The Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Employee's Counterwork Behavior and Organizational Commitment: Mediating Role of Transformational Leadership

The study investigated direct and indirect impact of emotional intelligence on employee counterproductive work behavior and organizational commitment through transformational leadership. On the basis of theoretical and empirical studies, one exogenous variable (emotional intelligence) and three endogenous variables i. e transformational leadership, counterproductive work behavior, and organizational commitment were analyzed through structural equation modeling with the aid of AMOS V24. The participants were 302 administrative staff of private universities in Kurdistan region of Iraq. This study found emotional intelligence to significantly reduce counterproductive work behavior, while it was also found to significantly enhance employee commitment to their organization and transformational leadership. Moreover, transformational leadership was found to have a significant effect of reducing counterproductive work behavior among the staff, while it encourages their commitment to the university. In addition, transformational leadership was found to have a positive partial mediation in the relationship between emotional intelligence and counterproductive work behavior on one hand, and the relationship between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment on the other hand. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of the study were addressed.