On a corporate level, organizations worldwide compete for leadership talent to achieve their missions and to gain competitive advantages. Emergent leadership is a paradigm used by managers to improve business and to grow companies. Emergent leadership reveals individuals who are capable of leading because they are competent and have an influence on the people with whom they work. There are factors that cause leaders to emerge. Two factors – personality and emotional intelligence – can make positive impressions on individuals who choose to follow one of their coworkers. This research investigates the effects of personality and emotional intelligence on the emergent leadership process.

The method of this study is quantitative with a sample of 175 students from two Southern universities. Students will engage with an online Qualtrics survey to provide self-reported and peer-reported responses at three points during the semester. Each participant will be a member of a four to five-person team that does not have a designated leader. The team will remain in its integrity as one group throughout the semester.

The findings are essential for three reasons. First, the evidence from this study will provide managers within organizations with a list of traits that propel teams to follow certain individuals. Second, and conversely, people seeking jobs can learn which traits they can emulate to help them land a leadership role within the organization they serve. Third, the information from this study will provide an analysis of boundary conditions associated with the personality trait theory.