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Exploring leadership capability and emotional intelligence as moderators of workplace bullying
MARIE HUTCHINSON P h D 1 and JOHN HURLEY P h D 2
1Senior Research Fellow, Southern Cross University, School of Health and Human Sciences, and 2Senior Lecturer, Southern Cross University, School of Health and Human Sciences, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
Introduction
Internationally, there has been considerable concern
raised regarding aggression and violence experienced by
nurses in their workplace (Mikkelsen & Einarsen 2002,
Katrinli et al. 2010, Robertson & Perry 2010). Al-
though aggression and violence from patients and their
visitors are cause for concern for nurses, aggression
from colleagues and managers are reported to be of
most concern (Jackson et al. 2002). In line with other
Correspondence
John Hurley
Southern Cross University
School of Health and Human
Sciences
Coffs Harbour
NSW 2480 Australia
E-mail: [email protected]
H U T C H I N S O N M . & H U R L E Y J . (2013) Journal of Nursing Management 21, 553–562
Exploring leadership capability and emotional intelligence as moderators of workplace bullying
Aim This study aimed to explore the potential for emotionally intelligent leadership as a way to mitigate bullying behaviour within nursing workplace environments. Background As the body of evidence about bullying continues to grow there is an
increasing need for researchers to direct their attention to developing theoretical
frameworks that explain how bullying and victimization occur, and the types of
strategies that may address the problem.
Evaluation The narrative synthesis of the literature presented in this paper is for-
warded as supporting the need for strengthening leadership capability, especially
those capabilities associated with emotional intelligence, as a means of diminishing
experienced bullying within nursing.
Key issues Stemming from our expanding understandings about bullying is an
appreciation of the range of factors within organizations that influence the occur-
rence of bullying, and an awareness of the need to understand the expression,
experience and management of emotions in the workplace.
Conclusions While both leadership and emotional intelligence capabilities offer
real potential to mitigate bullying behaviour, disparity exits between clinical and
managerial nurses toward preferred leadership styles and emotional intelligence is
open to challenges towards its content validity.
Implications for nursing management Nursing management is challenged to build
upon procedural responses to bullying to include a ground up approach to leader-
ship enhancement capability, better responses to emotions in the workplace
and supporting the interpersonal and intrapersonal capabilities of the nursing
workforce.
Keywords: emotional intelligence, nursing leadership, nursing workforce, workplace bullying
Accepted for publication: 2 December 2011
Journal of Nursing Management, 2013, 21, 553–562
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2012.01372.x ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 553
industry sectors, in the nursing context the term work-
place bullying has increasingly been used to define and
describe behaviours that have been variously described
in the nursing lexicon as horizontal or lateral violence,
incivility and counterproductive or disruptive behaviour
(Mikkelsen & Einarsen 2002, Royal College of Nursing
2002, Hutchinson et al. 2010, Katrinli et al. 2010,
Robertson & Perry 2010). Workplace bullying is rec-
ognized to include behaviours such as verbal abuse or
threat of harm, continual criticism, demeaning remarks,
intimidation and undermining, as well as more subtle
behaviours such as refusing to cooperate, being
unavailable to give assistance, hampering another�s per- formance and making their work difficult (Celik &
Celik 2007, Guidrox et al. 2010, Hutchinson et al.
2010).
Bullying can be characterized as a form of emotional
abuse (Lovell & Lee 2009), suggesting that consid-
erations toward mitigating negative responses to bul-
lying could be explored from emotional perspectives.
Bullying frequently includes a mixture of overt and
covert behaviours such as hostile verbal and non-
verbal aggression, harassment, exclusion, isolation
and obstruction (Vessey et al. 2011). Together, these
behaviours form a recurring and patterned set of
negative and harmful behaviours (Hutchinson et al.
2010). In the nursing workplace, the pattern of
behaviours implicated in bullying have been catego-
rized as personal attack, erosion of professional com-
petence and reputation, and attack through work roles
and tasks (Hutchinson et al. 2010). Bullying is an
inherently social interaction, and the work group is
known to play a role in condoning or tolerating the
behaviour. By creating a stressful and toxic work
environment, bullying, affects the well-being of those
targeted and the functioning of work teams (Longo &
Sherman 2007).
