The Human Spark in print.
PUBLICATIONS
Research that deepens our understanding of people at work.
Explore Katharina’s academic publications from her doctoral research, with a particular focus on emotional intelligence and its relevance to leadership and working life.
Emotional Intelligence and Leader Outcomes: A Comprehensive Review and Roadmap for Future Inquiry
Katharina Gerhardt, Robin Bauwens and Marianne van Woerkom
Human Resource Development Review, 2025, 25(1), 29–79
What does the research actually tell us about emotional intelligence in leadership? This comprehensive review brings together findings from 101 empirical studies examining the relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence and their leadership behaviour, wellbeing and performance.
The findings suggest that emotional intelligence is associated not only with relational forms of leadership, but also with leader effectiveness and more task-focused outcomes. The paper also identifies important limitations in the evidence, including inconsistent definitions and measures of emotional intelligence and the need to examine its potential darker side.