Emotional intelligence in action: the capacitation of nursing leadership in healthcare

Shannon L. Nell and and Rica C. Viljoen

Chapter 10 in Research Handbook on Emotional Intelligence at Work, 2026, pp 209-239 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter explores how nursing leadership in a private acute-care hospital group in South Africa (“Company A”) can be capacitated, as documented in the PhD research of one of the authors. Drawing on Bar-On's Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) and the Benchmark of Engagement Quotient (BeQ™), the researchers demonstrate how targeted emotional intelligence and resilience development interventions enhanced leadership performance. Over 26 months, 532 nursing leaders across 56 hospitals participate in pre- and post-assessment interventions that yielded measurable improvements in stress tolerance, adaptability and assertiveness. Findings revealed increases of 8–12 points in overall EQ-i scores, correlating with improved problem-solving, independence and optimism. The chapter confirms that intentional, evidence-based organizational development interventions can cultivate emotional intelligent, resilient nursing leaders capable of operationalizing patient care more effectively. Sustained outcomes illustrate how systemic, co-created change processes foster individual healing, collective engaging and enduring organizational transformation in healthcare contexts.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence; Nursing; Culture; Organizational Development; Resilience; Leadership (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332519
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035332526.00018 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:23315_10

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().