EVALUATION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AND PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP IN TERMS OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES: A CASE STUDY OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS

Abstract

In organizations, leaders set goals, influence those they lead to achieve them, motivate them, develop their knowledge, skills, and competencies, and support them. Leaders, through this position within organizations, directly impact the success of organizations. Therefore, leaders are expected to be qualified to lead organizations to success. Participative leaders are arguably effective in organizations. Participative leaders demonstrate a democratic management approach and share their management authority with their employees. In organizations led by participative leaders, employees are also included in the decision-making process. This is expected to increase employee motivation, gain self-confidence and empowerment, and work with higher performance toward the goals of the organization. Emotional intelligence is a sought-after trait in today's leaders, and participative leaders are expected to possess high emotional intelligence. It can be said that leaders with high emotional intelligence are leaders who are aware of their own potential, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as those they lead, and who empathize with them. Healthcare institutions provide crucial services for all of humanity. To ensure the sustainable delivery of these critical services, it is crucial that healthcare organizations are led by highly emotionally intelligent, participative leaders. This interaction between emotional intelligence and participative leadership is anticipated to support organizational commitment. The findings of this study are expected to increase the emotional intelligence and organizational commitment levels of healthcare workers and positively contribute to the quality of healthcare services. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the emotional intelligence perceptions and participative leadership perceptions of healthcare workers in Balıkesir province, to reveal the effects of this relationship on healthcare workers' organizational commitment, and to determine whether healthcare workers' emotional intelligence, organizational commitment, and participative leadership perceptions differ according to the demographic characteristics of the participants. The study was conducted using a relational screening model and quantitative research design. Data were collected from 420 healthcare workers performing various duties in different healthcare institutions in Balıkesir province between October 2024 and April 2025. Data were collected using a personal information form and a survey form containing emotional intelligence, organizational commitment, and participative leadership scales. SPSS program was used to analyze the data obtained in the study. The study found that healthcare workers attach importance to emotional intelligence, organizational commitment, and participative leadership. It was concluded that healthcare workers' emotional intelligence, organizational commitment, and participative leadership perception levels did not differ by gender, age, or professional experience, but did differ by education level, position in the institution, and role. Strong linear relationships exist between healthcare workers' perceptions of participative leadership, emotional intelligence levels, and organizational commitment. When one-to-one interactions were examined, it was determined that healthcare workers' perceptions of participative leadership strongly and linearly influenced their organizational commitment, and healthcare workers' emotional intelligence levels strongly and linearly influenced their organizational commitment. When the effects of healthcare workers' perceptions of participative leadership and their emotional intelligence levels on their organizational commitment were measured together, it was concluded that there was a strong interaction between healthcare workers' perceptions of participative leadership and their emotional intelligence levels. Healthcare workers' organizational commitment was directly and strongly determined by their emotional intelligence levels. While healthcare workers' perceptions of participative leadership did not have a significant direct effect on organizational commitment, it did have a direct and linear effect on organizational commitment due to its strong interaction with emotional intelligence.