Supervisors emotionally intelligent behavior and employee creativity

Published in: Journal of Creative Behavior - March 2021

Written by

Zorana Ivcevic, Julia Moeller, Jochen Menges and Marc Brackett

Summary

What we found: In a study of 14,645 employees, we found that a supervisor’s level of emotional intelligence increases employee creativity and innovation. Supervisor emotional intelligence has this benefit because it increases people’s positive emotions and employees’ feeling that they have growth opportunities.

Why it matters: The research shows the mechanics underlying the benefits of leader emotional intelligence, that emotional intelligence shapes how employees feel, and that this relates to key business outcomes such as creativity and innovation.

What next: To foster creativity and innovation at work, leaders can be trained in emotional intelligence, and organizations should consider other ways that leaders can increase positive emotion and perceived growth opportunities.