Beyond Traditional Metrics: Rethinking Human Capital In School Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

This paper examines the traditional metrics to establish the degree to which emotional intelligence and qualitative instruments are accorded recognition in assessing school leadership effectiveness. Traditional metrics adopt quantitative indices such as standardised test scores, matriculation rates and teacher evaluation scores. They measure effectiveness across various leadership models, including distributed, transformational, transactional, instructional, and shared leadership. However, the weakness of traditional metrics lies in their over-reliance on numerical data - which downplays the qualitative dimensions of leadership. The study adopts Trait Emotional Intelligence Theory (TEI) and Team Emotional Intelligence (TEI) as units of analysis to reconceptualise school leadership assessment. The Integrative literature review was adopted as a methodological approach to make sense of the principles of the adopted frameworks and related literature. It was discovered that emotional intelligence is an essential component in gauging leadership effectiveness. The study reveals that school leaders' emotional composition and their awareness of it impact their leadership effectiveness. We also found that leaders who are aware and sensitive to their teams' emotional configuration engender cohesion, collaboration, and goal attainment. In addition, the role of adaptable qualitative instruments for measuring school leadership effectiveness was underscored. The study proposed an adaptable framework drawing from theoretical exploration and empirical evidence.