Emotional intelligence (EI) is a set of capabilities that
focus upon an individual�s capacity to access, monitor and discriminate between one�s own emotions and those of others (Grewal & Salovey 2005). It also incorporates
the capability of using this discriminating access to
emotions to aid and inform decision making and in
meeting desired outcomes (Mayer & Salovey 1997).
While there are differing models that include or exclude
personality traits into the construct of EI (Bar-On 2000)
four core abilities of Mayer and Salovey (1997) argu-
ably reflect the agreed central pillars of EI: (1) the
ability to perceive emotions in oneself and others
accurately, (2) the ability to use emotions to facilitate
thinking, (3) The ability to understand emotions, emo-
tional language and the signals conveyed by emotions
and (4) the ability to manage emotions so as to attain
specific goals.
The application of capabilities that are built upon self
awareness, empathy and the coalescing of thought and
emotion to workplace bullying with its emotional
ramifications appears logical. However, little is known
about the place of EI in reducing the occurrence or
resultant harm from hostile workplace behaviours such
as bullying. Little attention has been directed towards
understanding the place of EI in assisting individuals to
adapt or respond to stressful or hostile workplace
environments, or the role of leadership in emotion
management and the promotion of positive work out-
comes that may reduce the likelihood of bullying. To
address this gap we explore the place of EI in assisting
individuals to adapt or respond to bullying and the
potential for emotionally intelligent leadership as a way
to mitigate bullying behaviour within nursing work-
place environments.
The nature, prevalence and impact of bullying
To date, explanations of the contributory factors for
workplace bullying have examined the personality
characteristics of individuals who bully and their targets
(Parkins et al. 2006, Seigne et al. 2007), the nature of
work and workplace relationships (Aquino & Lamertz
2004, Avergold & Mikkelsen 2004) and features of
management as well as the workplace climate (Hutch-
inson et al. 2010). Historically, attention has focused
primarily on individual personality traits in an effort to
establish whether these characteristics influence the
susceptibility of individuals to engage in or become a
target of bullying. Exploring individual characteristics
has identified that those who engage in bullying can be
impulsive, emotionally reactive and have a low toler-
ance for ambiguity (Matthiesen & Einarsen 2007).
Those bullied are said to be more likely to have low self-
esteem and exhibit negative affectivity (Matthiesen &
Einarsen 2007). Others may be targeted on the basis of
race or gender (Lewis & Gunn 2007), or success and
achievement (Speedy 2004). Organizations are increas-
ingly being explored as possibly contributing to bully-
ing. It has been hypothesized that bullying may be
generated in stressful workplace situations, intolerant
organizational climates or where leadership is charac-
terized as tyrannical or avoidant (Matthiesen & Einar-
sen 2007).
The prevalence of workplace bullying within health-
care environments is reported to be widespread, with
estimates suggesting that 80% of staff experience bul-
lying at some point in their working lives (Hutchinson
M. Hutchinson and J. Hurley
ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 554 Journal of Nursing Management, 2013, 21, 553–562
et al. 2006). In the nursing context, colleagues, man-
agers and other health professionals, as well as patients
and their families have all been identified as possible
perpetrators, with bullying from colleagues being of
most concern (Farrell et al. 2006). Within Australia and
the UK the prevalence of reported bullying appears
highest from unit managers and managerial staff (Royal
College of Nursing 2002, Hegney et al. 2006, Lewis
2006, Hutchinson et al. 2010). The consequences of
bullying for the individual can include severe psycho-
logical trauma and physical illness (Hallberg &
Strandmark 2006), financial loss and, in some cases, the
eventual inability to work (Einarsen & Mikkelsen
2003).
