A phenomenological study: Human resource professionals perceptions of leader emotional intelligence and employee affective commitment

This phenomenological study examined the perceptions of Human Resource professionals regarding the leaders' emotional intelligence and employees' affective commitment. Employee turnover is at significant cost to the organization both in terms of replacement and at the loss of intellectual capital and related loss in profitability. This qualitative phenomenological study used a modified van Kaam (as cited in Moustakas, 1994) method to analyze digitally-recorded and transcribed interviews. A sample of 20 Human Resource professionals was selected due to their unique position within the organization, interfacing between leadership and employees. Data were analyzed using NVivo 7.0 software to identify themes underlying the problem, and the results showed a relationship between the emotional intelligence of the leader and employees' affective commitment.