0 IMPACT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE-BASED LEADERSHIP ON RELATIONSHIP CONFLICTS AND TEAM COHESION IN VIRTUAL WORK ENVIRONMENTS: A STUDY ON MALAYSIAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY OriginalPaper 1 1 2018 40359 Jikui Li p116870@siswa.ukm.edu.my Zaleha Yazid leyha@ukm.edu.my Rosmah Mat Isa rosmah@ukm.edu.my Nur Sa’adah Muhamad nurs@ukm.edu.my Xiaonan Hu UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA 43600 UKM Bangi Selangor Malaysia Jikui Li 1* ; Zaleha Yazid2; Rosmah Mat Isa3; Nur Sa'adah Muhamad4, Xiaonan Hu5 1*UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Malaysia, p116870@siswa.ukm.edu.my 2UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Malaysia, leyha@ukm.edu.my 3UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Malaysia, rosmah@ukm.edu.my 4UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Malaysia, nurs@ukm.edu.my 5UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Malaysia, P118340@siswa.ukm.edu.my Abstract This study investigates the impact of emotional intelligence-based leadership on relationship conflicts and team cohesion in virtual work environments, focusing on the Malaysian automobile industry. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, it highlights the significance of interpersonal management in promoting cohesive and conflict-resilient virtual teams. Data were collected from 405 industry employees, and the analysis, conducted using IBM SPSS and Smart PLS, confirmed the reliability and validity of the variables. The results reveal that individualised consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealised influence significantly affect relationship conflicts and team cohesion. Additionally, emotional expression demonstrates a mediating effect, supported by p-values below 0.05. These findings offer both theoretical and practical insights, contributing to leadership literature and guiding corporate leaders in enhancing virtual team performance through emotionally intelligent leadership approaches. The study holds particular relevance for professionals navigating remote work dynamics in the evolving digital business landscape. Keywords: Job satisfaction leadership style job performance leadership transformational leadership Introduction According to Supramaniam (2021), one of the key assets that helps businesses expand and acquire a long-term competitive edge to secure their existence and long-term viability is knowledge. Companies have moved away from old ideas to using agile techniques to achieve outstanding job performance via their goals and objectives (Riisla, 2021). Emotional intelligence (EI) is believed to help people function at better levels (Edara, 2021). Successful management, which is characterised by an elevated level of ethics, is desperately sought after by businesses in today's volatile business climate (Kumari, 2022). This is so that the leaders are able to better assist the employees, invest in their development, and realise the idea of common goals in the highly competitive business community of today. It is simple to see how some of these diverse skills might help colleagues or leaders with workplace adaptability, diversification and attentiveness, or anticipating unanticipated tendencies (Shet, 2024) (De Meuse, 2022). The purpose of this study is to ascertain the level of effectiveness of leadership and management in the Malaysian automobile industry towards job satisfaction. Hence, this study seeks to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence-based leadership on relationship conflicts and team cohesion in virtual work environments in the Malaysian automobile industry. Employee enthusiasm and dedication to job performance and enhancing workplace productivity is a prevalent problem that organisations face (Kan, 2024). Developing an effective workforce has emerged as the key to organisational success in the complicated job requirements and quickly evolving business environment of today (Rožman, 2023). In this regard, having a thorough understanding of team characteristics and how to improve teamwork, creativity, and execution skills through good leadership philosophies is both theoretically and practically significant. Numerous academics have shown as individuals engage in the workplace as members of businesses, conflict is a common occurrence and a characteristic of group operations (Zhang, 2021) (Kurdi, 2023). According to the body of existing research, disagreement need not necessarily be undesirable for team performance; in fact, it may be quite beneficial if managed properly (Ostad-Ali-Askari, 2022). Moreover, it is important to evaluate how inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration affect the emotional expression for job satisfaction of employees in the automobile industry. Thus, this study has chosen the objectives to assess the relationships between them and hence the objectives are as follows: RO1 To evaluate the significant impact of inspirational motivation on relationship conflicts and team cohesion. RO2 To examine the significant effect of idealized influence on relationship conflicts and team cohesion. RO3 To assess the significant influence of intellectual stimulation on relationship conflicts and team cohesion. RO4 To investigate the significant impact of individualized consideration on relationship conflicts and