Emotional Intelligence & Personality Traits Antecedents To Leadership Styles- An Empirical Study

Published on : 20/01/2024

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE & PERSONALITY TRAITS ANTECEDENTS TO LEADERSHIP STYLES – AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Authored by Dr. Vinodhini R.L.

Research Scholar

School of Management, Sastra, Tamil Nadu

mailto:vinodhini@sastra.ac.in

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ABSTRACT

This study delves into the intricate dynamics between emotional intelligence (EI), personality traits, and leadership styles within organizational contexts. Drawing on established theories and frameworks, the research aims to elucidate the interplay between these factors and their collective impact on leadership behavior. By examining the emotional intelligence levels and personality traits of executives, alongside their demonstrated leadership styles, the study seeks to provide empirical evidence and actionable insights for enhancing leadership effectiveness in modern workplaces. Additionally, the research investigates the influence of demographic variables on EI, personality traits, and leadership styles, offering a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between individual attributes and organizational leadership. Through rigorous analysis and interpretation, this study contributes in advancing knowledge in the identified fields of workplace behaviour.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Personality Traits, Leadership Styles

INTRODUCTION:

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the capability of individuals to recognize their own, and other people's emotions, to discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and to manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt environments or achieve one's goal(s). Personality is a set of individual differences that are affected by the development of an individual: values, attitudes, personal memories, social relationships, habits, and skills. Leadership is the ability of a company's management to set and achieve challenging goals, take swift and decisive action, outperform the competition, and inspire others to perform well. Management of employees at workplace is an integral part of the management process. To understand the importance of people in organization is to recognize that the human element and the organization are the same. A well-managed organization usually considers an average worker as the root source of quality and productivity gains. An effective organization will make sure that there is a spirit of cooperation and sense of commitment within the sphere of its influence. This study explains about the leadership style of the executives, emotional intelligence level and personality traits, and analyzes how emotional intelligence and personality trait affect leadership styles.

The main purpose of this study is to measure the relationship between emotional intelligence, personality traits and leadership styles. It is essential to be aware of how the leaders behave in particular situation. Also how demographic variables affect the EI, Personality trait and leadership.

METHODOLOGY

The survey instrument consisted of a well structured questionnaire developed on the basis of the literature reviewed. The questionnaire had the following components: a general component covering the demographic details and job title of the respondent employees, the Emotional Intelligence dimensions, the Personality Traits and the Leadership Styles.

The Emotional Intelligence questionnaire was conceptualized based on the EI scale developed by Daniel Goleman (1996), which is designed to assess an individual's emotional intelligence across various dimensions. It typically includes questions related to self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

The Personality Traits  were framed based on the Big Five Personality Traits, also known as the Five Factor Model, is a widely accepted framework in psychology that categorizes personality traits into five dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN), and developed by  John, O. P., Donahue, E. M., & Kentle, R. L. (1991).

The Leadership Styles construct was based on Peter G. Northouse (2009) to measure an individual's preferences for three different leadership styles: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.

A sample of 350 executives were selected based on random sampling from a universe of 500 executives in the various department including HR, shop I-VII, Quality, Finance, R&D of a renowned manufacturing unit in Tamilnadu.

The study is both Descriptive & Exploratory in nature. It describes the status and nature and also it explain the relationship between the factors of Emotional Intelligence, Personality Trait and Leadership styles.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been a subject of considerable interest in various fields, particularly in its relationship with leadership styles and effectiveness. Graves (2000) highlights the divergent perspectives on EI, ranging from considering it a separate form of intelligence to viewing it as redundant with existing personality traits. Tonioni (2015) challenges the efficacy of leadership programs in enhancing EI but acknowledges a positive correlation between democratic leadership and EI, while Burbach (2004) delves into the interaction between EI, cognitive styles, and leadership behaviors.

Olagundoye (2016) explores the connection between EI and leadership styles among IT professionals, finding that transformational leadership is a predictor of perception, management, and utilization of emotions. Jimenez (2016) corroborates this, indicating a positive relationship between EI and transformational leadership, particularly in industries undergoing organizational change.

