Emotional Intelligence: The Hidden Engine of Workplace Performance

There’s one enduring question at the heart of every conversation we have with L&D and HR teams around the world: How do I convince my stakeholders that emotional intelligence training is going to deliver ROI?

What follows is often an in-depth discussion of the Kirkpatrick model or other ways to measure impact, depending on the targeted goals. The reality is there are many ways to look at it, and the biggest factor is how much the organization is willing to collect and connect different data points.

But there’s also a relatively simple answer that’s supported by extensive research: emotional intelligence (EI) is directly related to performance.

In fact, developing EI delivers higher performance at the individual, team, leader and organizational level.

In this blog, we’ve collected research findings from the top peer-reviewed research papers to make it easy for L&D teams and HR to share the business case for EI with their stakeholders.

Why emotional intelligence has an outsized impact on performance

So much to develop, so little time.

Most of our clients come to us with some version of that challenge. Their leaders and frontline employees desperately need to develop a range of skills: Communication, giving feedback, collaboration, coaching, influencing, executive presence, etc. 

But their teams are overloaded. Employees have very little time to devote to learning.

So what skills should you prioritize?

The reality is that emotional intelligence is at the heart of every other leadership and interpersonal skill.

After all, without emotional intelligence, how effectively can someone communicate? Resolve conflict? Give feedback? Collaborate as a team? Influence? 

It’s difficult to perform any of these skills effectively without deep understanding of your own emotions and the emotions of others.

But consider the reverse: Would performance across these skills still improve if you only trained emotional intelligence? 

The answer is yes—and not by a little. 

Let’s look at how EI impacts performance across four levels of the organization.

How Emotional Intelligence Boosts Individual Performance

Happier, More Resilient, and More Effective Employees

One of the most common misconceptions about emotional intelligence is that it’s only about how you interact with others. While interactions are part of EI, it’s also about how you become more aware of and manage your own emotions to support your goals. 

Employees with higher emotional intelligence are 2.5 times more likely to be high performers (Singh et al., 2021). In roles with high interpersonal demands, that jumps to 10.6 times. This is critical as work becomes more collaborative and emotionally complex.

Resilience also improves. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are 17.7 times more likely to demonstrate resilience in the face of challenges (Singh et al., 2021). They are also 76% less likely to experience high job stress (Doğru, 2022).

It doesn’t stop there. They are 4 times more likely to be engaged, 3 times more likely to feel satisfied with their work, and 2.7 times more likely to stay loyal to the organization (Doğru, 2022).

When you support employees in building emotional intelligence, you help them become more focused, grounded, and connected. The result? Better performance that lasts.

How Emotional Intelligence Elevates Team Performance

Stronger Team Chemistry, Better Results

Have you ever worked with a team that just clicks? Where people bring out the best in each other? Where collaboration feels easy and trust runs deep?

Then you’ve also probably seen the opposite. A team full of brilliant people who can’t seem to make progress. Conflict builds. Communication breaks down. Everyone works hard but gets nowhere.

The difference is emotional intelligence.

Teams with high emotional intelligence perform 46% better than those without it (Majeed, 2018). Even in teams that already had strong cultures, EI gave an extra 23% performance boost.

Google’s Project Aristotle was a multi-year study into why some teams perform better than others. The findings were clear: success had less to do with who was on the team, their technical skills, or experience. Rather, their performance depended more on how the team worked together. Psychological safety, communication, and emotional awareness were the most important factors.

That’s emotional intelligence in action. It improves how teams handle stress, give feedback, solve problems, and support one another.

Think of team EI as the invisible playbook that great teams use without even realizing it.

Why High-EI Leaders Outperform

Leading with Emotional Intelligence Is a Business Advantage

At the leadership level, emotional intelligence has a compounding effect as the leader’s EI influences the culture of the entire team.

Research shows that leaders with high EI are 4.7 times more likely to be high performing overall (Dulewicz et al., 2005). They are 5.2 times more likely to inspire their teams and 3.9 times more likely to make strong decisions.

When leaders go through emotional intelligence training, the results are even stronger. Their engagement increases by 96%. They experience 51% less burnout. And they drive 56% higher performance at the organizational level (Boyatzis et al., 2013).

As researchers Rosete and Ciarrochi put it: "IQ explains 25% of leadership success. Emotional intelligence does the rest" (Rosete & Ciarrochi, 2005).

When leaders build EI, they build trust. And with trust comes followership, creativity, and long-term performance.

Emotionally Intelligent Organizations Perform Better

Why Culture, Innovation, and Transformation All Depend on Emotions

You can have a great strategy. A great product. Even a strong brand. But without the emotional intelligence to lead people through change, it won’t stick.

In one study, employees who could manage their emotions and stay calm under pressure contributed to a 32.6% increase in performance for their organization (Abaikpa, 2023).

In another, emotional intelligence and a sense of belonging together explained 41% of workplace creativity (Sözbilir, 2023). When both were present, employees were 62% more likely to be creative.

And when emotional intelligence is embedded in transformation efforts? A major study from Oxford and EY found that human-centered transformations were twice as likely to succeed (Oxford and EY Study).

Emotional intelligence isn’t just about helping individuals. It’s how organizations move faster, innovate more, and build cultures that last.

Final Takeaway: Emotional Intelligence Is the Multiplier

Emotional intelligence is not the same as other behavioral skills. It’s a multiplier skill.

Train it first, and you’ll see ripple effects across performance, engagement, retention, and culture.

In a world of complexity, AI, and rapid change, emotional intelligence is a foundational advantage to meet every challenge.

Explore Emotional Intelligence Training for Your Organization