Conscientiousness, Extraversion and Project Success: Does Emotional Intelligence Matter

Background: The development of the emotional intelligence of leaders has become an exceptionally popular enterprise. However, the empirical research conducted by practitioners to date does not provide convincing evidence of the effectiveness of emotional intelligence development interventions. Robust and informative research on the effectiveness of coaching to develop the emotional intelligence of leaders is lacking.Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine, describe and evaluate the impact of a theoretically substantiated coaching intervention on the emotional and social intelligence competencies of leaders in a financial services company.Setting: The setting of the study is a financial services company in South Africa.Methods: A mixed method approach using a quantitative and qualitative research design was considered appropriate. The quantitative research method consisted of a quasi-experimental design using a non-equivalent pre- and post test control group to measure the impact of the coaching intervention on a sample of 30 leaders. The Bar-On EQ-i scale was selected as a reliable and valid measure of emotional and social intelligence competencies. Wilcoxon’s statistic was calculated to determine the statistical significance of score differences between the experimental (N = 30) and control (N = 30) groups. The qualitative research method was comprised of semi-structured interviews with six of the leaders and their supervisors.Results: The statistical results indicated that coaching significantly impacted the emotional and social intelligence competencies of leaders in terms of their overall emotional quotient (EQ), intrapersonal competency, interpersonal skills, stress management, self-regard and empathy. The semi-structured interviews provided rich descriptive themes and evaluations that corroborated the quantitative findings.Conclusion: This research provided convincing empirical evidence of the positive impact of a long-term, spaced and goal-focused coaching intervention on the emotional and social intelligence competencies of leaders in a financial services institution. The finding suggests that a theoretically well substantiated coaching intervention and a robust empirical study can be effective in demonstrating the impact of coaching on the emotional and social intelligence competencies of leaders. However, the implications of the limitations pointed out in this study could have influenced the findings, and future research aimed at improving relevant research models should take these into account.

Recent warnings have been raised about the project success rate in organizations. Among many reasons of disappointing results, research on project management reveals a gap in examining project success. Traditionally, project success has been widely studied from the rational view but rarely from the behavioral view. Today’s businesses are facing multiple challenges and opportunities in a volatile market environment that require constant changes within organizations and leaders’ behavior. The role of project managers is no longer the same. This study attempts to update the discussion of project managers soft skills by examining two major behavioral factors: project manager’s emotional intelligence and trustworthiness and their impact on job satisfaction and project success. This research compiles a quantitative survey. Data were collected from 101 project team professionals. The results reveal that project managers’ emotional intelligence and their team members’ trust in them impact project success significantly. The findings provide organizations with a necessary complementary behavioral view of project management. Organizations can take project manager trustworthiness and emotional intelligence into account when recruiting and training project managers and throughout the project planning and execution life span.


 
 
 
 Purpose:This study examined the impact of transformational leadership on project success with the moderating role of emotional intelligence.
 Design/Methodology/Approach:The study was conducted on NGOs providing healthcare services in Lahore, Pakistan. This study was quantitative in nature. Data was gathered from 260 respondents through standardized questionnaire working on healthcare projects of Lahore. SPSS 22 was applied for data analysis
 Findings:The findings of this study showed the insignificant effect of transformational leadership on project success. However, a very strong impact of moderator i-e emotional intelligence was observed among the relationship of transformational leadership and project success. The theoretical and practical implications of study are substantial addition for the future researchers in the domain of project management.
 Implications/Originality/Value:Theoretically, this study demonstrates that the association between TL and PS with influence of the Emotional Intelligence has direct and significant. As a result, it supports the literature’s recommendation to evaluate the relationship between Transformational Leadership Style and PS with the moderator i.e. emotional intelligence.
 The findings suggest that Pakistani healthcare NGOs enterprises must seek for emotionally intelligent transformational leaders as well as proficiency in basic managing abilities while hiring. Furthermore, existing employees must be teaching to improve their Emotional Intelligence by enrolling in professional training.
 