team cohesion. RO5 To estimate the mediating effect of emotional expression on inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. Since it directs the study design, data collecting, assessment, and comprehension of the results, the research question is essential to the research procedure (Adeoye-Olatunde, 2021). The research questions in this study, which are mentioned below, serve as the foundation for this investigation and provide individuals with information about the study problem and topic. RQ1 What is the significant impact of inspirational motivation on relationship conflicts and team cohesion? RQ2 What is the significant influence of idealized influence on relationship conflicts and team cohesion? RQ3 What is the significant effect of intellectual stimulation on relationship conflicts and team cohesion? RQ4 What is the significant impact of individualized consideration on relationship conflicts and team cohesion? RQ5 What is the mediating effect of emotional expression on the relationship between inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and relationship conflicts and team cohesion? The use of emotional intelligence based leadership styles has drawn increasing attention from professionals as corporate settings continue to change, becoming more complicated, dynamic, and unpredictable (Ninassi, 2023). Even though there has been a lot of study on leadership-related subjects in stable automotive businesses, many still have trouble managing conflict and coordinating their teams effectively, which significantly lowers productivity and job satisfaction (Kurdi, 2023) (Alam, 2021). As a result, there are still gaps in the knowledge of the best leadership philosophies for team management in businesses. Therefore, this study is significant to mitigate such issues to produce a precise outcome that helps automotive businesses in Malaysia. Besides, interpersonal management is acknowledged as being crucial to the survival of long-term organisations, little empirical study has examined the aspects of intelligence-based leadership conduct among team supervisors and how it affects team members' ability to resolve conflicts in automotive businesses (Bala, 2020). The goal of this study is to give an improved understanding of this topic, including recommendations to help direct future research and educate project managers. Theory and Hypotheses Transformational Leadership Theory The goal of a transformational leader is to improve overall job happiness and productivity by reorganising inefficient processes and assembling cohesive teams. Though few studies have examined how it works in particular work environments, good leadership, including transformational leadership, is relevant to better job performance and job satisfaction. Four separate elements make up transformational leadership theory, which embodies its fundamental elements in each organisation (Okoli, 2021): Intellectual stimulation involves questioning the current state, fostering innovation, and investigating novel approaches (Yüksel, 2021). It talks about leaders who inspire their followers to be creative and unconventional thinkers (Malibari, 2022). Encouraging followers fosters analytical and problem-solving abilities, which benefits the group or organisation overall (Javaid, 2023). As per Fig. 1, Individualised consideration gives each employee motivation and assistance. Leaders must maintain open lines of contact to encourage them to share their thoughts (Becker, 2021). They acknowledge each person's particular efforts on a personal level (Javaid, 2023). Leaders offer opportunities for specialised training after identifying the driving force behind each person's ambition (Leithwood, 2021). As a result, team members may grow and mature in a setting that suits them. Hence, emotional intelligence is necessary for engaging people (Davaei, 2022).

Fig. 1 Transformational Leadership Style (Source: (Ugochukwu C., 2024) Leaders who are inspiring and willing to dedicate themselves to a goal are characterised by inspirational motivation (Bakker, 2023). They inspire fellow teammates to share this goal by boosting team spirit, creating a sense of community, and giving them a sense of purpose (Ugochukwu, 2024) (Karimi, 2023). Communication needs to be simple and straightforward ensure better performance and job satisfaction (Żywiołek, 2022). This implies that their method of communication have to be tailored to the team's requirements (Alessa, 2021) (Suriyankietkaew, 2022). This gives members order and framework so they can complete assignments without becoming lost. Idealised influence shows that the transformative leader serves as an inspiration to staff members. Since, they have been admired and reliable, they are imitated (Kariuki, 2022). One of the key components of this attribute is charisma (Kareem, 2023). Charismatic leaders are the initial ones to accept responsibility when anything goes wrong while providing specific team members credit for every accomplishment (Choi, 2021). Each team member receives constructive criticism from them as well, that has a positive impact over their job satisfaction. Their keen interest also serves as a representation of intended impact (Ugoani, 2021). This theory may express a transformative vision within organisational leaders with their staff and inspire them to strive towards realising it.

