Emotionally Intelligent Leadership : A qualitative exploration of the sub concepts that contextualize the leadership style that comes from emotional intelligence

Abstract: The aim of this study was to understand, clarify, and explain emotional intelligence, as well as possible sub concepts that are correlated to, and might also influence and shape, the leadership style that comes from emotional intelligence. Through Daniel Goleman’s (1995) bestseller: Emotional Intelligence, the topic has emerged rapidly during the last two decades and has been implemented in various settings, and among them as a leadership style. Now, even though emotionally intelligent leadership (EIL) has been touched upon in research to a certain level, there is no established map that explains the leadership style or its context. That is the gap this thesis is trying to close. By analyzing five books (from representatives of both the ability model and the mixed model) concerning strictly emotionally intelligent leadership, I wanted to discover what contextual perception these authors had of the leadership style and its context. The empirical study showed that the authors discussed a total of nine sub concepts which could be placed in the surrounding of EIL. After the analysis, the nine concepts were narrowed down to seven, which shape and influence this leadership style. Those seven concepts are acting, communication, gender, humor, mood, symbolic management and training and development. The development of emotional intelligence, emotionally intelligent leadership and its contextual concepts have also been presented through a model called: Linnaeus Model of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership and its Contextual Sub Concepts. This paper is a first effort at mapping the terrain of this emotional way of leading, and I hope that scholars and researchers within the study area, as well as practitioners and consultants (especially within leadership, management and HR) will find this paper useful.