Leadership

The Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Effective Leadership Among Managers in Malaysian Business Organizations

Dr. Sarminah Samad, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and effective leadership. Consequently the study determined the influence of EI on effective leadership. Further the study is aimed at identifying which of the EI dimension most explain effective leadership. Finally the study examined the different level of EI between senior and middle level management staff. Sample of the study consisted of 500 senior and middle level management staff of the selected telecommunication companies in Malaysia. The study used selfadministered questionnaires and the data obtained was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics analysis. The results hypothesized that all of the EI dimensions were significantly related to effective leadership. Consequently the study found that the EI dimensions were able to influence effective leadership where 59 percent of variance in effective leadership was explained by EI. Further the results revealed that social skills appeared as the most influential factor for effective leadership. The findings of the study also revealed that there was a significant difference of EI at management level staff with the senior level of management indicating the higher score compared to the middle level management staff. Several suggestions are discussed based on the implications of the research finding. INTRODUCTION Globalization, rapid change in technology and the intense business competition require organizations to secure a sustainable competitive advantage over their competitors. The rapid change of technological age has created the new millennium with a competitive landscape which demands leaders to have more than just the required skills and intelligence quotient (IQ). Leaders should also have the right values, behaviors,...