Harnessing emotional intelligence for resilient leadership in human resources staff
A case of one state university in Masvingo Province
Keywords:
Emotional Intelligence, Human Resources, Leadership, Managers, ResilientAbstract
The study explores the role of emotional intelligence in fostering resilience among employees in the human resources department. The purpose of the study was to understand how emotional intelligence contributed to human resources manager’s resilience in the human resources department especially during turbulent times. A case study research design was employed .The study was guided by an intepretivist philosophy .The study used a qualitative study on ten (10) members of staff at different managerial level in the human resources department who were purposively sampled. The study was based on the following objectives:-to examine how emotional intelligence contributes to resilience in leadership within human resources (HR) department in a university set up.; to identify challenges faced by human resources (HR) leadership in applying emotional intelligence in their day to day practices and to recommend strategies for enhancing emotional intelligence to foster resilient and effective human resources (HR) leadership in the university context. The study was guided by emotional intelligence theory. The study established that human resources managers with high emotional intelligence demonstrated adaptability in responding to challenges. The study found that emotional intelligence helped human resources managers to build strong relationship with staff, fostering a supportive work environment. The study also revealed that human resources managers with high emotional intelligence effectively managed to resolve conflict in the department. The study concluded that emotional intelligence was a critical component of resilience leadership in human resources department, enabling human resources managers to navigate turbulent times effectively. Based on the findings, the study recommended that human resources departments should incorporate emotional intelligence assessment in its recruitment for various university positions. The study recommended that human resources managers to undergo emotional intelligence training to develop social skills and introduce mentorship programmes to support them.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Aron Gonye, Admore Mashokoh, Janeth Matingwina, Pride Mkandatsama, Emmanuel Nhedzi
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