Leader Emotional Intelligence and Successful Change Implementation: The Mediating Role of Trust in Leadership, Change Readiness, and Commitment to Change
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66635/97kamc95Keywords:
Emotional Intelligence, Organizational Change, Trust in Leadership, Readiness for Change, Commitment to Change, Change Management, Leadership Effectiveness, PLS-SEMAbstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of leaders’ emotional intelligence on the effective implementation of organizational change. Additionally, it investigates the mediating roles of trust in leadership, employees’ readiness for change, and commitment to change in strengthening the relationship between leader emotional intelligence and successful change outcomes.
Design/Methodology/Approach
This study adopts a quantitative research design. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from employees working in organizations undergoing change initiatives. A total of 300 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software. This method enabled the assessment of both direct and indirect relationships among the study variables.
Findings
The findings reveal that leaders’ emotional intelligence has a significant positive effect on trust in leadership, employees’ readiness for change, commitment to change, and the overall success of change implementation. Furthermore, trust, readiness, and commitment to change significantly contribute to successful change outcomes. Mediation analysis confirms that these variables act as important mechanisms through which emotional intelligence enhances the effectiveness of organizational change.
Originality/Value
This study contributes to the existing literature by developing an integrated framework that explains how leaders’ emotional intelligence influences organizational change outcomes through key psychological mechanisms. It offers valuable insights into leadership effectiveness in dynamic environments and highlights the importance of fostering emotionally intelligent leadership to improve employee attitudes and ensure successful and sustainable change implementation.
References
1.Armenakis, A.A., Harris, S.G. and Mossholder, K.W. (1993), “Creating Readiness for Organizational Change”, Human Relations, Vol. 46 No. 6, pp. 681–703, doi: 10.1177/001872679304600601.
2.Blau, P.M. (1964), Exchange and Power in Social Life.
3.Carmeli, A. (2003), “The relationship between emotional intelligence and work attitudes, behavior and outcomes”, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 18 No. 8, pp. 788–813, doi: 10.1108/02683940310511881.
4.Dirks, K.T. and Ferrin, D.L. (2002), “Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice.”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87 No. 4, pp. 611–628, doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.611.
5.Fornell, C. and Larcker, D.F. (1981), “Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error”, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 39–50, doi: 10.1177/002224378101800104.
6.George, J.M. (2000), “Emotions and Leadership: The Role of Emotional Intelligence”, Human Relations, Vol. 53 No. 8, pp. 1027–1055, doi: 10.1177/0018726700538001.
7.Goleman, D. (1995). (1995), Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ.
8.Goleman, D. (1998). (1998), Working with Emotional Intelligence.
9.Hair, Joseph F.; Hult, G. Tomas M.; Ringle, Christian M.; Sarstedt, M. (2019), A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).
10.Henseler, J., Ringle, C.M. and Sarstedt, M. (2015), “A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 43 No. 1, pp. 115–135, doi: 10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8.
11.Herscovitch, L. and Meyer, J.P. (2002), “Commitment to organizational change: Extension of a three-component model.”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87 No. 3, pp. 474–487, doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.87.3.474.
12.Kotter, J.P. (1996), Leading Change.
13.Lewin, K. (1951), Field Theory in Social Science.
14.Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P. and Caruso, D.R. (2008), “Emotional intelligence: New ability or eclectic traits?”, American Psychologist, Vol. 63 No. 6, pp. 503–517, doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.63.6.503.
15.Mayer, R.C., Davis, J.H. and Schoorman, F.D. (1995), “An Integrative Model Of Organizational Trust”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 709–734, doi: 10.5465/amr.1995.9508080335.
16.Meyer, J.P., Srinivas, E.S., Lal, J.B. and Topolnytsky, L. (2007), “Employee commitment and support for an organizational change: Test of the three‐component model in two cultures”, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 80 No. 2, pp. 185–211, doi: 10.1348/096317906X118685.
17.Oreg, S. (2006), “Personality, context, and resistance to organizational change”, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 73–101, doi: 10.1080/13594320500451247.
