Project Leadership: An Exploration of the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Effective Project Management

Abstract

The research examines and explores the relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Project Performance, Project Leadership, and Effective Project Management. The research delves into the EI significance in project leadership and its impact on project management and outcomes. While technical expertise and strategic planning are crucial, EI’s role in perceiving, understanding, and managing emotions has gained recognition. EI is particularly relevant to manage and motivate project teams, fostering an inclusive culture, improving communication, and inspiring trust. The research addresses the problem of limited recognition of EI’s role in effective project management and theoretically contributes by expanding the understanding of the competencies of project leadership. Practically it informs the practices of project management by emphasizing the EI importance to promote a holistic approach to the success of the project that integrates EI. The research provides an extensive review of existing studies related to a topic that concludes by presenting a conceptual framework that represents the interrelationship between the variables Emotional Intelligence, Project Performance, Project Leadership, and Effective Project Management. The hypothesis are formulated to guide the research and address the relationship between variables. In the research quantitative surveys and hypothesis testing are utilized. The outcome of the research contributes to the literature on project management that helps project managers and industry professionals to make project management effective. The tool to perform the analysis in the research is Smart PLS 4. The research is conducted under the context of UK-IT sector firms. From the analysis, SEM-PLS is employed, and using that reliability analysis is assessed for the variable’s internal consistency with Cronbach’s Alpha values exceeding 0.7 for all variables. The demographic analysis described diverse characteristics of participants that enhance the comprehensiveness of the research. Factor loading demonstrates the relationship strengths between indicators and latent variables. Convergent validity was established with AVE values above 0.5 for each construct. Discriminant validity was confirmed via HTMT ratio analysis, Fornell Larcker Criterion Testing, and Cross-Loading Assessment that shows clear distinction among constructs. The structured model assessment employed path analysis that in results demonstrate all hypothesis acceptance. The co-efficient of Determination R2 indicates the prediction strength with effective PM showing a substantial value of 0.527 and Effect Size F2 measurement can categorize the effects as large for EI and project leadership and medium for the variable project performance. Overall research significantly contributes to the EI role comprehension in project management. It can substantiate the framework proposed, determine limitations, and suggest avenues for future research and exploration. By recognizing the importance of technical skills or expertise, the research encourages a comprehensive approach to project leadership that leads towards collaboration, and better decision-making and ultimately assists to achieve success in the project.