 
 

Developing a Model for Physical Education Teachers’ Professional Performance Health Based on Talent Management and Emotional Intelligence

This research assesses the role of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in achieving Success in Projects (PS) in the telecom industry in Pakistan focusing on the mediating role of Team Cohesiveness (TC) and the moderating role of Top Management Support (TMS). In this highly competitive and ever-changing industry, project teams who are emotionally intelligent are able to address issues, collaborate, and achieve project goals in a streamlined manner. A quantitative approach was taken to this research in order to assess the behavioral and organizational aspects related to the success of projects. Data was gathered through a structured questionnaire capturing the major telecom firms employing over 239 individuals. Valid and reliable scales were used in the gathering of the information. To test the proposed mediation and moderation models, statistical analysis was conducted through SPSS and Hayes’ PROCESS macro. Emotional Intelligence enhances Project Success, proving that social and emotional skills are needed to complete project goals. Team Cohesiveness mediates this relationship, indicating that emotionally intelligent teams are able to perform on projects. With respect to Top Management Support, moderation was not found to be significant indicating that to supportive managers, there needs to be effective synergy among teams. The study's core findings add evidence to the behavioral phenomena within project management. The study also highlights the necessity for organizations to allocate resources toward emotional intelligence education, leadership training, and strategies to bolster team cohesion in order to realize sustainable project success.

Numerous authors are persistent in investigating the competency profile of the ideal construction project manager in order to decrease the failure rate of construction projects. There is evidence for the change in construction project management, from traditional practices to practices more focused on people and working relationships. The literature demonstrates a positive correlation between project manager’s Emotional intelligence and project success but less is written about the mechanisms that interfere with that relationship. Furthermore, project manager’s relationships with stakeholders are recognized as an important determinant of project success in the construction industry. Considering the above facts, this study was motivated to examine how the construction project manager’s emotional intelligence influences project success, and whether the relations with internal and external stakeholders interfere as mediators in that relationship. In the conducted research, 110 project managers participated. The results demonstrate that the emotional intelligence of construction project managers significantly influences the project success and that internal and external stakeholder relationships play an important role as mediators among them. Moreover, it is found that some components of EI have more significant influence on stakeholder relationships and project success and that internal and external relationships in different amounts affect components of project success.

Purpose In today’s complex and rapidly evolving project environments, leadership competencies are increasingly recognised as a critical factor in achieving project success. This paper explores the core leadership competencies project managers need and examines the enablers that support as well as the barriers that limit, their effective application. Design/methodology/approach Following PRISMA 2020, 43 peer-reviewed studies published between 2005 and 2025 were identified through systematic searches of leading academic databases. Studies were assessed for relevance, quality and alignment with project leadership and success criteria. Findings The findings show that emotional intelligence, communication skills, strategic thinking, adaptability and empowerment consistently contribute to project success across sectors. These competencies enhance collaboration, stakeholder engagement and decision-making in uncertain contexts. Enablers such as supportive organisational cultures, effective communication and empowering leadership behaviours strengthen their application, while barriers including an overemphasis on technical skills, rigid cultures and limited use of competency-based frameworks continue to undermine effectiveness. Research limitations/implications The results emphasise the importance of a holistic approach to project leadership that develops behavioural, emotional and strategic capabilities alongside technical expertise. They also underline the need for deeper investigation into how leadership competencies shape success across diverse project types and contexts. Practical implications Organisations are encouraged to institutionalize leadership development practices and adopt adaptive frameworks to enhance leadership impact in real-world project environments. Originality/value Insights from 43 practical studies are consolidated, offering a comprehensive understanding of both enablers and barriers of project leadership competencies. The study provides actionable directions for organisations and future research on how leadership competencies drive project success.