Fig. 2 Conceptual Framework Figure 2 illustrates the connections between the variables. Two boxes on the left side and two boxes on the right side depict the independent variables (Inspirational motivation, Idealized influence, Intellectual stimulation and Individualized consideration) that have a significant impact on the dependent variable Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion (RCTC), which can be seen as arrows from IVs to DV. Further, one box on the upper middle side indicates the mediating effect (upper box on right) of emotional expression on the independent and dependent variables (lower box on middle). Another arrow from MV to DV depicts the mediating effect of emotional expression on Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion (RCTC). The effectiveness of a team frequently depends on how well its members collaborate as well as their skills (Zant, 2024). How people on a team are cohesive and work together to achieve shared objectives is known as team cohesiveness (Young, 2023) (Zant, 2024). It is essential for improving output and job performance. It comprises respect, trust, and a common dedication to the team's achievement (Marianne Synnes Emblemsvåg, 2023). The production and standard of work produced by a cohesive team are directly impacted by their open communication, smooth collaboration, and mutual support (Wei, 2022). A strong sense of psychological safety and efficient communication are characteristics of cohesive teams (Riisla, 2021). Previous research has shown that teams with substantial amounts of collaboration and trust are more successful in achieving their goals and job satisfaction. Tasks are finished more quickly and with fewer mistakes when co-workers can communicate openly (Zant, 2024) (Wei, 2022). Establishing defined objectives and job performance standards for the staff is one of the fundamental stages in inspiring them (Ghani, 2022). They should explain the goals and advantages of dispute resolution, the success metrics and regulations, and the tools and assistance that are accessible to them. H1 Inspirational motivation has a significant impact on Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion Strong interpersonal ties among team members are indicative of a cohesive unit. The foundation of cohesive teamwork is collaboration (Zamecnik, 2024). Members of a cohesive team are prepared to pool resources, expertise, and information to accomplish shared objectives (Strode, 2022) (Yin, 2022). They collaborate well, utilising one another's advantages and making up for one another's shortcomings. This high degree of cooperation improves the ability to solve problems, resolve conflicts, and provide more creative ideas enhancing job satisfaction (Giulia Paganin, 2023) (Farnsworth, 2020). Modern organisations are increasingly depending on remote or virtual teams due to technological advancements and the requirement to access global knowledge (Natu, 2022) (Mathews, 2024). The geographical separation of personnel continues to be a barrier to productive collaboration at work and, specifically, teamwork, even with ongoing advancements in communication technologies (Shimaponda-Nawa, 2024). The association between leaders and those who support them is the primary focus of transforming management (Yücel, 2021). Examining its potential to enhance employee engagement, happiness, and job satisfaction is crucial (linkedin.com, 2023). Leaders who are excellent role models for their colleagues are described as having idealised influence (Juan Facundo Corti, 2023). Colleagues admire and trust leaders with idealised influence to make wise choices for the company (Hui, 2022). Hence, this study enhances the current framework for comprehending how idealised influence leaders may help employees embrace change management by adopting and instilling the idealised influence concept. H2 Idealized influence has a significant impact on Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion The capacity to foster imaginative thinking and analytical thinking in the staff is known as intellectual stimulation (linkedin.com, 2024). Businesses will discover in this study how intellectual stimulation may help those in the automotive organisation deal with complications and unpredictability. Followers who get intellectual stimulation have the chance to develop their ability to think strategically, confront prejudices and held beliefs about what is right, and realise their own greater potential and capacity for self-management (Raithel, 2021) (Farnsworth, 2020). Leaders may more successfully negotiate complexity and ambiguity by questioning preconceived notions and investigating novel concepts (Jalonen., 2024). This method not only encourages creativity but also develops resilience and flexibility, two qualities that are crucial in a setting that is dynamic and energetic (Mejía, 2022) (Karimi, 2023). In real-world terms, this might entail a leader guiding their group to analyse a complicated market development, encouraging a range of perspectives and cooperative investigation (Shedow, 2021). This fosters a dynamic, resilient organisational mentality to prepare the team to adjust to changing difficulties (Bakker, 2023). Hence, it can be hypothesised as: H3 Intellectual stimulation has a significant impact on Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion Individual consideration characterises managers who serve as associates' trainers and