The Role of Leader’s Emotional intelligence in Remote and Hybrid Work Environments: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The Transition to remote and hybrid work has presented new challenges to leaders and put Emotional intelligence (EI) under the spotlight as an essential competency. This systematic review will integrate empirical evidence on key leader EI competencies in hybrid environments and their impact on employee engagement, burnout, and retention. A systematic search was conducted on Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar (2012-2026). A total of 50 studies qualified for inclusion criteria, and were the subject of a thematic synthesis. The most important competencies of EI were empathy, self-regulation, self-awareness, social skills, and adaptability. Psychological safety, trust building were impacted by leader EI positively. The effectiveness of a team in an industry depends on the size of the industry, the organization, and the technological interface. Research was constrained to geographic focus, English-language centric studies, Asia & Europe. Organizations should incorporate EI into leadership selection, training, and performance systems for distributed teams. Leaders need to acquire asynchronous empathy competencies, use rich media to carry out emotional exchanges, and tailor their emotional intelligence (EI) behaviours in relation to team size and cultures.