Sagar Neupane

IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN LEADER-

SHIP

A qualitative analysis

Thesis
CENTRIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
International Business
May 2021
ABSTRACT

Centria University Date Author

of Applied Sciences 04 May 2021 Sagar Neupane

Degree programme
Bachelor of Business Administration, International Business
Name of thesis
IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN LEADERSHIP. A qualitative analysis
Centria supervisor Pages
Sara Åhman 31 + 1
Instructor representing commissioning institution or company

As the studies in social sciences are growing day by day, so is the study in topics such as emotional
intelligence and leadership. Emotional intelligence and its impact on leadership is one of the widely
discussed subjects in the modern times. This thesis is an attempt to comprehend, from individuals in
leadership positions, the perception of emotional intelligence and the importance of emotional intelli-
gence in leadership.

The thesis consists of literature on background and evolution of emotional intelligence, its compo-
nents and its evaluation models, and its relationship with leadership as its theoretical framework. A
qualitative approach was applied for the purpose of this study. Semi-structured interviews were con-
ducted with leaders from different industries to gather rich text data. Such data were initially coded,
and themes were generated from them using the technique of thematic analysis.

The two research questions of this study have been answered in the form of themes of their own. Fac-
tors such as self-awareness, empathy, communication, relationship management and so on are the
topics of significant findings of this study.

Key words
communication, emotional intelligence, emotions, empathy, leadership, self-awareness, self-
management, thematic analysis
ABSTRACT
CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................1

2 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ......................................................................................................3

2.1 Background.....................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Emotional intelligence ....................................................................................................................4
2.3 Evolution of emotional intelligence...............................................................................................5
2.4 Components of emotional intelligence ..........................................................................................7
2.4.1 Self- awareness ......................................................................................................................7
2.4.2 Self-management ...................................................................................................................8
2.4.3 Social awareness ....................................................................................................................8
2.4.4 Relationship management ....................................................................................................9
2.5 Emotional intelligence in leadership...........................................................................................10

3 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE EVALUATION ........................................................................11

3.1 The ability model of emotional intelligence ...............................................................................11
3.2 Mixed model of emotional intelligence .......................................................................................12
3.3 Trait model of emotional intelligence .........................................................................................13

4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................................15

4.1 Introduction to qualitative research ...........................................................................................15
4.2 Sampling........................................................................................................................................16
4.3 Research tools and settings ..........................................................................................................16
4.4 Research procedure .....................................................................................................................16
4.5 Thematic analysis .........................................................................................................................17
4.6 Reliability and validity.................................................................................................................18
4.7 Ethical approval ...........................................................................................................................18

5 FINDINGS ..........................................................................................................................................19
5.1 What is emotional intelligence? ..................................................................................................19
5.1.1 Understanding and managing emotions ...........................................................................19
5.1.2 Relationship management ..................................................................................................20
5.2 Research question 2: Why is emotional intelligence important for leadership? ....................21
5.2.1 Self-awareness and decision-making.................................................................................21
5.2.2 Increased empathy and relationship management ..........................................................22
5.2.3 Effective communication and conflict management ........................................................23
5.3 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................24

6 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................25

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................27

APPENDICES
FIGURES
FIGURE 1. Framework of emotional competencies .................................................................................7
FIGURE 2. Bar-On’s mixed model of emotional intelligence ...............................................................13
FIGURE 3. Trait model of EQ proposed by Petrides .............................................................................14

TABLES
TABLE 1. Five periods of development in emotions and intelligence in past century ...........................5
TABLE 2. Details of the interview participants .....................................................................................17
TABLE 3. Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis......................................................................18
TABLE 4. Interview responses ...............................................................................................................19
TABLE 5. Interview responses ...............................................................................................................20
TABLE 6. Interview responses ...............................................................................................................21
TABLE 7. Interview responses ...............................................................................................................22
TABLE 8. Interview responses ...............................................................................................................23
 1

1 INTRODUCTION

The title of this study is ‘‘Importance of emotional intelligence in leadership’’. As the title suggests,
this thesis is an attempt to study the impact of emotional intelligence in leadership. My choice to con-
duct a research in this topic is based on the interest in emotional intelligence and leadership that was
derived from the numerous course contents on leadership during the degree programme.

The term ‘emotional intelligence’ (EI) is quite often used in the modern times and is seen as an im-
portant element in many aspects of life, whether it be personal or professional. Emotional intelligence,
in simple words, can be understood as the ability to manage emotions effectively. Emotions are vital
components of human lives and managing them properly often seems to be difficult functions for most
of us. Their effective management is necessary for us to succeed in our personal, social and profes-
sional relationships.

Leadership, simply understanding, is the act of leading a group of people or an entity. A leader needs
to inspire others to do their job in order to achieve the set goals. It is a difficult task to become a leader
as it requires a variety of qualities and skills such as integrity, awareness, communication, empathy
and so on. The work of the leader is quite hectic and stressful and because of these reasons the im-
portance of emotional intelligence is vastly growing among the established and aspiring leaders.

The aim of this study is to explore the impact of emotional intelligence on leadership. The research is
an attempt to understand the connection between emotional intelligence and leadership. Understanding
the viewpoints of different leaders on emotional intelligence and its importance in leadership are the
primary objectives of this thesis. This study is guided by following research questions that will facili-
tate in achieving the aim of the study: What is emotional intelligence? and Why is emotional intelli-
gence important for leadership?

Theoretical part is included to explain about literature background of the topic. The theory deals with
the background of emotional intelligence and leadership, their development throughout the history, the
aspects of emotional intelligence, and different types of leadership styles. Literature relating to the
connection between emotional intelligence and leadership is explored and the importance of EI on
leadership is also studied as a part of the theory. Scientific research articles were searched on Re-
searchGate, PubMed, Google Scholar, and other available platforms.
 2

This thesis is a qualitative study undertaken to identify the influence of emotional intelligence on the
leadership. Interview based questions are used as research tools in this thesis. An interview guide con-
sisting of the semi-structured interview questions was prepared and interviews were conducted in ac-
cordance with the interview guide. The primary data collection was done through these interviews
which were then analysed using the technique of ‘thematic analysis’ to find the results of the study. I
believe that this study will help the readers to understand the effects of emotional intelligence on lead-
ership and will provide information regarding the use of emotional intelligence in the workplace.
 3

2 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

This section consists of literature on emotional intelligence, its background, evolution, and compo-
nents. A discussion on ‘emotional intelligence in leadership’ is also included in this section.

2.1 Background

Emotional intelligence, often understood as EI or EQ, is a set of skills relating to emotional and social
nature, that influence people’s perception and expression of themselves. Emotional intelligence (EI) is
getting high attention in research field from the last decade. It is the concept that is new in both the
fields of management and psychology. (Lubbadeh 2020.) The book ‘Emotional Intelligence’ by Daniel
Goleman, published in 1995, is considered a milestone in the field of EI. After this book came out, it
grabbed the attention of many researchers in different fields. In this very book, Goleman indicated that
a person’s intelligence quotient (IQ) is responsible for providing only 20% of the factors contributing
towards success in life while emotional intelligence (EI) is an important part of remaining 80%.
(Lubbadeh 2020). Joseph and Newman have also furthered that the allure of EI as a crucial base for
success in performing a job has been growing (Guillen & Florent-Treacy 2011).

Many studies have indicated that there is a relation between leadership and emotional intelligence. The
relationship has often been stressed in abilities of empathic listening, resonance, and self-awareness
(Guillen & Florent-Treacy 2011). Similarly, Goleman has indicated in his writings that there is a
common denominator in most of the highly effective leaders and that commonality is emotional intel-
ligence. He even stated that technicalities and IQ are more of entry level prerequisites for leadership
positions while EQ is ‘sine qua non’, i.e., it is an absolutely necessary condition. Goleman has further
added that a person may possess intelligent ideas and critical thinking skills and may have been trained
in the best possible manner, but without emotional intelligence, the person would still not become a
great leader. (Ovans 2015.)
 4

2.2 Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence depicts the aptitude, capacity, skill, or self-perceived capability to recognise,
evaluate and manage emotions of one’s own, and also of the others, including the groups (Serrat
2017). Martinez refers to emotional intelligence as “an array of non-cognitive capabilities, competen-
cies, and skills that influence one’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pres-
sure” (Ahangar 2012). Individuals with high degree of EI are aware of themselves and are also able to
sense others’ emotions (Serrat 2017). EI is similarly perceived by Ilona Jerabek. She defines EI as
people’s self-awareness of their feelings and needs, the capability to identify them suitably, and to
combine them with their own long-term personal needs as well as the needs and feelings of other peo-
ple. (Berenson, Boyle & Weaver 2008.)

The concept of emotional intelligence is drawn from theories on different disciplines such as behav-
iours, emotions, and communications. The term ‘emotional intelligence’ was first used by Peter Salov-
ey and John Mayer and was further popularised by Daniel Goleman. (Mehta & Singh 2013.) Goleman
widened perspective on emotional intelligence. He asserted that EI is a way to know what one is feel-
ing, to be able to manage them without being flooded by them, to motivate oneself, to be innovative
and to perform at one’s pinnacle and also simultaneously to be able to sense others’ feelings and effi-
ciently manage relationships. (Jena & Pradhan 2014.)

Robert K. Cooper defines EI as the ability to feel, comprehend and successfully apply the strength and
wisdom of emotions as a basis for human energy, information, communication, and influence
(Houston 2021). Similarly, Byron Stock has explained emotional intelligence as the inherent potential
of sensing, utilizing, conveying, identifying, recollecting, learning from, coping with, comprehending,
and explaining emotions (Tripathy 2018). Among other definitions, Travis Bradberry and Jean
Greaves describe EI as one’s capacity to distinguish and comprehend emotions in oneself and others,
and one’s capability to apply that knowledge to handle behaviours and relationships (Tripathy 2018).

There are many scholars that have attempted to define emotional intelligence. Studies have also been
conducted to examine the connection between EI and leadership. Further literature on EI and leader-
ship is set up in the forthcoming chapters of this study.
 5

2.3 Evolution of emotional intelligence

In 1920, Thorndike suggested an intelligence model in which he not only included conventional fac-
tors of intelligence but also other new factors which he labelled ‘social intelligence’. Thorndike differ-
entiated between academic, mechanical, and social intelligence. (Weis & Süß 2005.) He explained
such social intelligence as the ‘‘ability to understand and manage men and women, boys and girls - to
act wisely in human relations’’ (Mo & Andrew 2007). In this definition of social intelligence, Thorn-
dike made the differentiation between cognitive and behavioural elements of such intelligence. ‘To
understand others’ relates to cognitive components while ‘to act wisely in human relations’ is inclined
towards the behavioural aspects. (Weis & Süß 2005.) The succeeding research in social intelligence
have seen varying interests and various approaches. Many studies have been done to distinguish aca-
demic intelligence and social intelligence, but the success has only been slight. (Mo & Andrew 2007.)

In the 1940s, the concept of non-cognitive intelligence was built which asserted the intelligence to be
incomplete until its non-cognitive aspects were ably defined. In the succeeding decade, Maslow indi-
cated that it was possible for people to develop their emotional strength. Ideas of multiple intelligence,
and interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence were introduced by Gardner after that. In the 1990s, a
breakthrough article ‘‘Emotional Intelligence’’, authored by Salovey and Mayer was published. The
concept of EI was then further propagated by Daniel Goldman in his book ‘‘Emotional Intelligence:
Why It can Matter More than IQ’’. (Dhani & Sharma 2016.) A table demonstrating the timeline for
development of EI in twentieth century is given below.