Leigh (2012) further examines EI's role in predicting leadership styles beyond transformational leadership, implicating transactional and passive/avoidant styles as well. McGruder (2009) focuses on aspiring principals, investigating the link between EI and various leadership styles, including transformational, situational, and transactional.

Newton (2016) and Schlott (2012) emphasize the significance of EI in law enforcement agencies and retail management, respectively, identifying correlations between EI and different leadership styles. Hebert (2010) underscores the positive association between EI and transformational leadership, particularly among school principals.

Lin (2005) provides insights into the demographic correlates of EI and leadership in Taiwan's educational institutions, while Hertwig (2016) and Danehy (2006) explore similar relationships in engineering and college coaching contexts, respectively. Hopkins (2004) extends this inquiry to gender differences in EI and leadership styles among successful leaders.

Williams (2007) examines the impact of EI on leadership style selection in the telecommunications industry, while McCannon (2015) and Ferguson (2014) investigate its relevance to servant and law enforcement leadership, respectively. Berardi (2015) and Morse (2014) offer contrasting findings on the relationship between EI and authentic leadership, and EI and leadership styles among women executives, respectively.

Overall, the literature suggests a nuanced relationship between EI and leadership, with implications for leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and individual performance. Further research is warranted to elucidate these relationships across diverse contexts and populations, informing evidence-based practices in leadership development and management.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

After exploring emotional intelligence and its connection to different leadership styles, the researchers turned to investigate how personality traits influence emotional intelligence and leadership styles. Essentially, the goal was to find out which personality traits are linked to certain leadership approaches. In essence, this part of the research looked at how who you are as a person affects how you lead others. It's like trying to figure out the puzzle pieces that make up a leader's style and effectiveness. By putting these pieces together, we can get a clearer picture of what makes a great leader in different situations.

TABLE – 1: Influence of Personality Trait on Emotional Intelligence - Correlation

Personality Traits	Emotional Intelligence	P	SIG	RESULT
Openness to experience	Self awareness	.000	.995	Insignificantly correlated
	Empathy	.050	.728	Insignificantly correlated
	Motivation	.316	.026	Moderate Positive correlation
	Self regulation	-.090	.535	Negative correlation
	Overall EI	.063	.662	Insignificantly correlated
Conscientiousness	Self awareness	.199	.166	Moderate Positive correlation
	Empathy	.142	.326	Moderate Positive correlation
	Motivation	.198	.169	Moderate Positive correlation
	Self regulation	.419	.002	Moderate Positive correlation
	Overall EI	.320	.023	Moderate Positive correlation
Extrovert	Self awareness	-.108	.455	Negative correlation
	Empathy	-.38	.795	Negative correlation
	Motivation	.392	.005	Moderate Positive correlation
	Self regulation	.093	.523	Insignificantly correlated
	Overall EI	.086	.552	Insignificantly correlated
Agreeableness	Self awareness	.185	.198	Moderate Positive correlation
	Empathy	.428	.002	Moderate Positive correlation
	Motivation	.320	.024	Moderate Positive correlation
	Self regulation	.510	.000	Strongly Positive correlated
	EI	.483	.000	Moderate Positive correlation
Emotional stability	Self awareness	-.206	.152	Negative correlation
	Empathy	-.291	.041	Negative correlation
	Motivation	-.413	.003	Negative correlation
	Self regulation	-.351	.013	Negative correlation
	Overall EI	-.402	.004	Negative correlation

 

Table 1 shows the influence of emotional intelligence on leadership style. It is discovered that conscientiousness was linked to all aspects of EI in a positive way, while agreeableness also showed a positive correlation with EI. However, traits like extroversion and openness to experience were negatively correlated with certain aspects of EI, such as self-awareness and empathy. Overall, only moderate correlations between personality traits and EI, suggesting that personality alone may not be a strong predictor of EI in leaders. Additionally, the study suggested that the organizational culture might influence which personality traits are valued in leaders, with agreeableness and introversion being more supported in the studied organization compared to extroversion and openness to experience.

