A Structural Equations Model of Leaders' Social Intelligence and Creative Performance

The present study was designed to test the relationship between business leaders' social intelligence (SI) and their creative performance (CP) in the US. SI was defined as the ability to be aware of relevant social situational contexts; to deal with situational contexts or challenges effectively; to understand others' concerns, feelings and emotional states; and to build and maintain positive relationships and to behave appropriately in social relations. Data on SI and CP were collected using questionnaires from two collegiate samples of employed undergraduate students (n = 395) and employed MBA students (n = 250) and from a sample of top executives of organizations (n = 143) to explore the relationship between leaders' SI and their CP. The questionnaires required observers (i.e., respondents) to indicate to what extent their supervisors displayed SI and CP. Data analyses in each sample suggest that supervisors with greater social intelligence contributed more to CP. Implications for management, directions for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.