Symbiotic Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Collegial Leadership

Abstract

Research on leadership over the past two decades suggests that the emotional intelligence of leaders matters twice as much as that of cognitive abilities, such as IQ or technical expertise. Emotionally intelligent leaders experience a greater sense of well-being, improved relationships, happier employees and lower employee turnover, better team work, greater job satisfaction and a greater degree of success. Four hundred and seventy four employees participated in this study. The quantitative research method was used to examine the employees’ perceptions of their leaders’ emotionally intelligent personal and social skills on their job satisfaction. Findings in this study strongly suggest that collegial leaders demonstrate high levels of EI and collegiality in the working environment. These collegial leaders are equipped with personal and social skills which they use to contribute to the happiness and job satisfaction of their workers. Integral to the success and development of the collegial process is that employees feel that they are being nurtured in an open, warm and sincere environment. Clearly, a leader who demonstrates appropriate levels of emotionally intelligent personal and social skills will not only create a collegial working environment but will also thrive in one. The evidence emanating from this exploratory study confirms that there is a symbiotic relationship between emotional intelligence and collegial leadership. The emotionally intelligent collegial leader is a concept that extends far beyond a slogan and must become an integral part of organizational effectiveness and reform. It is inconceivable to speak about collegial leadership in the absence of emotional intelligence.