Title: The impact of emotional intelligence on transformational leadership and leader effectiveness

Authors: Sayyad Mohsen Allameh; Javad Khazaei Pool; Reza Verij Kazemi; Masoud Mostafavi

Addresses: Department of Management, University of Isfahan, Hezarjarib St., 81746-73441, Isfahan, Iran ' Department of Management, University of Isfahan, Hezarjarib St., 81746-73441, Isfahan, Iran ' Department of Management, Islamic Azad University, Chalus Branch, 17 Shahrivar St., 46615/397, Iran ' Research Unit on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Via Venezia 1, 35131, Padova, Italy

Abstract: The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of emotional intelligence (EI) on transformational leadership and leader effectiveness. The data collected from a total of 160 cases were in 40 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Iran's north region. Structural relationships were examined by using structural equation modelling (SEM) and the data analysis was done using SPSS18 and AMOS20. The results of the research indicate that EI affects transformational leadership style; thus the leadership style affects leader effectiveness. This research provides clear theoretical understanding of the role of EI in transformational leadership and leader effectiveness, shedding light onto future research as a theoretical foundation.

Keywords: leader effectiveness; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; emotional intelligence; transformational leadership; Iran; structural equation modelling; SEM.

DOI: 10.1504/LAJMSD.2015.067473

Latin American Journal of Management for Sustainable Development, 2015 Vol.2 No.1, pp.83 - 93

Received: 23 Apr 2014
Accepted: 23 Aug 2014
Published online: 14 Feb 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article