Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Meaningful Work: A Study of Leader-Follower Dyads in the state of Punjab (India)

Abstract

Modern organizations are getting increasingly dependent on their human resources for survival and growth in cutting edge competition. Past research has established link between organizational leadership and its positive outcomes for employees. Relying upon the emotional intelligence theory, we have examined the impact of leaders’ emotional intelligence on meaningful work experience of the followers using Vertical Dyad Linkage (VDL) Model.

A snowballed sample of 320 leader-follower dyads was drawn from advocates registered in the state of Punjab (India) who worked in advocate offices and law firms. The leaders reported their own emotional intelligence, while followers reported their experience of meaningful work. The data was collected on adapted five point likert scales and analyses were done through structural equation modeling (SEM) using SPSS AMOS.

The findings confirmed that leaders’ emotional intelligence has significant positive impact on meaningful work experience of followers as well as its four underlying dimensions. The study has contributed in further advancement of emotional intelligence theory in the new landscape of leader-follower dyads. The given practical implications can be a ready reference for leadership scholars and practitioners. With our findings, they can generate meaningful work experience for their followers which can bring many positive outcomes for organizations.