Organizational consequences of bullying include
lowered staff retention and increased absenteeism, with
estimates of financial losses of up to 1.5% in overall
productivity (Giga et al. 2008). As nurses who have
experienced bullying may withdraw their levels of par-
ticipation in the workplace there is also a loss of nursing
commitment, productivity and expertise (Spence Las-
chinger et al. 2010). The organizational costs stemming
from bullying, particularly those associated with the
loss of nursing expertise and adverse clinical outcomes
may be far greater than just those costs captured by
measuring nurse turnover (Waldman et al. 2004). In
addition, associations have also been drawn between
nurse bullying, job satisfaction and negative patient
outcomes (Shields & Ward 2001, Institute for Safe
Medication Practices 2004). Reflecting the degree of
concern about bullying behaviours the American Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organiza-
tions has released three Sentinel Event Alerts that draw
attention to the potential for patient safety to be af-
fected by hostility between health-care professionals
(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations 2008, 2009, 2010).
Emotions and bullying
There is growing awareness of the place of emotions as
an important factor in organizations and understanding
our own and others emotions is a feature of daily
working life (Mastenbroek 2000, Braithwaite et al.
2005). A key element of organizational climate is the
shared emotions and affective experiences that influence
perceptions, attitudes and behaviours (Salancik &
Pfeffer 2003). Repeated exposure to negative emotions,
hostility and conflict can lead individuals to form neg-
ative attitudes. Among nurses it has been demonstrated
that the emotional intelligence and ethical behaviour of
peers has a significant impact on the ethical behaviour
within the work team (Deshpande & Joseph 2009).
Working in an abusive environment can trigger feelings
of shame, fear and anger, as well as mistrust and per-
ceptions of injustice (Lim et al. 2008). These negative
reactions to workplace stressors and conflict are asso-
ciated with aggression and bullying that can escalate
like a contagion across workgroups (Monge & Con-
tractor 2002). The resulting negative emotions are also
an influencing factor in job satisfaction and work
commitment (Mastenbroek 2000).
Those exposed to bullying, whether directly as a
target or indirectly as a witness, spend both time and
mental energy attempting to understand why they have
been targeted and contemplating their future in the
workplace (Hutchinson et al. 2010). As a form of
emotional self-protection, when overwhelmed by their
hurtful workplace experiences, individuals are likely to
protect their remaining emotional resources by with-
drawing or avoiding situations that are potentially
threatening or emotionally demanding (Janssen et al.
2010). Evidence suggests that intimidation can lead to
nurses avoiding necessary interactions with other team
members resulting in adverse clinical outcomes (Insti-
tute for Safe Medication Practices 2004). Eventually,
individuals may reach the point where they exhibit
withdrawal from work and increased absenteeism in an
attempt to cope. The adverse emotional reactions that
stem from bullying are known to place individuals at
risk of mental and physical illnesses such as anxiety,
depression and coronary heart disease (Kivimäkia et al.
2000).
Emotionally intelligent responses to bullying
Research suggests that positive attitudes to conflict can
foster team effectiveness and positive organizational
citizenship behaviours (Zellars et al. 2002). In work
teams, higher EI has been linked to improved team
collaboration, higher job satisfaction and lower turn-
over (Quoidback & Hansenne 2009). Ayoko et al.
(2008) have demonstrated that team EI climate is an
important moderator in the link between conflict and
team members� reactions to conflict. The emotional traits of resilience and optimism have also been identi-
fied as personal characteristics that serve to buffer the
impact of work and job demands and reduce emotional
exhaustion (Tusaie & Dyer 2004, Jackson et al. 2007).
With links drawn in the workplace violence and bully-
ing literature to the importance of emotional awareness
and resilience as factors that help individuals cope with
these forms of workplace adversity (Jackson et al.
2007).
Emotional intelligence as moderators of workplace bullying
ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Journal of Nursing Management, 2013, 21, 553–562 555
The Consortium for Research on emotional intelli-
gence in Organizations (1998)highlights EI capabilities
drawn from Goleman�s (1995) model that include social and political capabilities. Socially capable individuals
are recognized to have a well-developed theory of mind
skills making them more attuned to the emotions and
intentions of others, as well as enabling them to make
accurate interpretations of situations, influence the
emotions and behaviours of others and predict what
others think or believe (Sutton et al. 1999, Kaukiainen
et al. 2008). More recently, research has begun to ex-
plore the place of political skill and self-monitoring in
mitigating the tendency of individuals to engage in
abusive behaviours in the workplace (Kisamore et al.
