To believe or not to believe: leader’s belief about emotion usefulness and its impact on team dynamics

This study aims to investigate the impact of a leader’s beliefs in the usefulness of emotions on the emotional competence and relationship conflicts of their teams.

The data were collected through an online survey targeting leaders with at least three years of experience in managerial positions in South Korean workplaces, with a total of 326 participants. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was conducted to classify leaders into latent groups based on their beliefs regarding the usefulness of positive and negative emotions.

The latent profile analysis of the leader’s beliefs in the usefulness of positive and negative emotions identified four groups: High Usefulness (HU) Group, High Positive Usefulness (HPU) Group, Reference Group for comparison, and Low Usefulness (LU) Group. It was found that both the HU Group and the HPU Group, who perceive the usefulness of both types of emotions and positive emotions, respectively, showed higher levels of emotional repair and lower levels of relationship conflict within the team compared to the Reference Group and the LU Group.

This study not only fills a gap in organizational research by establishing a clear link between leaders’ emotional beliefs and team dynamics but also emphasizes the social influence of leaders’ emotions within the team setting. The findings of this research advocate for a strategic update to leadership development programs, suggesting the integration of elements specifically designed to augment leaders’ understanding and management of emotional dynamics within their teams.