Leverage Emotional Intelligence: Where People and Technology Intersect

Illustration of a man using a firehose to put out a fire on top of a man's head

Frontline leaders' daily interactions with employees shape the emotional climate—and thus the performance—of the entire operation.

By Scott B. Keller, Peter M. Ralston and Stephen A. Lemay

Smitty, a seasoned manager at a bustling regional distribution center, started his morning as usual—walking the aisles, checking inventory dashboards, and greeting his team as they prepped for a day of picking, packing, and shipping orders. The center was a hub of activity, with goods flowing in from suppliers and out to retailers and customers. But lately, Smitty sensed a change: turnover was creeping up, order errors were more frequent, and the team’s energy felt flat. He’d tried the new automation tools, stricter checklists, and even team lunches, but nothing seemed to stick. Smitty realized the missing piece wasn’t another process or technology—it was the human element: emotional intelligence (EI).

The Science Behind Smitty's Approach

Smitty’s journey was inspired by research showing that EI is a critical driver of operational success, especially in environments where people and technology intersect.

Gone are the days when supervisors could succeed solely through command and control. As we argue, it’s the managers who recognize, understand, and guide emotions that create productive workplaces where employees choose to stay—reducing costly mistakes and improving service outcomes. It is not softness; it’s about using emotions for better decision-making and stronger teams.

Frontline supply chain management is experiencing a profound evolution, not just in its tools and processes but in the very nature of leadership. Thanks to breakthroughs in automation, analytics, and advanced manufacturing, supply chain operations have never been more efficient—yet, as research and real-world experiences reveal, employees remain central to success. Emotional Intelligence (EI) emerges as the single most powerful differentiator, shifting supervisors from task managers to relationship leaders.

This article summarizes our study of 155 supply chain managers and highlights practical strategies grounded in the science of EI. We found that managers with strong EI— especially skill at helping employees process stress and setbacks—created workplaces with notably higher job satisfaction, reduced error rates, and lower turnover. Drawing from the John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey (1997) Four-Branch Model of EI, we detail the psychological components behind emotionally intelligent leadership and showcase real-world examples to guide managers looking to make EI a cornerstone of their management style.

The Science Of Emotional Intelligence

Mayer and Salovey identify EI as an ability-based competency, broken into four major areas:

Perceiving Emotions: Recognizing emotional cues in self and others, such as facial expressions or tone. For managers, this might mean noticing when a customer service rep’s patience is wearing thin before conflict erupts.
Using Emotions to Facilitate Thought: Harnessing feelings to support problem-solving or creativity. For example, channeling collective frustration into brainstorming sessions that yield operational improvements.
Understanding Emotions: Comprehending how emotions change, and why. If tension in a shift seems to escalate, an emotionally intelligent supervisor can anticipate behavioral shifts from frustration to anger, acting before situations escalate.
Managing Emotions: Effectively regulating one’s own emotions and helping others do the same—perhaps by diffusing a heated exchange between two different department employees or supporting an employee through personal stress.

Research across industries indicates these EI capacities are developmental managers. They master the basics and progress to advanced regulation of complex workplace emotions, yielding operational and strategic benefits.

From The Frontline

A manager at a busy transportation hub noticed rising tension and equipment damage, reflecting a history of assigning difficult routes to already frustrated drivers. By following the EI branch of perceiving emotions, he tuned into subtle mood signals—slumped shoulders, curt responses, signs of distraction—and broke the pattern. He started conversations about personal stressors and rotated challenging assignments based on real-time emotional data. The result? Arguments decreased, and delivery stats rapidly improved.

In a customer service office setting, an employee’s repeated mistakes and lack of consistency drew scrutiny. Rather than jumping to discipline, the supervisor applied emotional understanding and management skills, discovering the root was stress over a long-term pet illness and offered the employee flexible work time to see to his pet’s needs. As the pet recovered, the employee recovered, reporting zero errors for two months and eventually began coaching his peers when similar situations arose. Our research included asking participants for their own solutions, which provided a clear roadmap for improvement.

Another case in medical distribution: An employee facing inventory challenges was perceived as uncaring and underperforming. Instead of reprimanding, the supervisor shared his own early errors (reframing mistakes) and gave structured, positive feedback and coaching. The supervisor realized that employees don’t do what they’re supposed to do for varying reasons. In this case, the employee thought their way was better and the supervisor explained why the standard process was in place. The worker was encouraged to share good ideas with the supervisor in the future so that they can work together to continuously improve processes collaboratively. The worker developed into a top performer, showing the value of adaptive and supportive emotional management.

