Article: Emotional intelligence and decisions in project management - a literature review Journal: International Journal of Project Organisation and Management (IJPOM) 2025 Vol.17 No.2 pp.211 - 230 Abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of project management, exerting a direct influence on the decisions made throughout the process. This paper aims to review the EI concept and decisions in the context of project management. A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, having as data a set of 23 articles, published in specialised journals, available on the electronic platform 'WOS' and 'Scopus'. Through an approach that combines an SLR and bibliometric analysis, it was possible to understand the ability of managers to recognise, understand and manage emotions, both their own and those of team members. The overall performance of projects is impacted by strategic choices and decision making and, ultimately, human emotions are involved. It was not possible to assert an empirical relationship between EI and decisions in project management. The presented synthesis might lead to clearly assess the current state of knowledge, concerning the different approaches already studied, to address and assess the EI in the context of project management. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Emotional intelligence and decisions in project management - a literature review

Authors: Nuno J.P. Rodrigues; Catarina Inês Veiga de Matos

Addresses: REMIT – Research on Economics, Management and Information Technologies, Portucalense University, Portugal; ISLA – Polytechnic Institute of Management and Technology, School of Management, Rua Diogo Macedo 192, 4400-107 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal ' ESTG – Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Politécnico do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of project management, exerting a direct influence on the decisions made throughout the process. This paper aims to review the EI concept and decisions in the context of project management. A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, having as data a set of 23 articles, published in specialised journals, available on the electronic platform 'WOS' and 'Scopus'. Through an approach that combines an SLR and bibliometric analysis, it was possible to understand the ability of managers to recognise, understand and manage emotions, both their own and those of team members. The overall performance of projects is impacted by strategic choices and decision making and, ultimately, human emotions are involved. It was not possible to assert an empirical relationship between EI and decisions in project management. The presented synthesis might lead to clearly assess the current state of knowledge, concerning the different approaches already studied, to address and assess the EI in the context of project management.

Keywords: emotional intelligence; project management; decisions; systematic literature review; SLR.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.146738

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2025 Vol.17 No.2, pp.211 - 230

Received: 06 Mar 2024
Accepted: 14 Oct 2024
Published online: 16 Jun 2025 *

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Title: Emotional intelligence and decisions in project management - a literature review

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