.1108/LODJ-09-2023-0490
23. Promoting employee flourishing and performance: the roles of perceived leader emotional intelligence, positive team emotional climate, and employee emotional intelligence
Rizqi N. A'yuninnisa, Lara Carminati, Celeste P. M. Wilderom
Frontiers in Organizational Psychology vol: 2 year: 2024
doi: 10.3389/forgp.2024.1283067
24. Transformational leadership and emotional intelligence, and their connections in management and innovative projects management
Samir Cavaletti, Flavio Santino Bizarrias
International Journal of Innovation vol: 11 issue: 2 first page: 1 year: 2023
doi: 10.5585/2023.24232
25. The interplay between emotional skills and leadership efficacy: examining the mediating role of transformational leadership
Khodor Shatila, Nirjhar Nigam
Strategy & Leadership year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/SL-05-2025-0100
26. The broken trust: how exploitative leadership damages employee work passion
Saleh Bajaba, Ziyad Al-Judibi, Abdulrahman Basahal, Abdullah Alsabban
The Journal of Social Psychology vol: 165 issue: 1 first page: 154 year: 2025
doi: 10.1080/00224545.2024.2311256
27. Neuroleadership: Affective experiences in the workplace and their influence on employees’ evaluative judgements
Horacio de la Nuez, Julia Nieves, Javier Osorio
International Journal of Hospitality Management vol: 114 first page: 103554 year: 2023
doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103554
28. Leading with empathy: a double-edged sword for millennial managers?
Asrif Yusoff
SN Social Sciences vol: 6 issue: 3 year: 2026
doi: 10.1007/s43545-026-01390-z
29. Aligning Leadership Education: Linking Interpersonal Skills Development to Business Needs
Julia A. Fulmore, Jude Olson, Rosemary Maellaro
Journal of Management Education vol: 47 issue: 3 first page: 263 year: 2023
doi: 10.1177/10525629221133369
30. The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Transformational Leadership Among Project Managers
Nida Iqbal Soomro, Aurang Zaib Ashraf Shami, Muhammad Fahim Baloch, Madeeha Kashif, Anam Mustansar
Regional Lens first page: 16 year: 2025
doi: 10.55737/rl.2025.44123
31. The effect of leadership type on follower performance in Asian technology industries: the moderating effects of narcissism
Hee Chul Moon, Wonjoon Kim
Asian Journal of Technology Innovation vol: 31 issue: 3 first page: 503 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/19761597.2022.2127814
32. THE EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EMOTIONAL LABOR ON PERCEIVED SUPERVISOR SUPPORT AND PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT
Nevra BAKER
Akademik Hassasiyetler vol: 10 issue: 22 first page: 283 year: 2023
doi: 10.58884/akademik-hassasiyetler.1285034
33. Interpersonal skills: a comparative study of the fitness industry and the technological sector
Yelena Musikhina, Md.Tota Miah
Qainar Journal of Social Science vol: 3 issue: 3 first page: 54 year: 2024
doi: 10.58732/2958-7212-2024-3-54-71