The Impact of Managers' Emotional Intelligence on Employees' Creativity: The Mediating Role of Empowering Leadership

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sogand Barimani 1
Alireza Chaloei Ashrafi 1
Mohammad Sina Amirnejad 2
1 Master of Business Administration, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran.
2 Master's degree, Business Management, Strategy major, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/jmek.2025.525028.1178
Abstract
The primary objective of this research is to investigate the impact of managers' emotional intelligence on employees' creativity, specifically examining the mediating role of empowering leadership within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in Mazandaran Province, Iran. In today's highly competitive and knowledge-driven business environment, fostering employee creativity is recognized as a crucial strategic resource for organizational growth and sustainable development. The current study is applied in terms of its purpose and employs a descriptive-analytical survey method for data collection. The statistical population comprises employees of SMEs in Mazandaran Province, from which a sample of 378 individuals was selected utilizing a stratified random sampling technique. Data were gathered through standardized, validated questionnaires measuring emotional intelligence, empowering leadership, and employee creativity on a five-point Likert scale. The collected data were rigorously analyzed employing structural equation modeling (SEM) with the partial least squares (PLS) approach via SmartPLS4 and SPSS software. The empirical results demonstrate that empowering leadership exerts a direct, positive, and statistically significant influence on employee creativity. Furthermore, managers' emotional intelligence significantly affects employees' creativity both directly and indirectly through the mediating mechanism of empowering leadership. The findings also confirm that emotional intelligence plays a vital mediating role in strengthening the relationship between empowering leadership and employees’ creative behaviors. Ultimately, this paper provides profound theoretical insights and lays a robust foundation for developing tailored organizational models in SME environments. Additionally, it offers highly practical, actionable recommendations for managers and policymakers aiming to cultivate an innovative workplace culture and enhance overall employee creativity.
Keywords
Emotional Intelligence
Empowering Leadership
Employee Creativity
Structural Model
Transformational Leadership
Subjects

 

Ahmad, P., Al-Muslem, A. S., & Al-Karim, S. A. (2023). The mediating role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between empowering leadership and employee creativity. International Journal of Business and Management, 18(4), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v18n4p123
Ahmadi, P., Mohammadi, S., & Asghari, N. (2015). Examining the effect of emotional intelligence on employee performance. Quarterly Journal of Management and Development, 12(3), 45–58. [In Persian]
Amabile, T. M. (2021). Componential theory of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 33(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2021.1872251
Bar-On, R. (2006). The Bar-On model of emotional-social intelligence (ESI). Psicothema, 18(Suppl.), 13–25.
Bigdeli, S., Khaksar, S. H., & Abedi, N. (2021). Employee empowerment and its impact on organizational creativity. Quarterly Journal of Cultural Management, 17(59), 41–54. [In Persian]
Chand, M. (2015). The impact of emotional intelligence on employee creativity in small and medium enterprises. Journal of Business and Management, 12(4), 88–95.
Conger, J. A., & Kanungo, R. N. (1988). The empowerment process: Integrating perceived organizational power with personal sense of competence. Academy of Management Journal, 31(3), 470–481. https://doi.org/10.5465/256499
ElKelish, W., Hussain, A., AlMahameed, M., & Irsyadillah, I. (2024). Cultural influences on auditors' judgments and decisions: A narrative review. Arab Journal for Scientific Publishing, 8(77), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.36571/ajsp771
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Hosseinian, S. A., Fallah, M., & Nikkhah, M. (2022). The role of empowering leadership in enhancing employee creativity. Quarterly Journal of Strategic Management, 15(2), 88–101. [In Persian]
Huselid, M. A. (2021). Emotional intelligence and team performance: Evidence from corporate teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 42(3), 301–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2504
Karabaghi, N., & Rahimnia, F. (2013). Examining the mediating role of managers' emotional intelligence in the effect of transformational leadership style on employees' contextual performance. Transformation Management Research, 5(10), 25–44. [In Persian]
Kumar, V., Sharma, M., & Garima, S. (2020). Empowering leadership and employee creativity: The moderating role of psychological safety. Journal of Creative Behavior, 54(4), 876–888. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.410
Mohsenin, S., & Esfidani, M. R. (2014). Structural equation modeling using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. Mehraban Publishing. [In Persian]
Moradi, A., & Zamani, F. (2015). Employee empowerment and organizational creativity. Quarterly Journal of Cultural Management, 10(4), 112–124. [In Persian]
Nikkhah, M., & Heidari, E. (2022). The effect of organizational culture on employee creativity. Quarterly Journal of Accounting and Organizational Management, 16(1), 75–89. [In Persian]
Nikkhah, M., & Marziyeh, A. (2022). The effect of empowering leadership on employee creativity with emphasis on job autonomy. Journal of Organizational Behavior Studies, 10(2), 55–72. [In Persian]
Renz, D., & Harth, M. (2022). Creativity at work: How leaders can foster creative behavior in organizations. Journal of Business Research, 142, 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.015
Yadegari, F., & Lalbakhsh, A. (2023). The impact of emotional intelligence on workplace stress and creativity. Iranian Journal of Psychology, 18(2), 45–58.
Zhang, X., & Bartol, K. M. (2022). Linking empowering leadership and employee creativity: Involving employees’ cognitive and affective states. The Leadership Quarterly, 33(2), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101425
Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship Studies
Volume 6, Issue 3
Autumn 2025
Pages 139-150

  • Receive Date 20 May 2025
  • Revise Date 29 July 2025
  • Accept Date 24 August 2025