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Interrelations between enhanced emotional intelligence, leadership self-efficacy and task-oriented leadership behaviour–a leadership coaching study

Peter Halliwell (The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia)
Rebecca Mitchell (Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Brendan Boyle (The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia)

Leadership & Organization Development Journal

ISSN: 0143-7739

Article publication date: 23 November 2021

Issue publication date: 27 January 2022

8807

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate interrelations between enhanced emotional intelligence, leadership self-efficacy and task-oriented leadership behaviour following participation in leadership coaching.

Design/methodology/approach

Organisational leaders (coachees) (N = 70) and their subordinates (N = 175) completed online questionnaires pre- and post-coaching. To account for pre-coaching scores, construct latent change scores were assessed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

Results indicate a positive association between enhanced emotional intelligence and leadership self-efficacy, however, little support was found for leadership self-efficacy as a mediator explaining an association between enhanced emotional intelligence and task-oriented leadership behaviour.

Practical implications

Organisations aiming to improve leader performance through enhancing emotional intelligence and leadership self-efficacy may find value in leadership coaching due to the intervention's positive effect on these constructs, and the positive association observed between developmental changes in these constructs.

Originality/value

Research on the interrelation between emotional intelligence and leadership self-efficacy is scarce. This study extends the literature by investigating the interrelation between developmental changes between these constructs brought about by leadership coaching using latent change scores and PLS-SEM. The study also assesses whether enhanced leadership self-efficacy mediates an association between enhanced emotional intelligence and task-oriented leadership behaviour building on the literature explaining coaching's effect mechanisms.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.

Citation

Halliwell, P., Mitchell, R. and Boyle, B. (2022), "Interrelations between enhanced emotional intelligence, leadership self-efficacy and task-oriented leadership behaviour–a leadership coaching study", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 43 No. 1, pp. 39-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-01-2021-0036

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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