Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership as Pillars of Excellence in Mauritius World-Class Hotel Sector

Abstract

This study explores how Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Transformational Leadership (TL) among managers from the top-ranking hotel sector of Mauritius can boost motivation, strengthen team cohesion, resolve conflicts, and foster harmonious work environments, ultimately driving organizational excellence that is vitally needed in the competitive tourism industry of Mauritius. Using a quantitative approach, data was collected with a sample size of 350 managers from the longest-running and most luxurious hotel groups in Mauritius. Anova testing, Multilinear regression and Pearson product-moment correlation were used to test the hypotheses. The main findings of this study by analyzing the literature and real-world evidence from Mauritius’ hotel industry, highlight that emotionally intelligent, transformational leaders drive organizational excellence by fostering team cohesion, enhancing motivation, and effectively managing conflicts, with team cohesion and conflict management serving as critical mediators by transmitting the positive effects of EI and TL for achieving organizational excellence. This paper uniquely addresses a critical research gap, revealing how the synergy between Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership can be strategic tools for hospitality managers to drive organizational excellence in the ferociously competitive tourism industry of Mauritius especially for the world-renowned hotel sector of Mauritius.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Transformational Leadership, Team Cohesiveness, Conflict Management and Organizational Excellence

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