TABLE 1. Five periods of development in emotions and intelligence in past century (adapted from
Dhani & Sharma 2016)

1900-1969 Intelligence Research

Intelligence and Emotions • Psychometric approach to intelligence is developed and refined.
as Separate Narrow Fields Emotions Research
• Debate which happens first: physiological reaction or emotion.
• Movement from Darwin’s theory for heritability and evolution of
emotional responses to now being viewed as culturally determined.
• Social Intelligence as concept is introduced.
(continues)
 6

TABLE 1. (continues).
1970-1989 • The field of cognition and affect emerged to examine how emotions
Precursors to EI interacted with thoughts.
• Gardner theory of multiple intelligences described an intrapersonal
intelligence and an interpersonal intelligence.
• Empirical work on social intelligence developed four components: social
skills, empathy skills, prosaically attitudes, and emotionality (sensitivi-
ty).
• Brain research began to separate out connection between emotion and
cognition.
• Occasional use of EI appeared.
1990-1993 • Mayer and Salovey publish a series of articles on EI.
The Emergence of EI • First ability measure of EI published.
• Editor of the journal Intelligence argued for an existence of EI.
• Further developments for EI in the brain sciences
1994-1997 • Goleman publishes Emotional Intelligence which becomes worldwide
The Popularization and best-seller.
Broadening • Time magazine used the term ‘‘EQ’’ on its cover
• measures of EI using mixed model theories were published.
1998-Present • refinements to the concept of EI.
Research on the Institu- • new measures of EI introduced.
tionalization of EI • appearance of peer-reviewed articles on the subject.

The above table outlines the evolution of emotional intelligence. It can be witnessed from the above
table that separate study of emotions and intelligence emerged during the 1960s. The concept of social
intelligence was introduced. In the next era of 1970s and 80s, the concepts of cognition, interaction of
emotions and thoughts, and interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence were introduced. In the suc-
ceeding eras, scholars like Mayer, Salovey and Goleman published many articles on emotional intelli-
gence and popularised it in the global scenario.
 7

2.4 Components of emotional intelligence

Daniel Goleman, a scholar on the field of emotional intelligence, first proposed 5 components of EI,
namely, self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills (MindTools 2020). In
the book ‘The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace’ by Cary Cherniss and Daniel Goleman (2001),
Goleman stated that the 5 components had been redesigned into 4 components, namely, self-
awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. The former two have
been categorised as intrapersonal skills while the latter two have been characterised as interpersonal
skills. (Smith 2002.) The following figure is the framework of emotional competencies proposed by
Daniel Goleman.

SELF (PERSONAL COMPE- OTHER (SOCIAL COMPE-

TENCE) TENCE)
RECOGNITION Self-Awareness Social Awareness
• Emotional Self-Awareness • Empathy
• Accurate Self-Assessment • Organizational Awareness
• Self-Confidence • Service Orientation

REGULATION Self-Management Relationship Management

• Self-control • Developing Others
• Adaptability • Leadership
• Trustworthiness • Influence
• Achievement Drive • Communications
• Initiative • Conflict Management
• Conscientiousness • Change Catalyst
• Building Bonds
• Teamwork and Collaboration

FIGURE 1. Framework of emotional competencies (adapted from Cherniss & Goleman 2001)

2.4.1 Self- awareness

Self-awareness is having a deep understanding of one’s own strength, weakness, emotions, needs and
desire. It simply means knowing self in the deeper level before trying to know everything else. People
who assess their own self honestly are self-aware people. Self-awareness is often deemed as the most
significant component of EI. It is a general consensus that individuals that are conscious of their emo-
tions have the better ability to handle their own lives and they also learn to have faith in their gut feel-
ings which helps them in making difficult decisions. (Hinds 2017.)
 8

The self-awareness component consists of emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, and

self-confidence (Serrat 2017). It involves tracking of different emotions and recognising them correct-
ly. It also includes the acknowledgement of relationship between feelings and actions, and the compre-
hension of one’s own strengths and limitations (Craig 2021). Individuals with the competence of self-
awareness are able to diagnose how their emotions influence their performance. They are able to re-
flect on their experiences, strengths, and limitations, and are also decisive. (Serrat 2017.)

2.4.2 Self-management

Self-management is another component of emotional intelligence where people work on themselves.

Humans are made in such a way they cannot get away from their emotions but least can manage them.
Goleman explains self-regulation is the inner conversation that frees people from being prisoners of
their own feelings. Generally, people who are able to manage their emotions have a better perfor-
mance. It is because they have a clear thinking. (Hinds 2017.) Hinds further explains that to manage
emotions is not to restrain or negate them but to understand them and use that understanding to make
productive decisions.

The elements of self-management include emotional self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness,

adaptability, achievement drive/orientation, and initiative. The dimension of self-management incldues
issues such as managing the feelings of impulse and distress, and demonstrating clarity of thoughts,
composure and positivity in difficult circumsatnces. Similarly, fulfiling the commitments, being
accountable for one’s own actions, practicing ethical behaviors while fearlessly confronting the
unethical ones, adapting according to the circumstances, flexibility, and looking for new ideas and
perspectives are the subjects of self-management. (Serrat 2017.)

2.4.3 Social awareness

The dimension of social awareness in Goleman’s emotional intelligence quadrant, consists of empathy,
organizational awareness, and service (Kanesan & Fauzan 2019). Empathy simply means the ability to
understand and share the feelings of another. It is the capacity to communicate and comprehend other
person’s emotional state. This ability is also often termed as ‘‘put oneself into another’s shoes’’ which
means to experience the emotions of another person within oneself. (Loannidou & Konstantikaki
 9

2008.) In a nutshell, empathy means to recognise others’ emotions, to understand the reasons behind
them, and to be able to participate in someone’s emotional experience without actually being a part of
it (Loannidou & Konstantikaki 2008).