counsellors (Imam, 2021). Individually considerate managers motivate staff members to accomplish objectives that benefit the company and their co-workers (Košičiarová, 2021). Teamwork, which prioritises cooperation and the division of labour, is highly successful in increasing a company's adaptability to constantly shifting external and internal circumstances (Salas-Vallina, 2021). Although the leader and team members often have different origins, tastes, demands, criteria, regulations, principles, and ethics, they must actively collaborate and communicate to accomplish organisational objectives (Keane, 2024). In general, intellectual rather than psychological viewpoints form the basis of the majority of relevant investigations (Götz, 2021). According to the cognitive approach, prior research primarily examines how these systems affect individual and team results, such as employee creativity and teamwork, based on social cognition theory and social exchange theory (Grossman, 2021). Mach (2021) try to investigate the connections between conflict resolution approaches and emotional consequences, such as group emotional weariness. Therefore, this investigation highlights the connection between individualized consideration along with relationship conflicts and team cohesion. This study thus develops the hypothesis that: H4 Individualized consideration has a significant impact on Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion Emotional control and motivation are closely related. People who are motivated are more capable of controlling their feelings when faced with difficulties (Gable, 2022). A fundamental component of emotional intelligence (EQ), self-motivation is necessary for personal as well as professional achievement (Begum, 2021). Maintaining an excessive amount of motivation in business settings may be difficult for leaders and employees, especially in the automotive industry (Drigas, 2023). Employees may find it challenging to remain motivated and engaged due to the complexity of the modern workplace (Kortantamer., 2024). This is when it becomes crucial to comprehend the mechanics of self-motivation and establish an environment that encourages it (Bolade-Ogunfodun, 2022). Motivation is a business problem as well as a personal one (Gable, 2022). One issue that many businesses deal with is that team members find it difficult to stay motivated in demanding or repetitive environments (Geissdoerfer, 2022). This leads to poorer morale, less productivity, and occasionally burnout (Toniolo-Barrios, 2021). Although they are frequently aware of these motivational lapses, leaders find it difficult to deal with them. For this reason, companies must include determination in their culture (Bala, 2020). Businesses may encourage people to take responsibility for their performance by cultivating an atmosphere of success founded on emotional intelligence (Alessa, 2021) (Alam, 2021). Thus, it can be stated that: H5 Inspirational motivation has a significant impact on Emotional Expression The capacity of a leader to set high standards and behave as an example of exceptional professional conduct is referred to as idealised influence (Görgens-Ekermans, 2021). Employees appreciate and believe this type of supervisor. According to the theory, leaders who have been regarded with favour by their followers would prioritise the needs of their followers over their own (Bakker, 2023) (Javaid, 2023). Leaders may utilise idealised influence to inspire and encourage followers from a variety of cultural backgrounds by learning about their principles and opinions (Nguyen, 2023). They can further be extremely considerate and modify their leadership style to fit their cultural background (Begum, 2021) (Kariuki, 2022). Cultural norms, standards, and personal traits for decision-making, interaction, and leadership may vary (Fisher, 2021). Leaders have the power to forge a common vision that cuts across cultural divides and promotes a feeling of community and purpose (Lansing, 2023). This strategy fosters motivation and trust, which propels group achievement (Kariuki, 2022). Effective leadership requires a deep knowledge of every team member. Leaders need to learn to be empathetic (Kareem, 2023). It is important to recognise and appreciate differences in values and views. H6 Idealized influence has a significant impact on Emotional Expression Intellectual stimulation is crucial because it provides several strategies for leaders and their teams to deal with complications and ambiguity (Palomero-Gallagher, 2021). Leaders and their followers may welcome fluctuations and unpredictability as openings rather than challenges because it first cultivates a culture of growing and adapting (Guo, 2021). Second, using the many different points of view of the audience improves the team's overall intelligence and inventiveness (Grahlow, 2022). Third, it empowers the group members by demonstrating esteem for their individuality and appreciation for their opinions (Messmann G. E., 2021). Fourth, giving them constructive feedback and intellectual challenges boosts their drive and contentment (Alam, 2021). Organisational greatness requires intellectual stimulation, particularly during difficult circumstances (Tan, 2021). When teams tackle complicated problems, it results in improved performance and creative solutions (Burger-Helmchen., 2024). This approach fosters a growth mind-set, which promotes continuous learning and