The Implications of Impact on Emotional Intelligence for Successful Leadership

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This paper has focused on work performance and cross-cultural aspects. The following section will discuss stereotypes that occur as a result of gender differences and how this may influence how self-reporting measurements of EI are assessed (Lopez-Zafra and Gartzia 2014). Gender stereotypes or bias can lead to gender discrimination in relation to self-reported EI dimensions (Rueckert et al. 2011 cited in Lopez-Zafra and Gartzia 2014). Lopez-Zafra and Gartzia (2014) examined Others’ Emotional Appraisal (OEA), and it was found that females, for targets of the same gender (4.35, ranging from 1 to 5, higher number is higher estimations), may evaluate in a more positive way in their emotional ability than male targets (2.75). In other words, women prefer to positively assess the same gender regarding emotional competences. On the other hand, there was not a great difference between the same gender targets and different gender targets for the assessment of emotion, showing that men to women target (4.03) while men to men target (3.13). As such, these results may have found an aspect of the fixed norms of gender and expect them what is correct attitudes for men or women, in particular, when it comes to unclear tasks or situations, females tend to be underestimated while males are overestimated (Lenny 1977; Robert 1991 cited in Lopez-Zafra and Gartzia 2014). However, this research has ignored that men and women are in line with the same EI traits which might have led to more stereotyped selections. Bias of gender differences such as ‘in-group favoritisms’ for females (Lopez-Zafra and Gartzia 2014) and underestimated females’ performance without a criteria of tasks might cause negative outcomes for selecting a woman leader in workplace.

This essay has demonstrated three different perspectives that emotional intelligence is not one of key element for successful leadership. Although many researchers seem to have mentioned that emotional intelligence is one of the crucial factors for leadership, arguably EI seems to be used another substitute tool in order to judge individual performance and problem-solving in the workplace. In the cultural difference approaches, first of all, it is necessary that managers understand and familiar with cultural differences while social skill, one component of emotional intelligence, may affect effective leadership. Whether males and females perceiving gender stereotypes can exert a negative influence on the selection of female leaders or not, the research conducted was finite in regards to the scope of the investigation. This is due to the sample size being 260 Spanish undergraduate students. In conclusion, emotional intelligence in literatures is necessary to acknowledge the need for expanding the scope of studies to clearly prove if EI could be an essential factor in leadership. In particular, it will be demonstrated that range over topic of effective work performance, cultural difference, as well as gender stereotypes.

References

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Lopez-Zafra, E. and Gartzia, L. (2014) ‘Perceptions of gender differences in self-report measures of emotional intelligence’. Sex Roles 70 (11-12), 479-495

Reilly, A. H. and Karounos, T. J. (2009) ‘Exploring the link between Emotional Intelligence and Cross-Cultural Leadership Effectiveness’. Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies 1, 1-13

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Storey, J. (2016) ‘Signs of Change: ‘Damned Rascals’ and Beyond’. in Leadership in Organisations: Current Issues and Key Trends. ed. by Storey, J. Abingdon:Routledge, 3-16