The elements of organizational awareness and service enhance an individual’s competence to reward
others’ achievements and appreciate their strengths, provide insightful feedbacks, provide fitting assis-
tance after perceiving the needs of customers, and look for ways to enhance customer satisfaction. For
a leader, it is really important to have this characteristic. It gives new perspective to look at the situa-
tion from the other side and evaluate the situation better. Individuals with social awareness are good
listeners and are aware of the emotional signals, are sensitive to the perspectives of other individuals,
and are ready to help others with the understanding of their emotional needs and feelings. (Serrat
2017.)

2.4.4 Relationship management

Relationship management is an element of social competence proposed by Goleman. It is the ability of

an individual to relate to others. The aspects such as developing others, influence, communication,
conflict management, visionary leadership, building bonds, teamwork, collaboration, and catalyst for
change are included in the dimensions of relationship management. (Cherniss & Goleman 2001.) Rela-
tionship management correlates with the other 3 components of emotional intelligence. When individ-
uals are first able to understand and manage their own and others’ emotions and are empathetic, then
only they can build an effective relationship with others. (Cherniss & Goleman 2001.)

A leader should always be vocal and friendly at the same time. It is also about managing healthy rela-
tionship with all the team members (Hinds 2017). The individuals that have mastered the competence
of relationship management are able to lead and inspire others with the use of variety of skills and tac-
tics. They are also strong advocates of teamwork and collaboration and have the ability to resolve con-
flicts. (Riopel 2021.)
 10

2.5 Emotional intelligence in leadership

Leadership and emotional intelligence are getting more important due to competitive work environ-
ment and globalization of the companies. Global presence of the organization creates a pressure among
employees to perform and sustain. Leaders have higher pressure to fulfil the owner’s expectations and
maintaining the employee’s performance. (Dobre 2013.) Leaders must manage the conflicts and to
solve the conflicts, emotional intelligence plays a very important role. Leaders must be able to detect
the problem, conflicts, and issues and to identify a style which can resolve it (MindTools 2020). To
maintain a healthy environment in the company, leaders must know how to handle their emotions and
maintain an equilibrium among employees’ behaviour and his own reaction (Barsade & O'Neill 2016).

Research has shown that EI has a positive impact on the different leadership styles specially in terms
of understanding of and responding to a problem. Major impact of emotional intelligence has been
observed in the transformational leadership style. In transformational leadership style, a leader works
closely with employees and tries to understand their needs, motivate them, and encourage creativity.
Researchers Bass and Avolio also mentioned that transformational leaders “motivate others to do more
than they originally intended and often more than they thought possible. They set more challenging
expectations and typically achieve higher performances’’. (Jyoti & Dev 2015.) The behaviour of these
leaders revolves around motivating employees, encouraging intellectual thinking and individualized
approach whereas in the transactional leadership styles, a transaction between leader and the colleague,
followers and employees is observed. A non-transactional leader usually avoids being a part of the
project which turns into wrong direction and they are weak in making decisions. (Hamstra, Yperen,
Wisse & Sassenberg 2013.) Leadership outcomes apply to the additional effort workers are prepared to
make in order to achieve defined targets (Abbas & Asghar 2010). Research has been done to show that
emotional intelligence and leadership style are related. A good example is the research performed by
the Johnson and Johnson Customer Care and Personal Care Community, which found that emotional
intelligence is substantially greater for the top performing managers than for other managers (Cavallo
& Brienza 2001).

Gardner and Stough (2002) conducted another study, linking emotional intelligence to leadership style,
to explore this relationship among senior managers. In their research, Leban and Zulauf (2004) docu-
mented a relationship connecting emotional intelligence skills and the style of transformational leader-
ship. A study conducted by Duckett and Macfarlane (2003) further demonstrates a link between suc-
cess, emotional intelligence, and transformational leadership in a retail management context.
 11

3 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE EVALUATION

Many literary contents have made it generally evident that the categorisation of emotional intelligence
has been made into three models, namely, ability model, mixed model, and trait model. Many key the-
orists defined emotional intelligence differently which led to the development of different models of
emotional intelligence. The models have often characterized EQ as personal and social intelligence.
(Kanesan & Fauzan 2019.)

According to Salovey and Mayer, EQ is the comprehension and management of personal (own) emo-
tions and social (others’) emotions. The mixed model proposed by Bar-On also consisted of in-
trapersonal (own) and interpersonal (social) components. Also, Petrides and Furnham brought forward
the notion that the concept of EQ pertains to processing of the information intra and interpersonally.
(Roberts, Maccann, Matthews & Zeidner 2010.)

3.1 The ability model of emotional intelligence

Mayer and Salovey are credited with the launch of the ability model of EQ. In the ability model of EQ,
there are 4 components of mental abilities that process the emotions. Those 4 sets are organized in the
manner of very basic to higher-level ability (Kanesan & Fauzan 2019.) They are a) perceiving emo-
tion, b) facilitating thought using emotion, c) understanding emotions and d) managing emotions
(Mayer, Caruso & Salovey 2016).

Perceiving emotion is the ability to recognize and distinguish one’s own and others’ emotions. The
progression of perceiving, assessing, and conveying emotions begins with an individual’s ability to
recognise one’s own emotions through body stimulation, innate feelings, and thoughts. (Mayer et al.
2016.) When one is able to conquer one’s own emotional understanding through self-experience, then
the ability to understand others’ emotions through the surrounding cues also develops. Eventually, the
individual also becomes able to distinguish between accurate and inaccurate expressions of emotions,
and also to make a distinction between honest and dishonest expressions of feelings. (Kanesan &
Fauzan 2019.)
 12

Facilitation of though using emotion is another dimension of the ability model. It is the aptitude to em-
ploy emotions in enabling the thinking process like rational interpretation, problem-solving and com-
munication with other individuals or groups (Kanesan & Fauzan 2019). At the foundational level, a
person applies emotions to prioritise thinking through focus on the vital information in the surround-
ing. Eventually, the person becomes able to generate vibrant emotions to assist their memory and
judgement process. Such emotions are then deeply felt, influenced, and explored by the individual to
draft a plan or to make a judgment. This dimension of the ability model expresses that a happy emo-
tional state accelerates creative and inductive reasoning while sad emotional state enables deductive
reasoning. (Mayer et al. 2016.)

