Managers who ‘lack emotional intelligence more likely to be manipulative’

Managers who lack emotional intelligence are much more likely to be manipulative, according to new research by emlyon business school.

However, the researchers did not find any link between emotional intelligence of a manager and their likelihood to hold traits such as psychopathy (cold, reckless behaviour) or narcissism (self-obsession).

This study was conducted by Christophe Haag, Professor at emlyon business school, alongside his colleagues; Clément Poirier, from Université Paris Descartes, and Lisa Bellinghausen, Generation QE, who were interested in identifying whether emotional intelligence is linked to manipulative personality traits in managers.

In order to do so, the researchers studied over 200 managers to find a link between emotional intelligence and what they describe as the Dark Triad; psychopathy, manipulativeness, and narcissism.

Firstly, the researchers evaluated manager’s emotional intelligence not only through a self-measuring approach but also through a QEPro performance test – the first performance-based test specifically designed for a population of managers -, in order to ascertain whether they had, or did not have, emotional intelligence.

Then, participants completed a questionnaire which allowed the researchers to identify their levels of psychopathy, manipulativeness and narcissism. Using this data, the researchers were then able to identify any links between emotional intelligence, or lack thereof.

They found that managers who are highly emotionally intelligent are not more manipulative because emotional intelligence helps people understand and connect with others rather than exploit them.

“Manipulative managers aren’t necessarily the most emotionally intelligent—they’re often the ones who lack true emotional awareness,” says Christophe Haag. “Emotional intelligence isn’t about exploiting others; it’s about understanding emotions to build trust, not control. In fact, those who struggle to process emotions may resort to manipulation simply because they lack the skills to lead authentically.”

The researchers state that organisations should prioritise emotional intelligence training to develop ethical and effective managers. By helping leaders better understand emotions, reduce manipulative behaviours, and act with integrity, organisations can help to foster positive workplace relationships and prevent toxic leadership.