The role of transformational leadership,emotional intelligence,and group cohesiveness on leadership emergence

The concept of emotional intelligence and its connections with other important psychological constructs have been the focus of a wide range of current research (see Mestre & Fernández‐Berrocal, 2007, and Salovey, Woolery, & Mayer, 2001, for reviews). Yet the relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership, a leadership style that is highly correlated with efficiency and satisfaction of the leaders' followers, has scarcely been analyzed. We hypothesize that individuals who score high in emotional intelligence emerge as leaders more easily than low‐emotional‐intelligence individuals due to the fact that they are more transformational in their leadership style. We further suggest that this is especially the case in highly cohesive groups. In this study, we test these ideas and find empirical support for our hypotheses.