The Relationship of Emotional Intelligence and Coaching Behaviors

Background/Purpose: Researchers have linked emotional intelligence (EI) to effective leadership in a variety of fields (Barbuto & Burback, 2006; Cooper & Sawaf, 1997; Mandell & Pherwani, 2003; Wasylyshyn, Gronsky, & Hass, 2006). Thus far, few researchers have explored associations between EI and sport leadership (Magyar et al., 2007; Perrelli, 2009). From an alternative research perspective, investigators have identified relationships between EI and sport performance giving credence to the relevance of EI in sport (Crombie, Lombard, & Noakes, 2009; Lane, Devonport, Soos, Karsai, Leibinger, & Hamar, 2010; Lu, Hsu, Li, & Williams, 2010; Zizzi, Deaner, & Hirschhorn, 2003). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between EI and coaching behaviors to better understand the construct of EI in the context of sport leadership.

Method: NCAA Division III head coaches (N = 28) of female athletics programs representing the sports of basketball, cross country, field hockey, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball completed the BarOn EQ-i (Bar-On, 1997) to measure emotional intelligence.  Student-athletes (N= 263) completed the athlete perceived version of the Leadership Scale for Sport to identify coaching behaviors (LSS; Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980). Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients were computed to examine the relationships between the Total Emotional Quotient (EQ) and the five composite scale scores on the BarOn EQ-i (Bar-On, 1997) and the five subscale team scores on the LSS (Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980).

Analysis/Results: Significant negative correlations existed between Total EQ and Training and Instruction Behavior (r = -.32, p = .05) and Stress Management and Training and Instruction Behavior (r = -.45, p = .01). No significant (p> .05) relationships were found between any of the other composite scales and subscales.  Negative correlations indicated positive relationships due to different scoring methodologies on the BarOn EQ-i and LSS.

Conclusions: The results demonstrated that head coaches with higher levels of EI and stress management skills demonstrated a greater tendency to exhibit coaching behaviors aimed at facilitating skill acquisition and increasing tactical knowledge. Head coaches who maintain an optimistic and poised emotional disposition, despite external pressures and expectations, could be better equipped to minimize negative distractions, realistically assess current skill levels, and make prudent adjustments to training programs. The findings suggest that coaches may wish to become more informed on EI in order to enhance athletic performance.