2010). Those who are both socially capable and em-
pathic are seemingly unlikely to engage in aggression,
while socially capable actors with low empathy for
others have the potential to engage in covert and
manipulative forms of behaviour that are counterpro-
ductive, harmful, self-interested and aggressive
(Bjorkqvist et al. 2000). However, the lack of moral
and ethical depth within EI models suggests that an-
other dimension, such as leadership, needs to be
incorporated into any response to reduce workplace
bullying (Fineman 2006, Akerjordet & Severinsson
2010).
It is unclear whether those who bully have little
empathy or moral emotions, or whether they are indi-
viduals who have adopted a mindset in the workplace
that allows them to use power to their own advantage
regardless of the consequences to others. In line with
previous studies of adult aggression (Baumeister 1999,
Bjorkqvist et al. 2000, Parkins et al. 2006, Dettinger &
Hart 2007), and adolescent bullying (Birman et al.
2001, Kaukiainen et al. 2008) it is important to better
understand the association between EI and workplace
bullying. Given the connections in the nursing literature
between organizational climate and bullying (Hutchin-
son et al. 2010), the influence of leadership on organi-
zational climate (Roche & Duffield 2010) and the
positive impact of EI on nurse resilience (Jackson et al.
2007) and leadership (Feather 2009), grounds appear to
exist to propose leadership as the missing dimension to
successfully deploy EI as a means to mitigate bullying.
Leadership responses to bullying
Nursing has a short history of being interested in the
concept of leadership as being something separate from
management (O�Grady & Malloch 2010). Conse- quently, nursing is only now facing many of the
dilemmas experienced by other professions in attempt-
ing to clearly define what leadership is, and what it is
not (Marquis & Huston 2005). Transactional leader-
ship, typified by short-term planning, limiting risk (and
hence options) and maintaining systems by enabling
others, is perhaps the most recognizable of nursing
leadership styles (Burns 1984). Transformational lead-
ership, with a greater emphasis on the vision and
inspiration of the leader and consequent transcendental
development of the follower (Avolio & Bass 1988), has
also been prominent within nursing (Bowles 2008).
More recently, resonant leadership styles are merging
within business and health sectors which are a leader-
ship style focusing upon the leader�s capacity to gener- ate and communicate hope, compassion and motivation
(Boyatzis & Mc Kee 2005). Congruent leadership is
another emergent leadership style and is typified by
clinical leaders enacting valued nursing values and be-
liefs as well as being open, clinically capable and
approachable (Stanley 2011). Each of these leadership
styles, with varying levels of reliance on the inter-per-
sonal capabilities of the leader, will potentially influence
both the workplace culture and workplace bullying.
The Department of Health New South Wales (2008)
established a link between leadership and psychological
injury through a comprehensive policy shared across
all Government departments that identified poor
leadership being associated with psychological injury.
Importantly, the policy guidance also reflects that there
is a shared role between staff and management to
minimize the occurrences of psychological injury.
Roche and Duffield (2010) highlighted the established
connections between the quality of the nursing work-
place environment and patient clinical outcomes,
workforce retention and staff feeling satisfied. Factors
such as collegial inter-disciplinary relationships, effec-
tive nursing leadership and professional development
are all linked to achieving positive workplace environ-
ments. In addition, nurses enacting clinical leadership
within multidisciplinary contexts have also been linked
to more supportive working environments and im-
proved patient outcomes (Alexander et al. 2005). The
comprehensive systemic review by Pearson et al. (2007)
focused on informing leadership approaches that foster
healthy workplace environments. They identified effec-
tive leadership as being closely linked with generating
positive outcomes for staff, patients and organizations.
Pearson et al. (2007) also determined that providing
education about leadership enhanced the leader�s ability to create healthy work environments.
