Moderating effect of emotional intelligence between idealized influence and intention to perform among academics in Malaysian research universities

Academics encounter considerable challenges in higher education, necessitating a sophisticated approach to performance objectives, especially with emotional intelligence and the idealized influence of leaders. This study seeks to examine the impact of academic leaders' idealized influence on the performance intentions of their subordinates, together with the significance of emotional intelligence in these interactions. The research suggests that subordinates' performance intentions and leaders' idealized influence are affected by their emotional intelligence, according to attribution theory and social exchange theory. Three hundred eighty-six questionnaires were gathered from five research universities in Malaysia, and the hypotheses were evaluated using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The study revealed that emotional intelligence affects the relationship between subordinates' intention to perform and leaders' idealized influence.