Emotional Intelligence Impact on the Creativity of Project Managers in Architecture Companies Favoring Sustainability

Abstract

The importance of Emotional Intelligence (EI) was discussed by several authors; however, the impact of EI on the creativity of project managers was not tackled. This gap in the literature was the main purpose of this study. To test the hypothesis which suggests that there is a positive correlation between EI and the creativity of project managers in architecture companies favoring sustainability, a quantitative research approach was employed. Architecture companies favoring sustainability were chosen as the target population because they represent a context where the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and creativity has practical significance, given the industry's focus on sustainability and the complex nature of sustainable architecture projects. A survey was distributed to project managers and a sample of 82 participants was obtained. SPSS was used to analyze the responses that were gathered. The results of the study revealed that there is a positive correlation between emotional intelligence and the creativity of project managers in architecture companies favoring sustainability. Thus, the main recommendation of the study is to boost the impact of EI on project managers’ creativity so that the latter would enhance their proactive skills and stress its importance. Worldwide organizations and especially architecture firms that favor sustainability should support within their culture and work environment the concept of EI through organizing workshops to assess, develop, and enhance this vital skill and aspect in its employees in general and especially project managers. This study significantly advances the literature by empirically establishing a positive correlation between Emotional Intelligence and the creativity of project managers in architecture companies committed to sustainability, shedding light on the pivotal role of EI in fostering creative and sustainable project management practices