However, the construct of leadership can be under-
stood in a variety of ways and within nursing contexts is
often understood as being fused with, or as being a part
M. Hutchinson and J. Hurley
ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 556 Journal of Nursing Management, 2013, 21, 553–562
of management, as well as being historically charac-
terized by transactional leadership approaches (Stanley
& Sherratt 2010). Evidence suggests that transactional
leadership can sustain an absence of a genuine com-
mitment to the welfare of employees and result in
workgroup subcultures that tolerate or even reward
bullying (Hutchinson et al. 2009). In this environment,
actors are more likely to be rewarded when they obtain
desired outcomes and performance outputs, and those
in positions of power are likely to be more concerned
with furthering their own interests through obtaining
desired goals than addressing the welfare of employees.
Organizations that are rule- and outcome-oriented are
more likely to attribute blame for workplace problems
to individuals, seeing bullying as a personality conflict
rather than a reflection of organizational practices. In
this context, bullying may be seen as a normal part of
how the workplace functions, and raising a grievance
about bullying may result in further victimization
(Braithwaite et al. 2008, Hutchinson et al. 2008). It has
even been proffered that transactional leaders may
strategically employ bullying as a tactic to obtain de-
sired outcomes and improve productivity (Ferris et al.
2007).
EI and leadership
Despite the large body of research on workplace bul-
lying, leadership and EI there appears to have been little
examination of the relationship between these con-
structs. An emergent understanding from the literature
is that nursing leadership can both mitigate and allow
bullying to occur. Consequently, there is a need to gain
a better understanding of which leadership styles offer
the best opportunity for diminished bullying. The
foundational emotional element of bullying and of the
emotional labour inherent within nursing workplace
contexts (Hoschchild 1983) suggests that EI may be a
vital consideration in gaining this understanding.
Emotional intelligence has been, and remains, a con-
tested aspect of leadership (Locke 2005). Despite such
challenges of the validity of EI and its application to
effective leadership, the nursing profession continues to
explore its impact (Cummings et al. 2005).
Several studies have drawn attention to the impact of
EI on personal and social competencies, ethical behav-
iour and leadership ability (Goleman et al. 2002). Ca-
ruana (2008) in a systemic review of nursing leadership
identified EI characteristics as having positive impacts
on organizations and individuals. The capacity for self
awareness and self management have both been
strongly linked with effective leadership (Larsen et al.
2005) and the leadership ability of building healthy
work environments and cultures (Pearson et al. 2007).
Wider studies, including the narrative synthesis of 135
papers on leadership by Jeon et al. (2010) and the larger
systemic review by Pearson et al. (2007), show that EI
capability continues to be a key theme of effective
leadership within health-care settings. A data synthesis
from both those reviews indicated that leaders with EI
capability are highly likely to positively affect both staff
and the organizational climate.
Pearson et al. (2007), while finding that a range of
leadership styles were effective, identified that trans-
formational leadership approaches had the highest
number of positive outcomes, especially for organiza-
tional culture. This connection between transforma-
tional leadership and positive workplace culture was
also identified by Murphy (2005), with links being
suggested between the capabilities of transformational
leadership and those of EI (Akerjordet & Severinsson
2010). Findings from a study by Zilembo and Monte-
rosso (2008) on desirable leadership qualities echo this
emphasis, with supportiveness, communication and
approachability ranking highly.
Emotional intelligence capabilities can also be linked
to other leadership styles that have the capacity to in-
spire and empower others, and enable leaders� behav- iours to be more congruent with the values of the
organization. This resonates with the earlier emergence
of authentic leadership model, which prizes positive
leader behaviours congruent with the beliefs and values
of organizational members (Duignan & Bhindi 1997).