versatility, alongside increasing resilience and mobility (Haleem, 2024). Through offering intellectual challenges and acknowledgement, it significantly improves satisfaction with work and retention while lowering dissatisfaction and monotony. H7 Intellectual stimulation has a significant impact on Emotional Expression The leadership of Malaysia's automotive sector must assist staff in understanding their responsibilities and carrying them out to promote superior customer service (Shvetsova, 2021) (Grahlow, 2022). The primary factor to be considered is that individuals are treated differently and individually depending on their skill level and understanding of a process or activity (Abdullahi, 2021). It gives them the opportunity to reach high standards that may not be necessary. Individualised consideration can be demonstrated through thank-you notes, compliments, equitable workload dispersion, and career counselling, and tracking the advancement of professional endeavours (Bakker, 2023). Still, given the leader's expansive viewpoint on the company, there must be an understanding of challenges that can inspire followers based on their personal requirements and work-related concerns (Raithel, 2021) (Ugochukwu, 2024). Therefore, this study hypothesised the connection as: H8 Individualized consideration has a significant impact on Emotional Expression Emotional expressions such as happiness at work and the related favourable perspectives and observations of leaders and workers have historically captured the interest of organisational investigators (Bakker, 2023). As a result, research on the causes and effects of job satisfaction and well-being is expanding quickly (Liu-Thompkins, 2022). Team emotional intelligence (TEI) represents an example of the emotional dimensions that has been found to impact the variability in several group behaviour-related variables (Mindeguia, 2021). Despite the fact that current meta-analytic research has connected leadership style to success at many levels of analysis (Giulia Paganin, 2023). This namely the person, team, and organisation this study concentrates on the connection between emotional expression, factors of transformational leadership style alongside relationship conflicts and team cohesion (Mach, 2021) (Begum, 2021). H9 Emotional Expression has a mediating impact on the relationship between inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration as well as relationship conflicts and team cohesion. Emotional intelligence based leadership has been found to be an effective behaviour associated with various organisational, work-unit, and staff satisfaction effects, despite the fact that few research have examined the impact of leadership style at the organisational level. However, a meta-analysis of studies in this area revealed that Leadership and Emotions are significant potential mediators of transformative leadership achievements that require more investigation, which is the potential gap in the current research. Research Methodology The study has adopted a quantitative research design for collecting data from the selected respondents. The data has been collected from selected respondents and this approach is beneficial when numeric data is to be analysed for generating statistics result (Ghanad, 2023). The data generated through this study can be generalised for understanding the global influence of Emotional Intelligence-Based Leadership on team cohesion and relationship conflicts. The statistical analysis approach allows testing the research hypotheses in order to prove the assumptions that have been made (Tiwasing, 2023). It is possible to discover the underlying relationships that are prevalent between the variables. The population of the study comprises the employees in the automobile industry in Malaysia. Currently, there is a total employment of 25600 individuals in the region. This reflects a significant amount of increase in the total employees compared to the previous years as there has been an increasing trend from the year 2020 (Siddharta, 2024). However, collecting data from all the employees in the Malaysian automobile industry would be challenging as it is a very large number. Hence based on the Krejcie and Morgan standards a suitable sample for this population would be 377 employees (Chaokromthong, 2021). Considering the chances of bias affecting the data set and overall data of 405 employees has been collected. The sample would be identified with the help of the simple random sampling approach that ensures selection of samples without bias (as per Fig. 3).

Fig. 3 Krejcie and Morgan table (Source: (Chaokromthong, 2021) Primary data collection approach is being followed through which data is to be gathered with the help of a quantitative survey questionnaire (Mazhar, 2021). The questions have been prepared by adapting them from previous articles that have been published in the past (refer to appendix). The questionnaire is to be distributed to the identified samples who would be providing their responses based on the five-point Likert scale options in the questionnaire (Tanujaya, 2022). The benefit of this approach is that the data collected is authentic, based on the data collected directly from respondents who are facing consequences of the research problem. The numerical data would be analysed using statistical measures under a quantitative data analysis approach. The data collected have been analysed using the SPSS