Global Journal of Economic and Finance Research

Purpose - This article examines educational attainment as a demographic dimension of emotional intelligence and leadership among IT professional leaders. 

Methodology - The dissertation analyzed 185 usable surveys using the MLQ 5X, SSEIT, and demographic controls. Education was reported as some college, college degree, master's degree, doctoral degree, or other/professional certification, with sparse categories collapsed in the original analysis. 

Findings - The sample was highly educated: 47.0% held master's degrees and 41.6% held college degrees; 7.6% reported some college, 2.2% doctoral degrees, and 1.6% other/professional certification. Education did not emerge as a significant demographic predictor in the dissertation's reported final model summaries. 

Originality/value - The paper questions a common assumption in technical organizations: that greater formal educational attainment necessarily corresponds to emotionally intelligent or transformational leadership. The findings support separating academic credentials from leadership and emotional competencies while identifying clear secondary analyses for a stronger empirical test.

education, educational attainment, emotional intelligence, technology leadership, leadership development, IT professionals

1. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.
2. Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Sage.
3. Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2004). Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire manual and sample set (3rd ed.). Mind Garden.
4. Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Educational implications (pp. 3–31). Basic Books.
5. Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9, 185–211.
6. Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., Hall, L. E., Haggerty, D. J., Cooper, J. T., Golden, C. J., & Dornheim, L. (1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(2), 167–177.
7. Thite, M. (2000). Leadership styles in information technology projects. International Journal of Project Management, 18(4), 235–241.
8. Wong, C. S., & Law, K. S. (2002). The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude: An exploratory study. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(3), 243–274.
9. Ertiö, T., Eriksson, T., Rowan, W., & McCarthy, S. (2024). The role of digital leaders’ emotional intelligence in mitigating employee technostress. Business Horizons, 67(4), 399–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2024.03.004
10. Kaur, J., & Chauhan, A. (2025). Beyond technical skills: A fuzzy DEMATEL analysis of emotional intelligence and its impact on IT professionals’ performance in hybrid work settings. Future Business Journal, 11, 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00506-w
11. Wu, S.-M. (2024). Emotional intelligence and workplace spirituality in predicting career success of high-tech leaders. Behavioral Sciences, 14(11), 1009. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14111009