Emotional Intelligence and Work Perceptions Among Nurse Managers.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Healthcare Leadership

Background:

• Emotional intelligence (EI) involves recognizing and managing one's own and others' emotions.
• Effective emotional intelligence is crucial for socially acceptable behavior and interpersonal interactions.
• This study explores the link between nurse managers' EI and their delegation practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between nurse managers' emotional intelligence (EI) characteristics.
• To examine how EI relates to nurse managers' perceptions of role and responsibility delegation.
• To compare EI scores of nurse managers with general working adult populations.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 150 nurse managers across 30 hospitals using anonymous questionnaires.
• Questionnaires assessed basic attributes, emotional intelligence (using the Emotional Intelligence Scale - EQS), and work perceptions.
• Data were analyzed using one-way repeated-measures ANOVA, comparing EQS scores between 'High' and 'Low' EI groups.

Main Results:

• The study included 105 nurse managers, who scored higher in all EI domains than the average working adult.
• Nurse managers with high intrapersonal emotional quotient (EQ) showed significant differences in delegating four specific tasks.
• No significant delegation differences were found when comparing high and low groups for interpersonal or situational EQ.

Conclusions:

• Nurse managers demonstrated higher-than-average emotional intelligence across all measured domains.
• High intrapersonal EI in nurse managers appears to foster a balance between interpersonal considerations and operational management.
• These findings suggest that strong intrapersonal EI is a valuable attribute for effective nurse management and delegation.