DRIVERS OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR TRANSFORMATION; EFFECT OF MANAGERS’ EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Abstract
Organizational change requires drivers of change. To be a driver of change, emotional intelligence is imperative. This article presented emotional intelligence as a leading driver of managing change in an organization. It delved into the effect of emotional intelligence capabilities of the supervisors in devolved governments / units (counties) in Kenya on the staff perception on county commitment to change. Specifically, the article highlighted the different perspectives of emotional intelligence and its five components of self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skill. In furtherance, the article examined how emotional intelligence contributes to change management focusing on building a team to effect change, and overcoming resistance to change. The study focused on staff in devolved governance units in Kenya-the counties; in particular, 406 employees of Kakamega Kwale and Meru counties. The empirical results support the hypothesis that employees who view their managers/supervisors as being emotionally intelligent tend to believe that the senior administration of the county is committed and is in a position to drive the required change. Empathy and awareness dimensions are the most significant predictors of positive opinion on change management in the counties. The effects of both these dimensions are non-linear. The study also noted that staff who have lower opinion of county leadership being committed to change are more influenced by leaders’ empathy and awareness. County employees holding supervisory/managerial positions such as senior administrators are perceived in turn as possessing emotional intelligence. They are often the drivers of change.
Keywords: Change, Emotional Intelligence (EI).
CITATION: Tumaini, V., Gichinga , L., Datche, E., & Omido, K. (2020). Drivers of change management in public sector transformation; Effect of managers’ emotional intelligence. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 7(2), 569 – 578.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v7i2.1643
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