Impact Of Leader Emotional Intelligence On Work Engagement; Mediatory Role Of Employees’ Conflict Behavior

Abstract

This study aims to unravel the intricate connections between leader emotional intelligence and work engagement, taking into account the mediating roles of diverse conflict behaviors, such as problem-solving behaviors, dominating conflict behaviors, and non-confronting conflict behaviors, within Karachi's banking landscape. A non-random sample of 382 individuals was employed, and structural equation modeling was applied to scrutinize four distinct hypotheses. The initial hypothesis (H1) postulated a direct and meaningful correlation between leader emotional intelligence and work engagement, a proposition that received empirical confirmation. The subsequent hypothesis (H2) established that problem-solving behavior functioned as a significant intermediary between leader emotional intelligence and work engagement. The next hypothesis (H3) substantiated that dominating conflict behavior was another consequential mediator in linking leader emotional intelligence and work engagement. In contrast, the final hypothesis (H4) determined that non-confronting conflict behavior lacked a significant mediating effect between leader emotional intelligence and work engagement. Consequently, the investigation enhances our comprehension of the specific conflict behaviors that either facilitate or obstruct the transfer of leader emotional intelligence to increased work engagement. Due to the study's concentration on Karachi's banking sector, it is recommended that future scholarly work corroborates these findings in a broader array of industries and geographical contexts.