and SmartPLS software (Purwanto, 2021). This software is capable of performing tests like Demographic analysis, reliability testing, Discriminant validity, VIF analysis and regression analysis for testing the relationship between the variables. The statistical results generated have been analysed in order to interpret the impact of the variables in the study. Results Demographic Information Demographic profiling analysis is conducted in order to prepare the trends and patterns that are revealed regarding the participants in the study. This analysis of the participant would also determine how the opinion of the selected respondents could have an impact over the outcome of the study. Count Column N % Age 25 to 34 years 190 46.9% 35 to 44 years 109 26.9% 45 to 54 years 77 19.0% More than 55 years 29 7.2% Gender Male 169 41.7% Female 236 58.3% Working 1 to 3 years 182 44.9% 4 to 6 years 138 34.1% 7 to 10 years 61 15.1% More than 10 years 24 5.9% Virtual Team Daily 22 5.4% Weekly 231 57.0% Monthly 84 20.7% Rarely 68 16.8% Experience Beginner 39 9.6% Intermediate 43 10.6% Advanced 177 43.7% Expert 146 36.0%

As per the outcome of Table 1, it has been identified that the majority of respondents belong from the age group of 25 to 34 years and this rate is 190 (46.9%). On the other hand, only 29 (7.2%) participants belong from the age group of more than 55 years. It has been found out that 236 female and 169 male respondents are participating in the survey. Majority of respondents 182 (44.9%) are working from 1 to 3 years and 231 (57.0%) weekly participate in virtual team meetings. Most of the respondents 177 (43.7%) are experienced in this field. This outcome represents that due to participants of experienced employees they are able to be involved in a virtual team meeting in a significant way. Moreover, due to emotional intelligence-based leadership, participants from all gender categories are capable of participating in the survey. Reliability

Fig. 4 Research model Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha Cronbach's Alpha Based on Standardized Items N of Items .882 .883 6

Based on the findings of Table 2 and Fig. 4, it has been determined that the Cronbach alpha value generated as .882 for a total of 6 items. This value should be between the ranges of 0.7 to 0.9 to make the study significant. Hence, it has been proposed that all of the variables are highly internally consistent with each other. Moreover, the implemented scale (Likert scale) is also highly reliable for this research. Discriminant validity EE IC II IM IS RCTC EE IC 0.469 II 0.525 0.703 IM 0.496 0.661 0.780 IS 0.429 0.714 0.752 0.642 RCTC 0.530 0.667 0.897 0.935 0.632

As shown in Table 3, the HTMT ratios for most of the variable pairs like II and RCTC (0.897), RCTC and IM (0.935), and IM and II (0.780) is above 0.85. It refers to a minor issue with discriminant validity. On the other hand, it also refers to the fact that Idealised Influence (II), Intellectual Stimulation (IS), and Inspirational Motivation (IM) are highly correlated with each other. Variance Inflation factor VIF EE -> RCTC 1.349 IC -> EE 1.847 IC -> RCTC 1.877 II -> EE 2.289 II -> RCTC 2.357 IM -> EE 1.956 IM -> RCTC 1.994 IS -> EE 1.881 IS -> RCTC 1.885

As per Table 4, the VIF value for Emotional Expression (EE) and Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion (RCTC) is 1.349 that refers to low correlation with each other. Similarly, the correlation between some variables like Idealised Influence (II) and Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion (RCTC) is 2.357 that indicates a moderate to high correlation. Hence, the proposed dataset has some multicollinearity issues as EE does not have a high correlation with other predicted variables. Construct Cronbach’s Alpha Composite Reliability (CR) Average Variance Extracted (AVE) IM (Inspirational Motivation) 0.874 0.905 0.657 II (Idealised Influence) 0.861 0.896 0.633 IS (Intellectual Stimulation) 0.845 0.889 0.622 IC (Individual Consideration) 0.823 0.876 0.589 EE (Emotional Expression) 0.836 0.882 0.603 RCTC (Relationship Conflicts & Team Cohesion) 0.902 0.927 0.679

As per Table 5, the results of Cronbach’s Alpha, Composite Reliability (CR), and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) demonstrate that all constructs meet the minimum thresholds. Cronbach’s Alpha values are above 0.7, indicating internal consistency. Similarly, CR values exceed the recommended 0.7 benchmark, and AVE values are greater than 0.5, confirming convergent validity (Hair et al., 2019). This indicates that the measurement model is reliable and valid in capturing the constructs of Inspirational Motivation (IM), Idealised Influence (II), Intellectual Stimulation (IS), Individual Consideration (IC), Emotional Expression (EE), and Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion (RCTC). Endogenous Construct R² EE 0.612 RCTC 0.694

From Table 6, it has been found that the R² values for EE (0.612) and RCTC (0.694) indicate that the predictor variables explain 61.2% and 69.4% of the variance in the respective endogenous constructs. According to Chin (1998), R² values of 0.67 are substantial, 0.33 are moderate, and 0.19 are weak. Thus, the model demonstrates substantial explanatory power, particularly for RCTC. Endogenous Construct Q² EE 0.371 RCTC 0.422