The next facet in this model is understanding emotions. This dimension relates to an individual’s ca-
pacity to classify emotions and to comprehend the meanings conveyed by such emotions (Kanesan &
Fauzan 2019). Once an individual becomes able to label emotions and to realize the similarities and
differences between such labelled emotions, he or she can understand emotions better. Eventually, the
person develops the ability to recognize the complexity and amalgamation of feelings at a time, like
concurrent feelings of love and hate. This also aids in acknowledging the transitions between the emo-
tions. (Mayer et al. 2016.)

The final dimension in the ability model is the management of emotions. It essentially deals with the
ability for prevention, reduction, enhancement, or modifications of emotions of the self and others.
This dimension is responsible for bringing out a cognitive and an emotional growth in a person (Mayer
et al. 2016.) When a person learns to regulate his/her emotions, they are prepared to accept any kind of
emotions whether positive or negative. They learn to reflect upon and regulate their emotions and also
learn to engage with or detach from emotions after considering their usefulness. (Kanesan & Fauzan
2019.)

3.2 Mixed model of emotional intelligence

Mixed model of emotional intelligence is the blend of ability and trait model. Two major theorists of
EQ, namely, Reuven Bar-On and Daniel Goleman have proposed the mixed models of emotional intel-
ligence. Goleman’s model is practicality-based while Bar-On’s model is more inclined towards theory.
(Kanesan & Fauzan 2019.) ¨Bar-On’s model is based on the concept of personality dimensions that
puts emphasis on the interdependency between the ability and trait components of EQ and applying
 13

them for well-being. Goleman’s model is based on performance resulting from the blend of a person’s
abilities and personality. (Mehta & Singh 2013.)

According to Bar-On, EQ can be viewed as non-cognitive abilities, proficiencies and aptitudes that
impact a person’s ability to effectively deal with the demands and pressure of the surrounding envi-
ronment. The original model proposed by Bar-On consists of 5 dimensions that include 15 elements.
The 5 dimensions are intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability, stress management and general mood.
(Mehta & Singh 2013.)

Intrapersonal Interpersonal
Self-regard, emotional self Adaptibility
Empathy, social
awareness, assertiveness, responsibility, interpersonal
Problem-solving,flexibility;
self-actualisation; reality testing
relationships
independence

Stress Management General Mood

Stress tolerance; impluse
Happiness; optimism
control

FIGURE 2. Bar-On’s mixed model of emotional intelligence (adapted from Kanesan & Fauzan 2019)

Daniel Goleman described emotional intelligence as any fundamental personal attribute that is not em-
bodied by cognitive intelligence. The dimensions of emotional intelligence in his model are self-
awareness, self-management, social skills, and relationship management. Goleman views EI as a mix-
ture of cognitive ability and personality traits and believes that these two factors are instrumental in
deciding the success at the workplace. (Afroz, Firoz & Pandey 2017.)

3.3 Trait model of emotional intelligence

The trait model of emotional intelligence was described by Petrides and Furnham. They labelled emo-
tional intelligence to be intertwined between self-perceived ability and tendency to behave. Thus, they
proposed the measurement of emotional intelligence to be done using the personality dimension which
introduced to the trait model of emotional intelligence. This model of EQ is made up of 15 facades of
 14

emotions that are dispersed across different personality dimensions. Such facets are grouped under 4
factors, namely, well-being, self-control, emotionality and sociability. (Mehta & Singh 2013.)

Well-being is associated to adaptation and self-control is related to regulation of impulses and wishes.
Similarly, emotionality deals with perceiving and expressing emotions for beginning and maintaining
relationships. Likewise, sociability is linked to maintaining influence and relationship in the society.
(Kanesan & Fauzan 2019.)

Traits Emotionality
Socialibility
Trait empathy Well-being
Emotion perception
Self control
Self motivation
Emotion expression Self motivation
Adaptibility
Relationships
Stress management
Emotion management

Impulsivenesss (Low)

Assertiveness
Emotion regulation
Social awareness

Trait happiness Self-esteem

Trait optimism

FIGURE 3. Trait model of EQ proposed by Petrides (adapted from Kanesan & Fauzan 2019)
 15

4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This section deals with the entire research process. The research methodology, research tools and ma-
terials, sampling, research settings, research procedure, thematic analysis, and reliability and validity
are discussed in this section of the thesis.

4.1 Introduction to qualitative research

Many definitions of research have been provided by different scholars. Simply understanding, research
is a methodical process in which firstly data is gathered which is then used to obtain findings with the
use of suitable methodology. The results, findings or the knowledge obtained from such process are
usually applied in the process of decision-making. (Sachdeva 2008.) Bacon-Shone (2015) outlined
research as a means of locating answers to the questions in an unprejudiced manner.

There are three approaches to research methodologies, namely, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
method approach. For the purpose of this thesis, the author has decided to use the qualitative research
methodology. The approach to qualitative research is interpretive as it concerns with the collection and
study of non-numerical data and observations (Palmer & Bolderston 2006). This approach is generally
employed in natural settings where the researcher looks for meanings and insights into the respond-
ents’ answers and experiences. The qualitative methodology is widely used in the social sciences
where the focus is on the words, observations, experiences, meanings, and relationships and not on the
numbers and figures of data. In this method, the data gathered is subjective to the respondents’ percep-
tions and experiences. There are different types of qualitative research methods such as case study,
interviews, grounded theory, focus group, discourse analysis and so on. (Mohajan 2018.)