Table 2 shows that influence of emotional intelligence, personality trait  on leadership styles.      

TABLE – 2: Influence of Personality Trait & Emotional Intelligence on Leadership Styles - Correlation

PARTICULARS	LEADERSHIP STYLE	P	Sig	RESULT
Emotional intelligence	Autocratic	.303	.033	Moderate Positive correlation
	Democratic	.349	.013	Moderate Positive correlation
	Laissez faire	.217	.130	Moderate Positive correlation
PERSONALITY TRAITS	LEADERSHIP STYLE	P	SIGNIFICANCE	RESULT
Openness to experience	Autocratic	-.333	.018	Negative correlation
	Democratic	-.066	.646	Negative correlation
	Laissez Faire	.450	.729	Moderate Positive correlation
Conscientiousness	Autocratic	.612	.097	Strong  positive correlation
	Democratic	.839	.016	Strong  positive correlation
	Laissez Faire	.564	.255	Strong  positive correlation
Extrovert	Autocratic	.321	.124	Moderate positive correlation
	Democratic	.636	.099	Strong  positive correlation
	Laissez Faire	.594	.177	Strong  positive correlation
Agreeableness	Autocratic	.487	.549	Moderate positive correlation
	Democratic	.872	.617	Strong  positive correlation
	Laissez Faire	.652	.720	Strong  positive correlation
Neuroticism	Autocratic	-.029	.841	Negative correlation
	Democratic	-.086	.554	Negative correlation
	Laissez Faire	-.239	.095	Negative correlation

In table 2, emotional intelligence showed a moderate positive correlation with leadership styles. Among personality traits, openness to experience was negatively correlated with autocratic and democratic leadership styles, and moderately positively correlated with laissez-faire leadership style. Conscientiousness had a strong positive correlation with leadership styles. Extroversion and agreeableness showed a moderate correlation with autocratic leadership style and a strong positive correlation with democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles. Conversely, neuroticism was negatively correlated with leadership styles.

Table – 3: Regression for Emotional Intelligence, Personality Trait And Leadership Styles

Model Summary
Model	R	R Square	Adjusted R Square	Std. Error of the Estimate
1	.835a	.697	.684	.81084
a. Predictors: (Constant), trait of an executive, overall EI

 

Coefficientsa
Model		Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	Sig.
		B	Std. Error	Beta
1	(Constant)	.111	.938		.118	.906
	overall EI	.016	.013	.105	1.259	.214
	trait of an executive	.523	.054	.801	9.632	.000
a. Dependent Variable: overall  Leadership

Table 3 reveals that the constant value is 0.111, indicating a baseline influence. Emotional intelligence (EI) has a coefficient of 0.016 on leadership style, but it's deemed insignificant (0.214 > 0.05), suggesting it doesn't significantly impact leadership style. Conversely, personality traits (PT) have a coefficient of 0.523, which is significant (0.000 < 0.005) in relation to leadership style. Thus, the inferred conclusion is that personality traits have a greater influence on leadership style compared to emotional intelligence.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

It was observed that the majority of executives exhibit a Democratic Style of leadership, coupled with a predominant personality trait of Conscientiousness and a competent level of Emotional Intelligence. It was evident that the personality traits of the executives played a crucial role in determining their leadership styles. However, the Emotional Intelligence scores were notably low, suggesting limited potential for individuals to manage interpersonal relationships effectively within the workplace.

Recommendations

While it has been acknowledged that emotional intelligence can influence leadership styles, this aspect hasn't been fully utilized in the organization. Therefore, the company can organize workshops on organization development to enhance interpersonal skills and self-awareness among the executives, ultimately improving their leadership effectiveness.

References

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Cite This Article As

Dr. Vinodhini, “Emotional Intelligence & Personality Traits Antecedents To Leadership Styles- An Empirical Study”, Vol. 1 & Issue 1, Nyayavimarsha Law Journal, Pages 54 to 66 (21^st January 2024), available at https://nyayavimarsha.com/detail/emotional-intelligence-personality-traits-antecedents-to-leadership-styles-an-empirical-study