TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN HYBRID ACADEMIC ECOSYSTEMS: MANAGERIAL PARADIGMS FOR ENHANCING INSTITUTIONAL RESILIENCE AND STUDENT WELLBEING
Keywords:
Abstract
In light of the changing face of higher education, the hybridization of academic ecosystems has emerged as a new current of structural change that requires institutional actors to rethink fundamental paradigms of leadership, engagement, and organizational adaptability. In this context, this study aims at exploring how transformational leadership and EI dynamics are interrelated as essential variables in developing organizational adaptability, well-being and psychological of students in digitalized, post-pandemic learning spaces. Based on an amalgamation of transformational leadership theory, Mayer and Salovey’s model of emotional intelligence and organizational psychology, the current research employs a convergent mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from a stratified sample of 428 students and 86 academic leaders from four Romanian public universities using a set of validated psychometric instruments which assessed perceived leadership behaviors, EI competencies and students’ wellbeing indicators. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups generated reinforcing qualitative evidence and facilitated a more in-depth examination of experiences within blended learning. Findings reveal that emotional intelligence significantly mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and students’ perceptions of psychological safety, academic engagement, and institutional trust. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that emotionally intelligent leadership enhances the resilience of educational organisations, and stimulates inclusive pedagogical cultures that serve as a response to cognitive-emotional discrepancies that are worsened by hybrid formats. Integrating empirical findings and conceptual innovation, this article moves the conversation forward about 'plateau-breaking' academic governance in an age of 'adaptive change' and offers a series of practical paradigms for developing emotionally intelligent leadership as a strategic force multiplier for organizational effectiveness. The results have important implications for higher education policy, human capital formation, and redesign of managerial practices in the digital disruptive environments.
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