Systematic literature review on emotional intelligence and conflict management

A systematic literature review of 29 emotional intelligence (EI) studies was performed, to examine where the studies were undertaken and what were the outcomes. The study further provides insights into what conflicts occur in organizations, what measurement tools have been employed to resolve conflicts, and to identify if EI has been utilized in conflict resolution. The results show that geography and culture were influential in solving conflicts and reflect the emotional intelligence of employees when responding to many types of organizational conflicts. There is also the suggestion that conflict management styles can help to resolve conflicts and that emotional intelligence can be a key means to resolving conflict. These findings allow us to develop a clearer picture of the current state of research within emotional intelligence and conflict management to propose future lines of research to complement the existing gaps in the field. Discussion highlights the practical implications and in conclusion, the limitations of this study are offered for researchers and practitioners.