THE IMPACT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS: A MEDIATING ROLE OF LEADERSHIP SELF-EFFICACY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.935041Keywords:
Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Effectiveness, Leadership Self-EfficacyAbstract
Effective leadership is a pivotal determinant of organizational success, particularly in high-performance industries such as electronics manufacturing. This study examines the impact of emotional intelligence on leadership effectiveness, with leadership self-efficacy serving as a mediator. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (1986) and in Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, the study used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 395 professionals in Malaysia’s top five electronics manufacturing firms and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that emotional intelligence has a significant positive direct effect on leadership effectiveness (β = 0.339, t = 6.053, p < 0.001) and on leadership self-efficacy (β = 0.377, t = 6.555, p < 0.001). Leadership self-efficacy, in turn, significantly mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness (β = 0.050, 95% CI [0.008, 0.099], p = 0.027), accounting for approximately 12.9% of the total effect. These results confirm a mediation, indicating that emotional intelligence enhances leadership effectiveness both directly and indirectly through increased leadership self-efficacy. The study contributes to leadership theory and offers practical implications for leadership development programs in technology-intensive manufacturing sectors.
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