PurposeThis study investigated the impact of servant leadership on project success in nongovernment organizations (NGOs) working in a developing country like Pakistan. A moderated mediation design was employed, and the mediating role of employees' emotional intelligence (EI) and job stress (JS) was tested between servant leadership on project success. Moreover, the study also examined the moderating role of team effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 441 project team members working on different developed projects. Data were analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique.FindingsResults revealed that servant leadership exerts a significant positive impact on project success. Also, it is noted that servant leadership significantly increases the employee's emotional intelligence that contributes to project success although it does not reduce JS. However, JS was found to be a significant mediator in the association between servant leadership on project success. The findings also revealed that team effect plays an imperative moderating role in ensuring project success.Originality/valueThe study is one of the very few studies conducted to assess the impact of servant leadership on project success in not-for-profit organizations. The study contributes to the literature and methodology by adopting a holistic approach to investigate the mediation of EI and JS along with the moderation of team effectiveness in the nexus of servant leadership and project success.

In construction development projects, technical knowledge is given considerable weightage, whereas personality traits are not weighted when evaluating the people for the project. Project managers often use confronting and compromising styles to address conflicts, with the level of responsibility influencing their approach. Integrating Social Exchange Theory, the research explores how reciprocal interactions and mutual exchanges among team members contribute to improved collaboration and performance. This research adopted a quantitative research methodology with a deductive approach. The study underscores the integral role of conflict Resolution and Emotional Intelligence in the context of the Project Team's Performance. It highlights that most conflicts occur with newcomers due to their cultural diversity, incompatible goals, scarce resources, and expressed struggle. The study emphasises that a project manager's emotional intelligence, understanding of his employees' emotions, and control over emotions are crucial factors in increasing the project's success. The study offers empirical evidence that supports the importance of reciprocal contacts and mutual benefit in the context of SET. This study provides practical recommendations for improving project management techniques in the construction field. Therefore, this study suggests recruiting project managers with high emotional intelligence to guarantee success.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the Project Manager’s emotional Intelligence on HVAC project success in Pakistan settings along with the mediating effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment to bring clarity to the assessment of the relationship between the Project Manager’s emotional intelligence and project success in Pakistan settings. A quantitative research strategy is applied to collect realistic data from 210 Project Managers (from all the entities involved in the execution phase of the project the important ones being Sub-Contractors, Equipment Distributors as well as Product Manufacturers) of the HVAC industry of Pakistan. The collected data was analyzed and examined by using Structured Equation Modeling through the Partial Least Square method. To analysis the collected data SPSS and Smart PLS software were used. The findings of this study showed that the Project Manager’s emotional intelligence is positively related to project success and suggest the most evident result that there is a healthy and positive effect of Job Satisfaction and organizational commitment towards the success of a project. These suggestions amplify the need of the upper management to understand the significance of the mediating roles and its willingness to take care of necessary steps for letting and giving room to the Intelligence of the Project Manager having a positive outcome on the project success. Originality: This is first study in project management in Pakistan settings and delivers an advanced knowledge of emotional intelligence along with its importance to Project Success

Emotional development, an important component of nascent professional competence, is likely to be shaped by specific formative experiences. This study sought to identify and gauge the impact of highly evocative experiences occurring during medical school. A 34-item list of candidate formative experiences was developed through focus group meetings of "colleges program"-affiliated student-advising faculty. The resulting survey instrument was administered to 216 graduating medical students at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2007 and 2008 in a cohort study. Primary outcomes were exposure rates for the experiences and students' ratings of impact for those that occurred. One hundred eighty-one students (84%) responded. All events were experienced by >25% of students. Two events were described by most as having tremendous impact: "finding an exceptional role model" and "identifying a perfect area of medicine." Other prevalent events with strong impact included "a special patient-care experience," "working well with a team," "seeing a patient whose life was saved," "encountering a negative role model," "seeing a patient die," "seeing a patient experience severe pain," and "a bad clinical experience." Factor analysis revealed three event clusters: "inspiring experiences," "mortality-related experiences," and "negative experiences relating to the learning environment." Specific formative experiences have especially strong impacts on medical students. Whereas the intrinsic value of such experiences should continue to drive educational design, increased awareness of the diversity and range of formative experiences will prepare educators to more effectively guide positive emotional development, enhancing personal and professional growth during medical school.

