At the Crossroads of Work-Stress and Satisfaction: The Decisive Role of Leadership and Emotional Intelligence in Balochistan's HEIs

Abstract

The study examines how leadership and emotional intelligence affect the happiness and performance of higher education staff in Balochistan. 360 public and private higher education faculty in Balochistan were surveyed using a standardized questionnaire. This partial least squares structural equation modeling study examines how leadership and emotional intelligence boost work happiness and performance. The study analyzes how work stress moderates and job satisfaction mediates the performance-satisfaction relationship. Strong leadership and emotional intelligence improve job happiness. Job satisfaction mediates the relationship between these leadership traits and employee performance, underscoring the need to translate leadership into outcomes. Modifying work stress reduced job satisfaction-performance. Thus, stress reduces this favorable relationship. Educational institutions seeking to improve human resource management through leadership and emotional intelligence should consider the findings. The paper proposes reducing work stress to improve job satisfaction and performance.