Since this thesis revolves around the concept of emotional intelligence, a component of social sciences,
the use of qualitative approach is suitable. For this research, the perceptions and experiences of the
respondents form the core of textual data that was gathered through semi-structured interviews.
 16

4.2 Sampling

Sampling is a subset of the population intended to be studied. It is the process in which a sample is
chosen from the population. It should be chosen in such a way that it represents the population to be
researched. Since a huge number of resources such as time and money are required to study the entire
population, sampling is done to minimise the use of those resources. (Bhardwaj 2019.) The sampling
technique used for the purpose of this thesis is convenience sampling method. It is one of the non-
random or non-probability sampling types. It is also sometimes known as haphazard or accidental
sampling. This sampling technique is generally based on conditions such as ease of access to the re-
spondents, availability of the respondents, respondent’s readiness to participate and so on. (Etikan,
Musa & Alkassim 2016.) I interviewed those individuals in leadership positions that were easily acces-
sible and were willing to answer the interview questions.

4.3 Research tools and settings

I chose to implement semi-structured interviews as the research tool for this thesis. It is one of the
widely used research tool in qualitative data collection. The semi-structured interview is appropriate
for studying the qualitative topics (Rahman 2019). The semi-structured interviews use blend of open-
ended and closed-ended questions. It is simple and flexible in nature and provides the opportunities to
ask follow-up questions such as what, how and why. (Adams 2015.)

The interviews were conducted one at a time in virtual settings. Due to the COVID-19 situation and
also the lack of geographical proximities, the interviews could not be conducted face to face and hence
had to be done through online channels such as Zoom and email. Due to the increase in studies that
apply qualitative research methods in the last few decades, the use of email interviews is also growing.
This type of interview is less structured when compared to the traditional method of structured inter-
viewing. (Meho 2006.)

4.4 Research procedure

The foremost task before beginning this research was to make an interview guide that consisted of
semi-structured questions. 6 different individuals in leadership positions in different industries were
 17

chosen for the interview through convenience sampling. 3 of the interviews were recorded via Zoom
while 3 of the interviewees decided to send their responses through email due to the time constraints.
The interview responses received via email did not require to be transcribed as they were already in
written form while the recorded interviews were transcribed and sent to the interviewees to confirm
that the transcript truly reflected their views and opinions. The text data were then analysed using the
technique of thematic analysis. Themes were derived from the analysis which are also the findings of
this study. Following are the details of the interview participants.

TABLE 2. Details of the interview participants

Interviewee Industry/Profession Position Interview Method

1 Military Captain Zoom
2 Food Industry Manager Email
3 Administrative Works Manager Zoom
4 Food Industry Entrepreneur Email
5 Cleaning Assistant Manager Zoom
6 Cleaning Supervisor Email

4.5 Thematic analysis

The technique of thematic analysis has been applied in this study to come up with the findings. In the-
matic analysis, the data collected from the interviewees is first transcribed into rich text data and such
data is then used to generate themes. Thematic analysis systematically detects, manages, investigates,
and reports the recurring and unique patterns in the dataset. The main idea in this analysis is to recog-
nise commonalities in the data and deduce meanings from them. (Braun & Clarke 2012.) In the words
of Braun and Clarke (2012), ‘‘thematic analysis is a method for systematically identifying, organising,
and offering insight into, patterns of meaning (themes) across a dataset’’. The objective of thematic
analysis is to recognise those patterns across the dataset that seem to have important or unique
characteristics (Maguire & Delahunt 2017). In this study, Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic
analysis procedure has been applied.
 18

TABLE 3. Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis (adapted from Maguire & Delahunt 2017)

Step 1: Become familiar with the data Step 4: Review themes

Step 2: Generate initial codes Step 5: Define themes

Step 3: Search for themes Step 6: Write-up

4.6 Reliability and validity

In qualitative research, the core of reliability is the consistency in the analytical procedures that are
applied in the research process (Noble & Smith 2015). The reliability in this qualitative study has been
maintained by using the same replicative procedures in semi-structured interviews and their analysis.
While preparing the semi-structured interview questions, the ‘Handbook of practical program evalua-
tion’ (Adams 2015) was referred to.

Validity of a qualitative study depends on various factors such as choosing the appropriate methodolo-
gy, sampling, and analysis techniques. It is also related to the validity of conclusions with respect to
the sample population and research context. (Golafshani 2003.) As discussed earlier in section 4.1,
semi-structured interview is one of the widely used data collection tools in qualitative study. Similarly,
thematic analysis is an effective qualitative data analysis technique as discussed in section 4.5. They
are valid methods and tools for the research. Furthermore, many years of experiences of the interview-
ees in the area of this research and also the process of member check, that is, checking and validating
the interview transcripts by the respondents, adds to the validity of this study.

4.7 Ethical approval

All the participants signed a consent form which mentioned that their participation is voluntary, and
their identity remain confidential. The necessary degree of confidentiality has been maintained in this
thesis work and the communication with all the related parties have been done with integrity and
transparency. I have done everything in my capacity to ensure that all the ethical issue has been ade-
quately considered.
 19

5 FINDINGS

This section deals with the findings to the research questions. The findings have been discussed in the
form of themes.

5.1 What is emotional intelligence?

The answers to the first research question have been categorised and discussed under the following
two themes.

