MBA Candidates' Openness to Using Digital Technologies to Develop their Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) has emerged as a critical competence in the context of digitalisation, especially for managers. While executives select MBA studies to improve their hard and soft skills, traditional curricula are criticised for having a predilection for hard skills development at the detriment of soft skills. The scope of this research is to identify if the integration of digital tools for mastering emotional intelligence could align with managers' expectations, by analysing their learning preferences and their potential adoption barriers at the same time. To accomplish this objective, a preliminary quantitative analysis was used on a sample of 25 MBA candidates. Data analysis was conducted using nonparametric tests on 11 hypotheses. The findings reveal a significant openness of MBA candidates to integrate emotional intelligence learning through digital tools. Although the study did not support the hypothesis that digital technologies influence emotional intelligence, it highlights the importance of digital readiness. Notably, time, costs, security, and technologies are not a challenge for managers, and business schools can address this need through hybrid learning integration.