Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Style, and School Culture

Abstract

Research regarding the association between emotional intelligence, leadership style and organizational culture has been inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to explore these relationships in elementary school settings. A non-experimental ex post facto research design was utilized to investigate four research hypotheses. Fifty-seven principals and 850 teachers within a large urban school district in southeast Florida were surveyed. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed positive associations between school culture and both transformational and transactional leadership, and negative associations between school culture and passive-avoidant leadership. Significant positive associations were found also between school culture and the principals' emotional intelligence after controlling for leadership style. The hierarchical linear regressions revealed significant associations between leadership style and school culture after controlling for school grade as well. The results suggest that emotional intelligence merits consideration in the development of leadership theory. Practical implications include suggestions that principals employ both transformational and transactional leadership strategies, and focus on developing their level of emotional intelligence. The associations between emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, contingent reward and school culture found in this study validate the role of the principal as the leader of school reform.