5.1.1 Understanding and managing emotions

The leaders that were interviewed outlined the core of emotional intelligence as understanding and
managing emotions of oneself and of the other team members. They stressed on the ability to control
and manage emotions of themselves and their team in a positive approach. Following is the table con-
sisting of the responses of the interviewees when asked about their views on emotional intelligence:

TABLE 4. Interview responses

Interviewee Responses
1 Emotional intelligence is the ability to control and manage own emotion in positive
ways to accomplish the goal.
2 Based upon my knowledge, emotional intelligence is the ability of understanding, real-
izing and utilizing emotions that affect the team.. it is the use of emotions in relationship
management in personal, social and professional life..
3 Ability to relate to other people, understand their emotions and put yourself in other
people's shoes to view life from different perspective.
4 Emotional intelligence to me is being able to channel your emotions in the right way
which helps with problem solving, being there for others and also helps with your
communication skills.
(continues)
 20

TABLE 4. (continues).

5 Emotional intelligence, in my opinion, is how well any person can focus on the work at hand re-
gardless of his emotional state. Being too happy or being too sad, both needs to be looked similarly
and it should not impact what you want to achieve broadly or on a specific job at hand.
6 Emotional intelligence I believe is ability to recognize, understand your emotion and how they im-
pact people around you and also incorporate perceiving others emotion so as to manage the rela-
tionship more efficiently.

The responses of the interviewees signify the understanding and managing of their own and others’
emotions as the core of emotional intelligence. The phrases such as ‘realizing emotions’, ‘managing
emotions’, and ‘understanding emotions of others’ are repeatedly found in the interview transcripts,
which led me to include this theme in the findings.

5.1.2 Relationship management

Relationship management was also an important part of the answers from half o the interviewees when
asked about their understanding of emotional intelligence. They expressed that emotional intelligence
is the use of emotions in managing the personal, social and professional relationships. The extracts of
interview responses are included below.

TABLE 5. Interview responses

Interviewee Responses
2 ..it (emotional intelligence) is the use of emotions in relationship management in per-
sonal, social and professional life..
4 …perceiving others emotion so as to manage the relationship more efficiently..
5 …I try to put myself in all my workers shoes and at the same time I make sure that we
have a good manager-staff relationship..

Even though the prospect of relationship management was not conveyed by all the interviewees, re-
sponses from 3 of them could not be totally ignored. They stressed on the use of emotional intelligence
in managing relationships with their teammates and subordinates.
 21

5.2 Research question 2: Why is emotional intelligence important for leadership?

The answers to the research question 2 have been categorised into three themes. The themes indicate
why emotional intelligence is an important trait in leadership. The three themes are self-awareness and
decision-making, increased empathy and decision-making, and effective communication and conflict-
management.

5.2.1 Self-awareness and decision-making

The interviewees articulated that emotional intelligence brings self-awareness in them and when they
are emotionally intelligent, they can see the situations with more clarity and can understand the emo-
tions of their team members. According to them, self-awareness helps them to make good judgement
and is effective for the overall decision-making process. The extracts of the interviewees’ responses
related to this theme are summarized below:

TABLE 6. Interview responses

Interviewee Responses
1 My team will follow what I do or what I command therefore my action and my self-
awareness always play the important role to the outcome of my team.
3 One of my colleagues was rude and arrogant at his co-workers, I casually told him to
release his emotions. And found out that he has complicated love life and the stress ac-
cumulated was being released. After sharing the fact with me he eventually behaved
normally. In this incident, my self-awareness helped me approach the situation in the
right way. Instead of confronting the team member as a superior, I decided to approach
him as a friend.
4 Being self-aware, proactive, visionary and being ready for any setbacks are my strong
point as a leader so I always have back up for my backups too. Thus, I think everyday
that work is my examination as a leader, and I believe it has been important all the way
from my starting days. Self-awareness has played a vital role in enhancing my role as a
leader.
 22

The leaders believed that their awareness had an important role to play in their decision-making and
the outcome of the team. It has also helped them in enhancing their leadership role.

5.2.2 Increased empathy and relationship management

The analysis of the rich textual data indicated that the leaders who feel more empathetic are able to
understand their own emotions properly which helps them to accurately assess the emotional state of
their team members as well. This helps them to build a connection, not only with their team members,
but also with other co-workers and clients. The findings suggest that empathy is vital in managing rela-
tionships at the workplace. Empathy helps them to put themselves in somebody else’s shoes hence
driving them towards making more thorough and purposeful decisions.

TABLE 7. Interview responses

Interviewee Responses
1 A good leader should win the heart and mind of their subordinate therefore being a
leader it is important to be empathetic.
2 It is said that empathy is like a universal solvent. Because in any problem solving, if you
have ability to listen, understand other people’s emotions you become successful. This
results in more productivity in team to improve the relationships among co-workers,
clients and customers.
3 I think it is really important to have empathy because empathy is simply having a feel-
ing for others. I feel empathy for others, it helps me understand their issues which helps
me consider them in my decision making.
5 Understanding the personality of your co-worker and being able to criticize his/her
drawbacks is main responsibility of any leader. However, all people are not same and all
of them don’t have same strengths and weakness. Thus, understanding their strengths,
encouraging those and communicating well about their weakness being empathetic is a
must. This will increase the strength of group as a whole and every group member will
feel important as an integral part of the group.
6 It is crucial to be empathetic. As it gives you the better understanding of what your team
members feel, it makes you as a leader more approachable to them.
 23

All the leaders consented that empathy is an important attribute in their leadership role. They were of
the opinion that empathy helps them in understanding others and improves communication which
eventually leads to better relationship management.

5.2.3 Effective communication and conflict management

The respondents were of the opinion that possessing emotional intelligence helps in more effective
communication. The leaders agreed that their emotional intelligence has helped them become a good
communicator. The leaders consented that effective communication enhances the team’s efficiency at
work.

Effective communication has facilitated them in uniting and motivating their teams and have also as-
sisted in conflict resolution. When asked about handling a situation of conflict, the interviewees’ pro-
duced the following responses.

TABLE 8. Interview responses

Interviewee Responses
1 Counselling and effective communication with the team member once in a week/twice
per month can be helpful to understand the problem of team member and to control
those type of arrogant activities.
3 Meet him personally and listen his/her concerned problems and reasons behind the con-
flict. Find the solution of the conflict and motivate the person to act positively.
5 I will approach him in a euphemistic manner and listen to his problem and try to find
out what has triggered him to act in such manner.
6 Having a personal meeting and getting his point of view at first is my main priority.