Congruent leadership, an approach seen to support
effective clinical leadership for nurses (Stanley 2008),
also resonates with leaders having EI capabilities, par-
ticularly those associated with interpersonal relations,
integrity and communication (Goleman 1995). A lead-
ership style needs to be adopted that is congruent with
nurses working within clinical environments. While
transformational leadership arguably contains com-
parative high aspects of EI capabilities, nurses fail to
recognize its application to their settings (Stanley 2008),
preferring a congruent approach. Feather (2009) and
Cummings et al. (2005) link EI to resonant leading, a
style of leadership that seeks to minimize the emotional
impact of organizational change upon staff. Resonant
leaders are empathetic and supportive of the needs of
their teams while also effectively managing their own
emotions; they are therefore able to develop effective
relationships with others. Such leadership approaches
appear to be linked to greater uptake of evidence-based
practice, and hence the possibility of improved clinical
care (Henderson & Winch 2008).
Emotional intelligence as moderators of workplace bullying
ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Journal of Nursing Management, 2013, 21, 553–562 557
Table 1 Leadership style and emotional intelligence (EI) capability
Congruent leadership (Stanley 2011) Personal EI competencies Have a guiding awareness of their values and goals
Act ethically and are above reproach Build trust through their reliability and authenticity Open to candid feedback, new perspectives, continuous learning and self-development Meet commitments and keep promises Use the group�s core values in making decisions and clarifying choices
Social EI competencies Acknowledge and reward people�s strengths, accomplishments, and development Listen well, seek mutual understanding and welcome sharing of information fully Step forward to lead as needed, regardless of position Champion the change and enlist others in its pursuit Handle difficult people and tense situations with diplomacy and tact Seek out relationships that are mutually beneficial Collaborate, sharing plans, information, and resources Model team qualities such as respect, helpfulness and cooperation
Resonant leadership (Boyatzis & Mc Kee 2005) Personal competencies Manage their impulsive feelings and distressing emotions well
Open to candid feedback, new perspectives, continuous learning and self-development Are flexible in how they see events Adapt their responses and tactics to fit fluid circumstances Seek out fresh ideas from a wide variety of sources See setbacks as caused by manageable circumstance rather than a personal flaw Operate from hope of success rather than fear of failure
Social competencies Help out based on understanding other people�s needs and feelings Acknowledge and reward people�s strengths, accomplishments, and development See diversity as opportunity, creating an environment where diverse people can thrive Accurately read key power relationships Are effective in give-and-take, registering emotional cues in attuning their message Guide the performance of others while holding them accountable Recognize the need for change and remove barriers Promote a friendly, cooperative climate Balance a focus on task with attention to relationships Build team identity, esprit de corps and commitment
Transformational leadership (Avolio & Bass 1988) Personal competencies Realize the links between their feelings and what they think, do and say
Act ethically and are above reproach Build trust through their reliability and authenticity Present themselves with self-assurance; have �presence� Are flexible in how they see events Actively seek out opportunities to fulfil the group�s mission Entertain original solutions to problems Generate new ideas Mobilize others through unusual, enterprising efforts Are ready to seize opportunities Set challenging goals and take calculated risks
Social competencies Are attentive to emotional cues and listen well
Acknowledge and reward people�s strengths, accomplishments and development Mentor, give timely coaching and offer assignments that challenge and grow a person�s skill See diversity as opportunity, creating an environment where diverse people can thrive Understand the forces that shape views and actions of clients, customers or competitors Are skilled at persuasion Use complex strategies such as indirect influence to build consensus and support Listen well, seek mutual understanding and welcome sharing of information fully Articulate and arouse enthusiasm for a shared vision and mission Challenge the status quo to acknowledge the need for change Orchestrate win–win solutions Cultivate and maintain extensive informal networks Spot and nurture opportunities for collaboration Collaborate, sharing plans, information and resources Draw all members into active and enthusiastic participation
M. Hutchinson and J. Hurley
ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 558 Journal of Nursing Management, 2013, 21, 553–562
Table 1 offers a breakdown of individual EI capa-
bilities within the EI capability framework (Consortium
for Research on emotional intelligence in Organizations
1998, Goleman et al. 2002) which is derived from
Goleman�s (1995) original work matched to the nursing leadership styles identified in this paper. The identifying
characteristics of each leadership style are critically
contrasted with the EI capability framework to identify
which capabilities would be needed to potentially enact
that leadership approach. Congruent, resonant and
particularly transformational leadership styles are
identified within Table 1 as requiring a wide range of
social and personal EI capabilities while the transac-
tional leadership style – historically the most common
model of nursing leadership (Stanley & Sherratt 2010) –
requires comparatively few EI capabilities to enact.
