Empathy, emotional awareness, and task characteristics: A study of leadership perception in small groups

This dissertation contributes to the emotional intelligence and leadership literature by elucidating two distinct behavioral routes that influence perception of individuals as leaders in small groups. One route influences people to perceive leadership from displays of emotional intelligence abilities (such as emotional awareness and empathy). The other route influences people to perceive leadership from displays of cognitive abilities and complex activities. This dissertation argues that displays of emotional abilities influence perceptions of relations-oriented leader behavior, while displays of cognitive abilities/activities influence perceptions of task-oriented leadership.; This study builds on theoretical associations between emotional intelligence and leadership (George, 2000; Goleman, 1998b), prior theoretical and empirical work linking cognitive abilities/activities and leadership (Humphrey, 1985; Humphrey, Sleeth, & Kellett, 2000), and recent conceptualizations of core leadership processes (Dansereau & Yammarino, 1998; Yukl, 1998). This work responds to the call for empirical research in the developing field of emotional intelligence. The results help to explain the relationship between emotional intelligence and cognitive ability and help to clarify their distinct contributions to perceptions of leadership.