The Mediating and Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Impact of Strategic Leadership on Job Performance: A Research in the Turkish Education Sector

Authors : Vakkas Arslan
Pages : 68-80
Doi:10.29064/ijma.1842834
View : 46 | Download : 166
Publication Date : 2025-12-16
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :This study examines the mediating and moderating roles of emotional intelligence (EI) in the relationship between strategic leadership and job performance within the Turkish education sector. Drawing on social exchange theory and conservation of resources theory, the study proposes a moderated mediation model in which EI functions simultaneously as a transmission mechanism and a conditional amplifier of leadership effects. Data were collected from 320 teachers and school administrators across seven geographical regions of Türkiye. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 26, PROCESS Macro v4.2, and AMOS 26. The results indicate that emotional intelligence exerts a strong and significant partial mediating effect on the relationship between strategic leadership and job performance (indirect effect β = .600, p < .001), accounting for 70.3% of the total effect. Moreover, EI significantly moderates this relationship, such that the positive impact of strategic leadership on job performance becomes substantially stronger at higher levels of emotional intelligence (interaction effect β = .187, p = .004). The moderated mediation index is also significant, confirming that the indirect effect of strategic leadership on performance varies systematically across levels of EI. Structural equation modeling demonstrates excellent model fit (CFI = .998; RMSEA = .019) and explains 73.4% of the variance in job performance. By empirically integrating mediation and moderation mechanisms within a single model, this study advances leadership theory by positioning emotional intelligence as a central psychological resource that both transmits and conditions strategic leadership effects. The findings offer important implications for leadership development and performance management in emotionally demanding organizational contexts, particularly within the education sector.
Keywords : stratejik liderlik, duygusal zeka, iş performansı, eğitim sektörü

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL