Unlocking emotional intelligence in lean managers: a driver of lean project success

The competencies of lean managers are widely recognized as critical enablers of the successful implementation of lean systems. However, despite extensive research on the technical and process-related aspects of lean, limited attention has been paid to emotional capabilities essential to lean managers. Addressing this gap and drawing upon Affective Events Theory (AET), this study investigates whether, how, and when lean managers’ emotional intelligence (EI) contributes to lean project success. To do this, we surveyed 172 Irish lean managers in Study 1 and found that EI exerts a significant positive effect on lean project success. Study 2, conducted with 834 Chinese lean managers, replicated these findings and further demonstrated that conflict management mediates the relationship between EI and lean project success. More importantly, our results indicate that lean leadership capabilities strengthen the positive effects of EI on both conflict management and lean project success. These findings provide much-needed theoretical and empirical insights into this important yet underdeveloped area within lean systems. The results also highlight the importance of cultivating emotionally intelligent and capable leaders to deliver successful lean projects.