Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Styles

Exploring the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Styles Among Information Technology Professionals

Eniola Olukayode Olagundoye

• Publisher: Dissertation.com
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781612334707
• Topic: Psicologia
• Subtopic: Emozioni in psicologia

All around the world, information technology is evolving at an alarming rate, and it could be challenging keeping up with the growing changes that we are witnessing with it. This paper explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadershi

Chapter 1

Introduction

Technology is a rapidly evolving concept and it could be challenging keeping up with the growing changes. Just look back 10 years ago, and one can clearly notice all around, how much the world has changed due to technology. With the constant advancement of technology, organizations’ reliability on information technology (IT) professionals, who are the force behind technology, has simultaneously taken a paramount dimension. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, information technology projected employment is expected to grow by 22% through the year 2020. With constant technology growth, the need for information technology professional leaders striking the right leadership style in conjunction with the accurate emotional intelligence component to steer an organization into the right direction and or to a higher level may not be overly emphasized. Technology is an important criterion in our everyday life, as it positively contributes immensely to the day to day standard of living. According to Green (2014), Woodward argued that the technology an organization used seemed to influence the type of structure the organization created and that, to some degree, technology determines organizational structure (page 72). Despite the high level of information technology investments, information technology is underutilized (Eseryel, 2013), which leads us to the importance of connecting the right leadership style and emotional intelligence with information technology. Glen (2003) states that information technology professionals are moving from the backroom to the forefront more and more and because of that, their “people” skills need to be more developed, since these have not been the focus historically. Studies have shown that emotional intelligence is beneficial to both individual and organizations (Sunindijo, Hadikusumo, & Ogunlana, 2007).

Despite the abundance of literature on emotional intelligence and leadership styles, limited studies exist connecting these theories with information technology professionals, which is the purpose of the current study. From this study, the researcher explored adding to the existing body of knowledge of these theories of emotional intelligence and leadership styles by focusing on the relationships that exist between these two theories as they pertain to information technology professional leaders.

Background

Leadership is the process of influencing people to accomplish common goals. In the 1970s, James Downton coined the term transformational leadership, in his book Rebel Leadership (Downton, 1973), and in 1978, James MacGregor Burns described transformational leadership as behaviors that occur when leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. (Burns). In 1985, Bass extended the work of James Burns by explaining the mechanisms that underline transformational leadership and transactional leadership (Bass), and in 1991, Bass and Avolio developed the full-range model of leadership, which contains nine constructs that form the three leadership styles of transformational, transactional and passive avoidant (Bass & Avolio). These three leadership styles from the full range leadership model were part of the variables in this study.

Emotional Intelligence is a fairly new concept that emerged in the early 1990’s. John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey coined the term emotional intelligence in 1990, but Daniel Goleman’s book titled Emotional Intelligence, brought this topic to the forefront (Goleman, 1995). John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey defined emotional intelligence as “the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional meanings, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote both better emotion and thought” (Mayer & Salovey, 1997 p. 22).

Statement of Problem

This study explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership styles among information technology professionals. How much of a role do the demographic variables play in this relationship, even while controlled?

Within the narrow area of emotional intelligence, limited studies exist in the common scholarly databases that used the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) in exploring the concept of emotional intelligence, and the use of Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X) in measuring leadership styles as they relate to information technology professional leaders. The researcher explored this option. In addition, the lack of extensive empirical studies in this area has prompted this research.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to measure the relationship between information technology professionals’ emotional intelligence, measured by Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), and their leadership styles, measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X), when controlling the information technology professional leaders’ gender, age, ethnicity, education, and tenure.

Conceptual Definitions

Perception of Emotion is described as how individuals perceive emotions within themselves and others (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

Managing Own Emotions is described as how individuals regulate their emotions (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

Managing Others’ Emotions is described as how individuals adjust, react and embrace the emotions of others (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

Utilization of Emotion is described as how individuals have the ability to use their emotions to solve problems (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

Transformational leadership is a leadership style that is characterized by a leader-follower exchange relationship in which the followers feel trust, loyalty, and respect toward the leader, and are thereby motivated to do more than is originally expected of them (Bass & Avolio, 1994).

