LEADERSHIP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, ORGANISATIONAL JUSTICE AND ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE UNIVERSITIES WESTERN REGION, KENYA IN PUBLIC

Abstract

The public sector plays a pivotal role in national development, with public universities serving as key institutions in advancing economic and social progress. However, these institutions often face governance-related challenges that adversely impact their performance. This study examined the influence of leadership and emotional intelligence on organizational performance in public universities within the Western region of Kenya. Specifically, it assessed the effects of five components of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and motivation— on organizational performance and investigated the moderating role of organizational justice in the relationship between leadership, emotional intelligence, and performance. The study adopted a positivist research philosophy and employed a descriptive explanatory research design. The target population consisted of 794 academic staff across four public universities in the region. A stratified and simple random sampling technique was used, and the sample size was determined using Slovin's formula. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and an interview schedule. A pilot study was conducted at Maseno University to test the research instruments. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, while validity was established through face, content, and construct validity techniques. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation, simple linear regression, and hierarchical regression). Qualitative data from interviews were analyzed through content analysis. The findings revealed that all five components of emotional intelligence significantly influenced organizational performance: self-awareness (β = 0.241, p = 0.001), self regulation (β = 0.120, p = 0.035), social skills (β = 0.166, p = 0.000), empathy (β = 0.232, p = 0.000) and motivation (β = 0.180, p = 0.024). Leadership and emotional intelligence collectively accounted for 70.2% of the variance in organizational performance (R$^2$ = 0.702). The inclusion of organizational justice increased the explanatory power to 79.9% (R2 = 0.799), and incorporating interaction terms further raised it to 82.5% (R2 = 0.825). The study concludes that organizational justice significantly enhances the effect of leadership and emotional intelligence on performance in public universities. It recommends that universities promote a culture of self-reflection and feedback, invest in professional development programs focused on emotional intelligence and self-regulation, and strengthen organizational justice through transparent performance appraisal systems and inclusive decision-making practices.