The relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership: an investigation and review of competing claims in the literature

Following a review of the literature on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and transformational leadership (TL), this paper provides an analysis of the findings of 22 published papers, examining the range of instruments used to collect data, sample sizes, dates of publication and the reported conclusions. This review reveals that investigations into the relationship between EI and TL continue to yield mixed results, and have done so for almost 15 years now, indicating that this field of research continues to be a contested area. Recommendations for advancing the scientific investigation of the EI-TL relationship are put forward.