Table 7 is highlighting the Q² values of 0.371 (EE) and 0.422 (RCTC) are both above zero, confirming that the model has predictive relevance. This means that the inclusion of leadership constructs enhances the predictive accuracy for both emotional expression and team cohesion. Path β (Beta) t-value p-value Decision IM → EE 0.298 5.221 0.000 Supported II → EE 0.322 5.874 0.000 Supported IS → EE 0.276 4.915 0.000 Supported IC → EE 0.241 4.382 0.000 Supported IM → RCTC 0.211 3.986 0.000 Supported II → RCTC 0.267 4.574 0.000 Supported IS → RCTC 0.243 4.118 0.000 Supported IC → RCTC 0.225 4.002 0.000 Supported EE → RCTC 0.295 5.442 0.000 Supported

From Table 8, the structural model results confirm that all hypothesized relationships are statistically significant. IM, II, IS, and IC have positive effects on both EE and RCTC, with path coefficients ranging from 0.211 to 0.322. Additionally, EE has a significant effect on RCTC (β = 0.295, p < 0.001), highlighting its mediating role. These findings validate the theoretical framework, demonstrating that leadership dimensions positively influence both emotional expression and team cohesion. Index Value Threshold Result SRMR 0.061 < 0.08 Good fit NFI 0.913 > 0.90 Good fit Chi-Square (χ²) 1287.45 – –

As per Table 9, the SRMR value (0.061) is below the threshold of 0.08, and NFI (0.913) exceeds the recommended cutoff of 0.90, confirming that the model achieves a good overall fit. The Chi-square value is reported but is not the primary indicator for PLS-SEM. Thus, the structural model demonstrates acceptable global fit indices. The above-conducted multiple regression analysis has reflected that the four independent variables inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration have all generated p-values that are less than 0.05. Relationship is seen to be prevalent among these independent variables with the dependent variable relationship conflict and team cohesion. Hence this information portrays that the hypotheses developed for the independence variables from H1 to H4 are supported for the study. The assumptions made regarding the impact of these variables have been proven to be effective through the findings of the research. The mediating relationships for the variable emotional expression affecting the dependent and dependent variables were also analysed under the study. The multiple regression analysis has defined that emotional expression has a strong relationship with the dependent variable relationship conflicts and steam cohesion. The p-value is generated to be less than 0.05 satisfying the requirements. Additionally, a Sobel test has also been conducted that interprets the mediating impact of emotional expression on the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The Sobel test has reflected values of t statistics generated above 1.96 for all the variables. This further assures the hypothesis that has been developed from H5 to H8 has been satisfied. The multiple regression analysis has also satisfied the hypothesis H9. Thus, all the hypotheses or assumptions made for the study have been satisfied. Conclusion It has been concluded from the overall discussion that emotional intelligence-based leadership style helps to understand team characteristics. Hence, it enhances team creativity, teamwork, and execution skills that encourage employees to be involved in virtual team meetings. The researcher has collected information through survey questionnaires and analysed it through IBM SPSS and SmartPLS software. The findings of this study represent that emotional intelligence-based leaders in the Malaysian automobile industry can encourage employees toward continuous achievement by inspirational motivation. Moreover, such a leadership style also considers ethical and moral effects among employees during virtual team meetings. In this way, this study draws a valid conclusion that shows emotional intelligence-based leadership style helps to improve overall job performance and organisational culture. Theoretical Implications The study provides strong evidence supporting the role of emotional intelligence-based transformational leadership in enhancing team cohesion and reducing relationship conflicts within a virtual work environment. The results from SmartPLS analysis confirmed that all leadership dimensions—Inspirational Motivation (IM), Idealised Influence (II), Intellectual Stimulation (IS), and Individual Consideration (IC), significantly predict Emotional Expression (EE) and Relationship Conflicts and Team Cohesion (RCTC). The structural model results showed substantial variance explained (R² = 0.612 for EE; R² = 0.694 for RCTC), highlighting the robustness of the model in explaining leadership impact on team outcomes. These findings reinforce the Transformational Leadership Theory, which posits that leaders who inspire, motivate, and intellectually stimulate their teams foster stronger emotional bonds and collective performance (Alessa, 2021; Bakker, 2023). In particular, Idealised Influence and Inspirational Motivation were found to be strongly related to team cohesion, suggesting that when leaders act as role models and provide a compelling vision, they reduce interpersonal conflicts and improve group harmony. Emotional Expression was also found to significantly influence team cohesion (β = 0.295, p < 0.001), establishing its mediating role between leadership and team dynamics. This enriches the theoretical understanding of emotional intelligence as a mechanism that links leadership practices with organizational outcomes in virtual teams. By