The aspect of emotional intelligence towards psychological capital is still not perfectly and adequately certified and is awaited for further analysis and investigation. Similarly, the growing interest on psychological capital within the managerial literature is rarely researched in Pakistan context. The current study aims to examine the mediating effect of emotional intelligence in the relationship between psychological capital and project success. Main focus is on how employees of construction organizations use their psychological strengths to accomplish their professional objectives. Sample of 213 respondents from 45 construction companies was collected from all over the Pakistan. The findings of the research revealed that psychological capital has significant relationship with emotional intelligence and emotional intelligence has also positive relationship with project success. Emotional intelligence mediated the relationship between three dimensions of psychological capital (self-efficacy, resilience and optimism) and project success whereas no mediation found between hope and project success. The results also indicated that three dimensions of psychological capital (self-efficacy, optimism and resilience) have positive significant relationship with project success and significant mediating effect of emotional intelligence.

The massive failure of projects emphasizes the need to understand the factors that contribute to the project’s success. It is observed that projects of the construction sector in Peshawar also face such difficulties of unachievable targets because of both emotional and technical skills therefore this casual study is undertaken to check the influence of project manager’s emotional intelligence on the success of the project in the construction sector of Peshawar. A sample of 250 project managers that work in those construction companies involved in construction projects is selected using convenient sampling technique. The data is analyzed using reliability study (Cronbach’s Alpha), descriptive statistics, Skewness-Kurtosis, Correlation, and Regression analysis. The results of the study explain that the dimensions of emotional intelligence including self-awareness and self- regulation of project managers are showing positive and significant impact on the success of construction projects. Construction industry and other project based firms in Peshawar can take benefits from this research to improve the ratio of their successful projects by focusing on the significance of the attributes of emotional intelligence. The findings of the study strongly recommend a detailed study covering all dimensions of emotional intelligence including social awareness and empathy.

The massive failure of projects emphasizes the need to understand the factors that contribute to the project success. The projects of the construction sector in Pakistan also face difficulties of unachievable targets because of the lacking soft skills of the managers besides their technical competence. Therefore,this casual study is undertaken to check the influence of the project manager’s emotional intelligence on the success of the project in the construction sector of Pakistan. A sample of 228 out of 250 project managers (91% response rate) that work in those construction companies involved in construction projects responded, selected using convenient sampling technique. The data is analyzed using reliability study (Cronbach’s Alpha), descriptive statistics, Skewness-Kurtosis, correlation, and regression analysis. The results of the study explain that the dimensions of emotional intelligence including self-awareness and self- regulation of project managers are showing positive and significant impact on the success of construction projects. While the key finding of the study is that social awareness has insignificant impact evident that managers normally give more focus on technical and hard skills of their teams than knowing and sensing others’ feelings and perspective, and taking an active interest in their concerns. Construction industry and other project-based firms in Pakistan can take benefit from this research. Focusing on the significance of the emotional intelligence attributes and giving extensive trainings to the managers on soft skills can improve the ratio of the successful projects. The findings of the study strongly recommend soft skills training of the managers as well as the team. Further, a detailed investigation covering all the dimensions of emotional intelligence including empathy is directed for future studies.

The current study investigates the impact of Leadership Styles (LS) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) on Project Success (PS) through underlying mediating mechanism of Job Satisfaction (JS) and trust. Total 160 responses were received from the team leaders (project managers, project leaders, project coordinators) of the NGOs sector of Pakistan. The findings of the research show that the relationship of LS and EI have significantly positive impact on the PS. Further, JS and Trust is positively and significantly influencing the PS and mediate the relationship of both LS and EI with PS. Within leadership styles, transactional leadership and Laissez Faire leadership styles have positive relationship with PS. However, the negative relationship of transformational leadership with PS is somewhat surprising as this relationship was expected to be positive. The findings suggest that project managers in NGOs must be aware of the impact of certain leadership behaviors and level of emotional intelligence for completing the projects successfully.