A Conceptual Model for Understanding the Role of Emotional Intelligence Towards Sustainable Behaviour

AbstractSustainability has been developed as a main interest in the today’s socio-economic landscape, driven by global challenges such as environmental degradation, social inequality and climate change. This conceptual paper studies the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and sustainability in organizational settings in theoretical context. Existing agendas for sustainability is often focuses on systems and compliance and overlook the emotional and behavioural competencies that drive sustainable behaviour (Benn et al., 2014; Metcalf & Benn, 2013). Using a conceptual framework, this paper incorporates popular EI models including Salovey & Mayer’s (1990) ability model, Goleman’s (1998) mixed model, and Bar-On’s (2006) trait model with sustainability theories like stakeholder theory and transformational leadership theory. In this regard, a conceptual model is proposed for illustrating the role of important components of EI including self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation that facilitate in ethical decision-making, sustainable leadership, and stakeholder engagement. Further, these means are presented to aid environmental responsibility, social inclusiveness, and ethical governance. Theoretically, this attempt presents the application of EI into the sustainability realm, while practically it suggests insights for leadership development, organizational change, and sustainability strategy. The novelty of the study rests in understanding sustainability as a behaviourally driven, emotionally intelligent process rather than merely a strategic or regulatory initiative. Through emphasising on the human and emotional elements fundamentally in sustainable practices, this paper supports to a more holistic and actionable development of organizational sustainability.