integrating transformational leadership constructs with emotional intelligence in a virtual context, the study extends the scope of existing leadership theories. It highlights how leadership behaviors traditionally studied in physical workplaces remain critical in digital and remote environments. This provides a basis for future research to explore additional emotional and behavioral factors that mediate or moderate the relationship between leadership and team performance in technologically mediated workspaces. Practical Implications From a practical standpoint, the findings are particularly relevant for industries such as the automobile sector in Malaysia, where the shift toward virtual and hybrid work models has created challenges in maintaining team cohesion. The results suggest that leaders must emphasize emotionally intelligent behaviors—such as being approachable, empathetic, and communicative—to reduce conflict and strengthen relationships. Organizations should invest in leadership development programs that train managers in emotional expression and transformational behaviors. For example, developing better communication protocols, encouraging open dialogue, and fostering trust can enhance job satisfaction and performance capability among employees (Giulia Paganin, 2023; Imam, 2021). Emotional availability from leaders enables employees to express concerns more freely, which not only reduces relationship conflicts but also enhances motivation and productivity. Additionally, as the analysis confirmed predictive relevance (Q² values above 0.35), it is clear that leadership behaviors have long-term implications for sustaining team performance. Companies can implement structured mentoring, regular feedback loops, and conflict resolution frameworks to strengthen cohesion in virtual environments. This can help employees transition smoothly to digital collaboration, thereby improving organizational resilience and overall productivity. Limitations and Future Research Directions Despite the strong results, certain methodological limitations remain. The study employed a quantitative survey approach, which, while statistically robust, limited deeper exploration of personal experiences. The sample size, though sufficient for PLS-SEM, may not fully capture the diversity of challenges faced by employees in different sub-sectors of the automobile industry. Moreover, high correlations among some leadership constructs (e.g., II and IM) point to conceptual overlaps that future studies could further refine. Future research should adopt a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative interviews or case studies to gain richer insights into leadership behaviors in virtual teams. Comparative studies across industries and countries could also test the generalizability of these findings. Furthermore, additional control variables such as organizational culture, technological readiness, or employee resilience could be integrated to broaden the explanatory power of the model. These extensions would not only refine the understanding of emotional intelligence-based leadership but also provide actionable strategies for organizations navigating the complexities of remote work. Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding No funding information available. AcknowledgementThe authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the management and employees of the participating Malaysian automobile companies for their valuable time, insights, and cooperation during this study. We also acknowledge the guidance and support provided by our academic mentors and colleagues, whose feedback significantly contributed to the development of this research. Ethical Statement This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of research involving human participants. Prior to participation, all respondents were provided with information about the purpose of the study, and informed consent was obtained. Confidentiality and anonymity were strictly maintained, and participants were informed of their right to withdraw at any stage without penalty. The research received ethical approval from UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA. Author ContributionJikui Li (J.L.): Conceptualization, methodology, data analysis, manuscript writing.Zaleha Yazid (Z.Y.): Literature review, data collection, supervision, review and editing.Rosmah Mat Isa (R.M.I.): Data interpretation, discussion, manuscript drafting, and revisions.Nur Sa'adah Muhamad (N.S.M.): Statistical analysis, validation, and supporting manuscript preparation.Xiaonan Hu (X.H.): Project administration, final manuscript review, and quality assurance.All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Zaleha Yazid (Z.Y.): Literature review, data collection, supervision, review and editing. Rosmah Mat Isa (R.M.I.): Data interpretation, discussion, manuscript drafting, and revisions. Nur Sa'adah Muhamad (N.S.M.): Statistical analysis, validation, and supporting manuscript preparation. Xiaonan Hu (X.H.): Project administration, final manuscript review, and quality assurance. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Data AvailabilityThe datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Due to confidentiality agreements with participating organizations, raw data cannot be made publicly available but will be shared in anonymized form where appropriate. 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Yes