The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Entrepreneurs' Perceptions of Success: An Exploratory Study

Haibo Shah-Zhou, Ana Maria Bojica

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    Abstract

    This study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by introducing emotional intelligence (EI) as an additional factor that explains how entrepreneurs perceive their own success. Using survey data from a sample of Dutch entrepreneurs, we find that emotionally intelligent entrepreneurs are more likely to judge positively their entrepreneurial success in terms of: employee satisfaction, social responsibility, personal satisfaction, customer satisfaction and business performance. Furthermore, not all EI dimensions are equally relevant to explain self-perceived success. In this respect, we find that the (self-perceived) ability to regulate emotions of other people is most strongly linked to entrepreneurial success.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)341-360
    JournalInternational Review of Entrepreneurship
    Volume15
    Issue number3
    Publication statusPublished - 30 Sept 2017

    Keywords

    • Emotional intelligence
    • Regulate emotions of other people
    • (Self-perceived) success criteria
    • Entrepreneurial success
    • Dutch entrepreneurs
    • 2023 OA procedure

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