Construction Experts’ Perceptions on the Influence Of Emotional Intelligence on Leadership Development

Notwithstanding the significance of leadership within organisations and social settings, there seems to be less information about the influence of emotional intelligence on leadership development in the construction industry. The purpose of the research was to establish the influence of emotional intelligence on leadership and leadership development in the construction industry. The ongoing leadership challenge in the construction industry seeks research to determine the importance of emotional intelligence in leading teams. The research launched with an extensive review of literature in order to identify the core and sub-variables which embodies emotional intelligence and leadership for leadership development. A three iterative round Delphi technique was conducted to attain consensus of the identified emotional intelligence indicators. A list of experts was generated from peer-reviewed conference proceedings and industry executives. The rating of the influence was rated between low influence and very high influence. Data collected were analysed using Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet software. The results indicated that emotional intelligence is essential and those that seek to think critically should show a different characteristics of emotional intelligence. The study contributes to the literature and empirical research underpinning on emotional intelligence in the construction industry. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Budapest University of Technology and Economics & Diamond Congress Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Creative Construction Conference 2019.