Emotional illiteracy in business organizations: implications for leadership, organizational climate and job performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71112/b9v54e30Keywords:
emotional illiteracy, emotional intelligence, organizational leadership, organizational climate, job performanceAbstract
Emotional illiteracy is a growing problem in business organizations. This issue will be analyzed in terms of its implications for leadership, organizational climate, and performance. While organizations have historically focused more on developing their technical, financial, and operational capabilities, scientific evidence indicates that developing emotional competencies is a strategic factor that influences organizational sustainability and performance. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effects of emotional illiteracy in companies, which impacts leadership and organizational climate, as well as labor productivity. This leads to the development of strategies that could strengthen human talent management and organizational sustainability. The study was conducted from a qualitative perspective through bibliographic and documentary research, using a narrative approach with critical analysis. The aim was to analyze the phenomenon of emotional illiteracy present in companies and its repercussions on leadership, organizational climate, and job performance. The results show that emotional illiteracy influences communication, decision-making, problem-solving, trust in others, and the ability to adapt to change, and consequently has a negative impact on both productivity and job satisfaction.
Downloads
References
Ashkanasy, N. M., & Humphrey, R. H. (2022). Emotions in organizations: A multilevel perspective. En S. W. J. Kozlowski (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of organizational psychology (2.ª ed.). Oxford University Press.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2023). Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 25–53. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-053933. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-053933
Bar-On, R. (2006). The Bar-On model of emotional-social intelligence (ESI). Psicothema, 18(Suppl.), 13–25.
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.
Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Psychology Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410617095
Boyatzis, R. E. (2021). Helping people change: Coaching with compassion for lifelong learning and growth. Harvard Business Review Press.
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. Harper & Row.
Campbell, J. P., & Wiernik, B. M. (2015). The modeling and assessment of work performance. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 47–74. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111427. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111427
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). Sage.
Edmondson, A. C. (2023). Right kind of wrong: The science of failing well. Atria Books.
Fineman, S. (2003). Understanding emotion at work. Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446216538
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.40619981008
James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology (Vols. 1–2). Henry Holt. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/10538-000
Kuratko, D. F., & Hodgetts, R. M. (2004). Entrepreneurship: Theory, process and practice (6th ed.). Thomson South-Western.
Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2016). The ability model of emotional intelligence: Principles and updates. Emotion Review, 8(4), 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073916639667. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073916639667
Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos. (2023). OECD employment outlook 2023: Artificial intelligence and the labour market. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/08785bba-en. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/08785bba-en
Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2022). WHO guidelines on mental health at work. World Health Organization.
Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185–211. https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG
Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization (Rev. ed.). Doubleday.
Schein, E. H., & Schein, P. A. (2021). Organizational culture and leadership (5th ed.). Wiley.
Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M. G., & Macey, W. H. (2017). Organizational climate and culture. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 361–388. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143809. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143809
Taylor, F. W. (1911). The principles of scientific management. Harper & Brothers.
Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective events theory: A theoretical discussion of the structure, causes and consequences of affective experiences at work. En B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 18, pp. 1–74). JAI Press.
World Economic Forum. (2025). The future of jobs report 2025. World Economic Forum.
Yukl, G. (2023). Leadership in organizations (10th ed.). Pearson.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Antonia del Carmen Madrid George (Autor/a)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.






