The impact of university teachers’ perceived emotionally intelligent leadership on work performance: The mediating role of work passion

The purpose of this study is to explore the mechanism by which perceived emotionally intelligent leadership influences the work performance of university teachers, with work passion as a mediating variable. Based on the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory, this study employed a questionnaire survey method targeting teachers from four universities in the central and eastern regions of China. A total of 478 questionnaires were distributed using a convenience sampling method. The study utilized scales for perceived emotionally intelligent leadership, work passion, and work performance. The results indicate that perceived emotionally intelligent leadership has a positive impact on the work performance of university teachers in the central and eastern regions of China; teachers’ perceived emotionally intelligent leadership positively influences work passion; teachers’ work passion positively affects work performance; and teachers’ work passion plays a significant partial mediating role in the relationship between perceived emotionally intelligent leadership and work performance.