Despite considerable research confirming the influence of emotional intelligence on authentic leadership, the underlying affective and cognitive mechanisms remain underexplored. This study, guided by the social cognitive theory, examines critical thinking as a mediator and provides an integrated perspective on how emotional and rational processes drive authentic leadership.
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in 2022, creating a sample of 779 university students from Indonesia’s national student exchange program (Pertukaran Mahasiswa Merdeka). The data were analyzed using PLS-SEM.
The findings revealed that (1) emotional intelligence positively influenced authentic leadership, (2) critical thinking positively influenced authentic leadership and (3) critical thinking partially mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and authentic leadership.
This study extends the authentic leadership theory and the social cognitive theory by identifying critical thinking as a key mechanism linking emotional intelligence to authentic leadership.
Organizations should incorporate emotional intelligence and critical thinking into leadership development and assessment.
The findings suggest higher education can cultivate future leaders by fostering emotional intelligence and critical thinking, ultimately benefiting society.
Using the social cognitive theory as a prism, this study is the first to empirically demonstrate critical thinking’s mediating role between emotional intelligence and authentic leadership in a higher education context.
