The Influence and Interplay of Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Type on Early Childhood Educators’ Organizational Commitment

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of emotional intelligence on the organizational commitment of early childhood educators. Organizational commitment and its precursor, job satisfaction, have gained relevance because of routinely high industry of turnover. The interplay among educators’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and supervisors’ leadership type were secondarily assessed. A valid and reliable survey was administered to educators in the southeastern United States. Although select dimensions were correlated, no significant relationship was found between educators’ overall emotional intelligence and organizational commitment. However, emotional intelligence was moderately correlated with job satisfaction. There was no significant relationship found between supervisors’ leadership traits and processes and educators’ organizational commitment, although educators’ job satisfaction and supervisors’ leadership traits and processes were slightly correlated. Based on positive associations within the current study, it is recommended that organizations incorporate emotional intelligence assessment into the educator hiring process as well as determine the job satisfaction and organizational commitment levels and leadership type preferences of current educators as a basis for forming training budgets, retention strategies, and succession management plans. Methodology: Although supplementary variables and potential relationships were assessed, the overarching research was quantitative with emphasis on whether a relationship exists between early childhood educators’ emotional intelligence and organizational commitment with consideration given to job satisfaction as a predictor or antecedent of commitment. Included in the research design was a combination of two historically defined valid and reliable instruments including Meyer and Allen’s [17] Organizational Commitment Scale and the Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) from Law, et al. [6]. Job satisfaction and leadership dimensions were measured respectively using the Lucas, et al. [18] Job Satisfaction Measurements Scale and descriptive leadership attributes from Northouse [19]. Emotional intelligence, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and leadership dimensions were represented in the combined survey instrument with no questions containing a mixture of the constructs. Conclusion: “In the current study, examination and description occurred of the relationship between early childhood educators’ emotional intelligence and organizational commitment by understanding the similarities and differences between teachers’ organizational commitment levels and dimensions compared to their emotional intelligence. An examination and description were also conducted of the relationship between the job satisfaction levels of early childhood professionals in relation to their emotional intelligence since job satisfaction is an antecedent of organizational commitment [24]. Also examined and described was auxiliary information about teachers’ perceived efficacy of their supervisor’s leadership traits and processes and other associations of emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.