The Relationship Among Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Styles of Female Law Enforcement Executives

Effective leadership within police organizations has contributed to challenges in retention, recruitment, and increased negative public attention. While researchers have proposed a relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), leadership effectiveness, and leadership styles, limited research has explored these dynamics within law enforcement, particularly among female law enforcement executives. This study utilized transformational leadership theory, the full-range leadership model, and trait EI theory as its theoretical frameworks. The primary objective of this quantitative research was to assess the relationship between gender, EI, and leadership styles, building on previous studies that examined similar correlations among African American and Caucasian law enforcement executives. The study addressed the relationship between EI, and leadership styles, collecting data from 50 female law enforcement executives through the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE) organization using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X) and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF). Correlation analyses revealed a significant relationship between EI and both transformational and laissez-faire leadership styles among these female executives, while no relationship was found between EI and transactional leadership. These findings highlight differences in how EI and leadership styles manifest among female law enforcement executives compared to their male counterparts. The study's social change implications include supporting the potential expansion of leadership training and development programs aimed at enhancing EI competencies and skills among female law enforcement executives, which could improve organizational effectiveness.