Relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles of information systems project managers in virtual teams

The sophistication of the group support communication systems and the organizational requirements to tap into knowledge resources for economies of scale has led to the concept of virtual teams. A virtual team is different from the telecommuting workforce where distance, sometimes even international barriers, and the computer supported collaboration tools physically separate members of a virtual team. Integral to the success of projects delivered through the virtual team members is the project manager's ability to inspire trust, rise above the communication barriers introduced due to distance and culture with effective communication, actively listen and understand the team members, and motivate them towards project objectives.;In this context, the leadership traits of the manager in managing change are critical. Even in physically collocated teams, studies stress the fact that leaders must instill trust. Consequently, the project managers become change agents and leaders with their ability to transcend distance and culture to inspire trust and gain commitment to project objectives. These skills relate beyond the cognitive requirements of the project manager for a project. The ability to relate to the dimensions of the emotional intelligence becomes a critical factor. Extending from the observations of the emotional intelligence and the specific leadership traits, this dissertation evaluates the extent to which emotional intelligence predicts the leadership traits of project managers delivering software and system projects in the IT sector while working with virtual team members.