The Influence of Leaders Emotional Intelligence on Employees Engagement at Tangaza University, Nairobi County, Kenya (Published)
Staff retention and corporate performance are directly correlated with employees’ engagement. Nevertheless, leaders in higher education frequently overlook interpersonal and emotional ties. One of the most important leadership skills, emotional intelligence, promotes motivation, trust, and teamwork. At Tangaza University, a diverse academic and administrative environment calls for leaders who can inspire commitment and maintain high morale among employees. Yet, there is limited empirical evidence on the extent to which leaders’ emotional intelligence influences employee engagement in this context. This study aimed to investigate the influence of leaders’ emotional intelligence on employee engagement at Tangaza University, Nairobi, Kenya. The specific objectives were: to assess the level of emotional intelligence among leaders at Tangaza University; to examine the level of employee engagement at Tangaza University; and to determine the influence of leaders’ emotional intelligence on employee engagement at Tangaza University. The correlational research design was adopted to examine the relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence and employee engagement at Tangaza University. The 88 participants were selected using a stratified random sampling method to ensure representation from various university departments. Data was collected using standardized questionnaires distributed among academic and non-academic staff across various departments within the University. The study employed the Emotional Intelligence Scale to assess leadership emotional intelligence and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale to measure employee engagement. The ethical and logistical considerations included the authorization to conduct research, informed consent, anonymized questionnaires, privacy, and confidentiality, the right to withdrawal from the study, reporting results in aggregate form to conceal the identities of respondents and secure treatment of data. The mean emotional intelligence composite score was found to be 3.89 with a standard deviation of 0.62 on a scale of 1 to 5. This indicated that leaders at Tangaza University have a relatively high perceived level of emotional intelligence, with responses clustering closely around the mean. The mean score for employee engagement was 3.99 with a standard deviation of 0.58. This indicated a high level of employee engagement at Tangaza University, as the score is well above the midpoint of a typical 1-5 scale. The Pearson correlation coefficient between leaders’ emotional intelligence and employee engagement was 0.85, which indicated a strong, positive relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence and employee engagement. The finding suggested that leaders’ emotional intelligence was a critical factor influencing engagement. By acknowledging employee achievements, fostering a safe work atmosphere, and routinely soliciting feedback and addressing fairness in workloads, the university can sustain high levels of engagement. Encouraging leaders to strengthen their emotional intelligence can increase employee engagement and benefit the University as a whole.
Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Employee, Influence, Leaders, engagement