Employing EI leadership to mitigate bullying
Shifting the focus of EI away from leadership styles to
the wider capacity to influence the culture of an orga-
nization or work unit demonstrates the potential utility
of EI to mitigate bullying. To date, approaches to ad-
dress bullying have largely involved prohibitive policies
or emphasized personal, peer and educational ap-
proaches to assist those affected. A recent systematic
review of the effectiveness of interventions to manage
disruptive clinician behaviours identified few general-
izable findings and none related to specific leadership
strategies (Rogers-Clark et al. 2009). This finding
within the literature suggests that leadership-driven
strategies may be ineffective in reducing disruptive
behaviour. This alerts us that solutions may lay outside
of such mechanistic leadership responses, and that, in
turn, the EI leadership capabilities of a leader may be a
vital variable.
The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
(2009) highlights the inter-connectedness of capabilities
such as self awareness, self management and personal
integrity with being an effective strategic and visionary
leader. Graham and Jack (2008) in their UK-based
study highlighted that leadership skills are a portfolio of
capabilities inclusive of knowledge about leadership
and personal abilities to engage with others across
individual emotional levels. McCloughen et al. (2011)
highlighted that developing effective leadership within
organizations is a priority for the nursing profession
and powerfully communicated that EI capabilities are
also key leadership capabilities. Paterson et al. (2010)
also identified EI capabilities such as self-awareness,
communication and conflict management as enabling
effective nursing leadership.
Given the prevalence of workplace bullying and the
emphasis upon developing intervention strategies, we
propose a fruitful avenue may be to investigate whether
EI is a moderator for the behaviour, and whether it is
feasible to develop programmes that foster EI leadership
capability thereby reducing the incidence of bullying.
One approach may be the implementation of EI-driven
leadership delivered into workplace contexts and across
stratified levels of staff. Such an approach could focus
attention upon developing positive psychological capi-
tal (Luthans et al. 2007) within organizations and the
place of personal resources such as self-efficacy, opti-
mism, compassion and resilience in coping with work-
place stressors and demands.
Conclusion
There is clear evidence that bullying erodes the social
climate of organizations and affects employee perfor-
mance and wellbeing, as well as the quality of care
Table 1 (Continued)
Transactional leadership (Marquis & Huston 2005) Personal competencies Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties and pressures
Hold themselves accountable for meeting their objectives
Are organized and careful in their work Are results-oriented, with a high drive to meet their objectives and standards
Pursue information to reduce uncertainty and find ways to do better
Social competencies Understand customers� needs and match them to services or products Offer useful feedback and identify people�s needs for development Accurately read situations and organizational and external realities Deal with difficult issues straightforwardly Guide the performance of others while holding them accountable
Consortium for Research on emotional intelligence in Organizations (1998); Goleman et al. (2002).
Emotional intelligence as moderators of workplace bullying
ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Journal of Nursing Management, 2013, 21, 553–562 559
provided. We propose that EI-informed leadership may
be a strategy to foster positive psychological resources
within organizations to mitigate bullying. Emotional
intelligence, as related to nursing leadership, is not
without limitations, with content validity being promi-
nent among those concerns (Conte 2005). Fineman
(2006) alerts us to less empirical concerns toward EI,
proposing that it lacks both moral depth and threatens
to promote emotional conformity within workplace
settings. Rather than being reasons to discard or dismiss
developing EI approaches within nursing leadership
such warnings highlight the need to integrate moral and
ethical principles into the deployment of EI into nursing
leadership, and the need to undertake studies developed
outward from existing EI theoretical underpinnings.
Source of funding
No funding grants were provided for this project.
Ethical approval
Ethics approval was not required.
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