Authors: Research Scholar Sonal Sharma, Dr. Anjoo Chauhan
Abstract: Cognitive style and emotional intelligence (EI) are increasingly recognised as complementary, rather than competing, determinants of managerial success, yet the mechanism through which cognitive preferences translate into leadership outcomes remains under-theorised, particularly in multinational corporations (MNCs) where leaders must reconcile analytical rigour with cross-cultural sensitivity. This paper synthesises secondary evidence drawn from peer-reviewed journals, systematic reviews, and industry reports to examine whether emotional intelligence mediates the relationship between cognitive styleconceptualised through the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) whole-brain modeland leadership effectiveness in MNC settings. Using a structured narrative-review methodology informed by PRISMA principles, findings from more than two decades of empirical and conceptual literature are integrated to propose a testable conceptual model in which analytical, practical, relational, and experimental thinking preferences influence leadership effectiveness both directly and indirectly through the four EI competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. The synthesis suggests that whole-brained leadersthose who integrate cognitive and affective processing rather than relying on a single dominant quadrantconsistently emerge as more effective across the reviewed studies, and that EI substantially, though not universally, mediates this relationship. The paper contributes a consolidated theoretical framework and a set of falsifiable hypotheses for future primary research in the Indian and global MNC context, and offers implications for leadership development, expatriate selection, and cross-cultural training design.