4 of the leaders expressed that emotional intelligence is vital for effectively communicating with the
team members and also in resolving conflicts, if any. Emphasis was given on counselling and one-on-
one communication for conflict management.
 24

5.3 Discussion

The findings in the preceding section of this study outline the comprehension of emotional intelligence
from the viewpoints of leaders in different industries and also the idea of how emotional intelligence
acts as an important attribute in leadership positions. The findings of the research are discussed in this
section.

The understanding of emotional intelligence by the interviewed leaders most likely matched with the
commonly used definitions of emotional intelligence. Serrat (2017) explains emotional intelligence as
‘‘the ability, capacity, skill, or self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of
one’s self, of others, and of groups’’. In the interview responses, the interviewees portrayed emotional
intelligence as the ability to understand and manage the emotions of themselves and of their team
members. They also related emotional intelligence with the ability to manage relationships with their
team. The findings of the study suggest that the leaders, even though working in different industries
such as military, hospitality, cleaning, and businesses, have a similar understanding of emotional intel-
ligence. The personality traits such as emotional stability and conscientiousness have been observed
very important irrespective of the sector or position to which the individual belongs to (Hjalmarsson &
Dåderman 2020).

Research question 2 of this study delves into understanding the importance of emotional intelligence in
leadership. The findings were categorised into three themes, namely, self-awareness and decision mak-
ing, increased empathy and relationship management, and effective communication and conflict man-
agement. The interviewees’ responses indicated that self-awareness and decision-making are closely
related to each other while effective communication and conflict management also share a strong con-
nection. The findings also implied a bond between increased empathy and relationship management.

Claims have been made that emotional intelligence is a predictor of professional success as it equips
the person with the ability to handle the demands and pressures of the environment (Kiyani, Haroon,
Liaqat, Khattak, Bukhari & Asad 2011). The leaders who demonstrate a high level of emotional
intelligence often have the abiltiy to regulate the overall EI of their team (Brown 2014). A conference
paper presented by Aloysius (2010) indicated that emotional intelligence and its factors substantially
correlate with the effectiveness in leadership and more successful leaders have a higher degree of emo-
tional intelligence.
 25

6 CONCLUSION

The first section of this study outlines the introduction and motivation to conduct this research. It also
delineates the research aim and research questions. The aim of this study was to understand the percep-
tion of leaders regarding emotional intelligence and to find out the importance of emotional intelli-
gence in leadership. The objective of this thesis was to present the leaders’ insight on emotional intel-
ligence and its importance in their leadership roles in the form of themes. The research questions were
formulated in such a manner that it would lead us to meeting the objective of this thesis.

The succeeding sections (section 2 and 3) deal with the literature of this study. Section 2 includes
background, introduction, evolution, components and evaluation models of emotional intelligence. The
time frame of evolution of emotional intelligence has been outlined in a tabular form and Daniel
Goleman’s components of emotional intelligence have been discussed with reference to literature
sources. Similarly, section 3 discusses the different models of assessing the emotional intelligence
proposed by revered scholars of the field.

Section 4 describes the research methodology of the thesis. Qualitative research methodology was ap-
plied in this study with the use of semi-structured interview questions. This section consists of the el-
ements related to the research process such as research method used, sampling, research tools, research
settings, reliability and validity, thematic analysis and the ethical approval in conducting the research.

Section 5 deals with the findings and discussions of this study. The perception and understanding of
emotional intelligence of 6 leaders operating in diverse industries have been expressed in these sec-
tions. Similarly, the question of why emotional intelligence is important for leadership has also been
answered based on the responses of the interviewees. The core findings included that emotional intel-
ligence is the ability to understand, manage and regulate the emotions of oneself and of the others and
it is important for leadership for reasons such as self-awareness, decision making, increased empathy,
relationship management, effective communication and conflict management.

Even though major studies in emotional intelligence were conducted and popularised in the 20th centu-
ry, the number of studies relating the EQ with workplace have not been too significant. There is still a
need of extensive study that connects EQ with workplace and leadership qualities. The influence of
emotional intelligence on leadership needs to be studied with regards to diverse professions and occu-
 26

pations. There is a large number of variables in emotional intelligence which are often referred to as
‘soft skills’. There are still a lot of areas of EQ available for in-depth research and study.

Finally, I have given my best to study the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership roles.
Despite my efforts to conduct this study in the best manner possible, there might still be some discrep-
ancies resulting from the limitations of time and other resources. However, I am hopeful that this thesis
can prove to be a suitable foundation for further studies on emotional intelligence and leadership as
they are vast topics. There are other numerous aspects of emotional intelligence and leaderships that
can be studied for extending the horizon in this field.
 27

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 APPENDIX 1

Interview Questions:

1. What is emotional intelligence according to you?

2. How do you see yourself as a leader? (Self-awareness)
3. How much do you value emotional intelligence in your workplace and why?
4. Tell me about a time when your self-management/self-discipline was important to the outcome of your
team. (Self-discipline)
5. Being a leader, how important is it to be empathetic and why? (empathy)
6. How do you approach to a situation when your team fails to meet the deadline? (positive outlook)
7. What was your biggest challenge starting in a leadership role? How did you adapt to this situation?
(adaptability)
8. In what way do you think your presence influence your team? (Influence)
9. What kind of strategy do you use to motivate your team? (Achievement orientation)
10. What is the main factor behind an efficient teamwork? (Teamwork)
11. You’ve noticed that a team member is aggressive or arrogant toward the rest of the team. How would
you approach this person? (conflict management)
12. If you can change one thing at your workplace to improve the emotional wellbeing of employees, what
will you change?