Idealized influence is a factor of the transformational leadership style identified by Bass and Avolio (1994) in the Full Range Model of Leadership. Idealized influence is comprised of two separate dimensions, Idealized influence (attributes) and Idealized influence (behaviors).

Idealized influence (attributes) refers to the personal characteristics of a leader that are admired by followers in their relationship with the leader (Bass & Avolio, 2011). It describes leaders who are exemplary role models for associates, and are admired and respected. A leader with Idealized influence (attributes) is perceived as a role model and garners trust, loyalty, and respect from their followers (Bass & Avolio, 1994).

Idealized influence (behaviors) refers to the behaviors a leader exhibits in the leader-follower relationship that contribute to the presence of Idealized influence in said relationship (Bass & Avolio, 2011). A leader with Idealized influence (behaviors) can be counted on to do the right thing, demonstrates high standards of ethical and moral conduct, and is highly regarded for considering the needs of others over their own personal needs (Bass & Avolio, 1994).

Inspirational motivation is a factor of the transformational leadership style identified by Bass and Avolio (1994) in the Full Range Model of Leadership. An inspirationally motivating leader communicates high expectations, gives encouraging talks, expresses purposes in simple ways, and inspires followers to commit to a particular attractive vision or future state (Bass & Avolio, 2011; Bass & Avolio, 1994). It describes leaders who motivate and inspire followers to commit to the vision of the organization.

Intellectual stimulation – is a factor of the transformational leadership style identified by Bass and Avolio (1994) in the Full Range Model of Leadership. An intellectually stimulating leader stimulates innovative and creative thinking by encouraging followers to question assumptions and challenge the old way of doing things (Bass & Avolio, 2011; Bass & Avolio, 1994). It describes leaders who encourage innovation, creativity, and promote critical thinking and problem solving to make the organization better.

Individual consideration is a factor of the transformational leadership style identified by Bass and Avolio (1994) in the Full Range Model of Leadership. A leader exhibiting Individualized consideration gives personal attention to followers’ needs for achievement and growth by acting as a coach, mentor, and teacher (Bass & Avolio, 2011). It describes leaders who act as coaches, facilitators, teachers, mentors, encourage followers, provide continuous feedback, and link the followers current needs to the organization’s mission.

Transactional leadership is a leadership style that is characterized by a leader-follower exchange in which the follower receives a reward in return for compliance with leader’s expectations (Bass & Avolio, 1994). It involves a leader-follower exchange relationship in which the follower receives some reward related to lower-order needs in return for compliance with the leader’s expectations.

Contingent reward is a factor of the transactional leadership style identified by Bass and Avolio (1994) in the Full Range Model of Leadership. With regards to Contingent reward, leaders emphasize an exchange of what needs to be done in return for specific, agreed upon rewards (Bass & Avolio, 2011). It describes leaders who engage in a constructive path-goal transaction of reward for their performance.

Management-by-Exception-Active is a factor of the transactional leadership style by Bass and Avolio (1994) in the Full Range Model of Leadership. Management-by-Exception-Active describes leaders who monitor followers closely and take corrective action when deviations from standards or mistakes occur in followers’ assignments (Bass & Avolio, 2011; Bass & Avolio, 1994). It describes leaders who monitor followers’ performance, enforce rules, and take corrective action if deviations from standards occur.

Passive avoidant leadership describes the absence of leadership. A person in a leadership role that avoids making decisions and carrying out their supervisory responsibilities. They are not reactive or proactive, but inactive and passive in their leadership role. It is a style of leadership that occurs when leaders react only as a contingency plan for serious problems. A passive avoidant leader shirks responsibility, delays decisions, and is relatively unconcerned with meeting followers’ needs (Bass & Avolio, 2011; Bass & Avolio, 1994).

Management-by-Exception-Passive is a factor of the passive avoidant leadership style by Bass and Avolio (1994) in the Full Range Model of Leadership. Management-by-Exception-Passive describes leaders who passively monitor followers and ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Abstract
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Review of the Literature
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Conclusion
• Appendices
• References