The effect of leadership styles and emotional intelligence on leadership effectiveness in some selected public sectors in kaffa zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Emotional intelligence and full range leadership styles have a significant contribution to leadership effectiveness in any organization. However, there is no research work on the relationship among leadership styles, emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness in Ethiopia. The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of leadership styles and emotional intelligence on leadership effectiveness in some selected public sectors in Kaffa Zone, Ethiopia. In this study survey design, more precisely, cross-sectional survey design was employed. By using multi-stage random sampling method, data was collected from a total of 151 respondents. The major data collection instruments employed in this study were Emotional Competency Profiler (ECP), Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), and Leadership Effectiveness Questionnaire (LEQ). Data analysis was carried out both by descriptive statistics such frequency, percentage, minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation as well as inferential statistics such as multiple linear regression by using SPSS software version 20. In this study, full range leadership styles (Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-fair) and Emotional Intelligence were treated as independent variables while Leadership Effectiveness as the dependent variable. The result showed that transactional leadership style was the most dominantly exhibited leadership style in selected public sectors of the study area. The finding also revealed that emotional intelligence had a positive relationship with transformational leadership style while it had a negative relationship with transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles. The regression analysis results also indicated that all the independent variables had significant effect on leadership effectiveness. Further, 62.4% of the variability of the dependent variable was explained by these independent variables. Finally, it was recommended that in order to enhance leadership effectiveness in selected public sectors of the study area, continuous leadership capacity building programs should be organized by the concerned body.