Emotional Intelligence and its Effect on Performance Outcomes in a Leadership Development School

Abstract

Emotional Intelligence (EI) and its impact on performance are of paramount importance to both the corporate world and military in the realm of leadership development. The purpose of this study was to understand how specific EI skills and behaviors are exhibited by high performing graduates of an in-residence Professional Military Education school, which primarily focuses on leadership development and effectiveness. The sample consisted of 621 military officers taking part in an inresidence professional military education course. EI was measured using the Emotional Skills Assessment self-report instrument. Findings suggested that certain dimensions of EI (commitment ethic, empathy, leadership, and aggression) can predict performance outcomes, but that they only account for 8.6% of the total variance of the dependent variable (performance outcomes). Introduction Leadership – one of the most studied areas of organizational psychology – is a dynamic and complex process based on myriad interpersonal interactions between groups of people It involves a willing collaboration of leaders, followers, and associated stakeholders (Sosik & Jung, 2011). As such, leadership development is naturally of paramount importance to both the corporate world and the military and continues to command substantial investment.2 But how is this course steered and leadership ultimately achieved? Leadership and Emotional Intelligence (EI) Leadership development and performance outcomes are often guided by emotional intelligence (EI) – another important area of interest for researchers in the field of organizational psychology. In fact, previous research has shown that EI is not only a key characteristic of leadership effectiveness, but that leaders who possess high levels of EI can effectively control their own emotions and accurately assess and predict emotional 1 Authors’ Note: The research reported in this article does not reflect the views of the United States Air Force nor the Department of Defense. The article was cleared for release by the United States Air Force Public Affairs (Case #: AETC-2018-0214). 2 U.S. companies spend almost $14 billion annually in leadership development (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane, 2014). The United States Air Force (USAF) alone spends millions of dollars in leadership development by sending over 4,200 officers per year to Squadron Officer School, the purpose of which is “to develop solution-minded, bold and courageous Airmen ready to overcome today’s and tomorrow’s challenges” (Welcome to Squadron Officer School, 2018). In fact, the school’s stated mission is to “educate Air Force Captains to think, communicate, cooperate, and lead in the joint environment” (Welcome to Squadron Officer School, 2018).