An examination of cognitive, cultural, and emotional intelligences, and motivation in the development of global transformational leadership skills

The aim of this study was to test relationships in a model of global transformational leadership (GTL), responding to a deficiency in the field of leadership theories and practices. This study explored the impact of age, analytic, emotional and cultural intelligences, and motivation on the development of GTL in undergraduates and graduates of the medical program at a university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In an era of global health care enterprise, it is essential that leaders in health care develop competencies required at the international or global level. A cross sectional, quantitative approach was used to explore the relationships and impacts of identified intelligences and components of GTL skills. All undergraduates and graduates were invited to participate and completed a web-based battery of tests that measured analytic, emotional and cultural intelligences, and transformational leadership. Identification of significant relationships, through bivariate and multiple linear regression analysis, supported a model of GTL with key components of emotional and cultural intelligences, and motivation. Bivariate analysis indicated significant relationships existed between the predictor variables of age, motivation, emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence and the dependent variables of self- and social dimensions, and overall transformational leadership skills. Standard multiple linear regression indicated that the six factor model was statistically a good fit. However, Stepwise multiple linear regression identified the three most important components of the model as: emotional and cultural intelligences, and motivation. This study provided important information for the development of key leadership competencies and capabilities within professional medical programs.