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Strategic Takeaways

As automation and data analytics reshape logistics, people remain the decisive factor in performance. EI—grounded in science, validated by research, and demanded by competitive supply chains—is the axis of leadership that retains talent, drives quality, and strengthens service outcomes. A manager’s capacity for perceiving, using, understanding, and managing emotions is not just a soft skill but a daily operational necessity. The evidence shows that training in EI is not optional. Managers with targeted supervisory development are better equipped to foster positive work environments, and even a modest investment in EI skills pays off in reduced turnover and errors. Frontline leaders see the greatest gains because their daily interactions with employees shape the emotional climate—and thus the performance—of the entire operation.

Building Your EI Roadmap

Companies should:

Implement structured EI assessment and training for frontline managers.
Encourage mentorship and peer learning around emotional management.
Regularly evaluate leadership effectiveness in both technical and emotional domains.
Reward exemplary EI behaviors with recognition and advancement opportunities.

Here are specific steps supply chain managers can implement right now to embed emotional intelligence into daily practice, along with three practical exhibits modeled after the original research, and an updated summary that includes the importance of social desirability as a valued trait.

Five Immediate Action Steps For Managers

1) Start Each Day with Emotional Check-Ins: Spend the first five minutes of shift meetings asking team members about their current stressors or mood. Practice “perceiving emotions” by reading both what is said and unsaid in facial expressions and tone.

2) Reframe Mistakes as Learning Moments: When errors occur, openly share similar mistakes from your own past and what you learned, modeling vulnerability while lowering fear. Highlight growth, not blame.

3) Give Feedback with Empathy and Clarity: Structure feedback to be immediate, specific, and encouraging. Acknowledge the effort—even if the result is not perfect. Draw a clear line from the employee’s actions to business results.

4) Adjust Assignments Based on Team Energy: Watch for signs of fatigue or frustration, and reallocate tasks to avoid compounding stress. Rotate roles and deadlines when you sense tension rising, supporting both the group and individual well-being.

5) Model Calm and Social Desirability: Remain steady, respectful, and supportive during high-pressure situations. Displaying socially desirable behaviors—like fairness, optimism, and patience—not only sets a cultural tone but signals to the team that these traits are valued and worthy of emulation.

Frontline managers who received EI-focused training reported higher scores in building positive work environments and retaining talent. Even small investments in development had measurable impacts. These are proven—not theoretical—habits for supply chain supervisors to build a resilient and high-performing team.

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EI Questions For Managers

Perceiving Emotions

How well do I recognize when a team member is stressed or disengaged?
Can I identify subtle changes in mood or energy during daily operations?

Using Emotions to Facilitate Thought

Do I leverage emotional cues to guide my decision-making and problem-solving?
How often do I turn team frustration or excitement into productive solutions?

Understanding Emotions

Can I pinpoint the root causes of emotional shifts before they impact performance?
Do I understand how stress or disappointment might evolve over time?

Managing Emotions

How do I respond to my own frustration or anxiety at work? Do I model calm and control?
Do I help my team members talk through and manage their emotions during high-pressure moments?

Social Desirability

Are patience, empathy, and optimism visible and valued in my leadership style?
Do I encourage and reward socially desirable behaviors in my team?

About The Authors

Scott B. Keller is Dean of the Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business and Professor at the University of West Florida. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Keller’s research interests include managerial leadership and customer orientation in logistics operations. Along with his brother, he co-authored The Definitive Guide to Warehousing. He is Associate Editor for the Journal of Business Logistics and former editor of the International Journal of Logistics Management.

Stephen A. LeMay is a Professor at the University of West Florida. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. Dr. LeMay has a deep background in transportation and logistics and has authored two books, a textbook and a research book on logistics and transportation topics. LeMay has examined supply chain design, truck driver job satisfaction, supply chain security, computer literacy among undergraduate business students, and other logistics and marketing topics.

This work is adapted from the journal article “Quality Output, Workplace Environment, and Employee Retention: The Positive Influence of Emotionally Intelligent Supply Chain Managers” by Scott B. Keller, Peter M. Ralston, and Stephen A. LeMay, published in the Journal of Business Logistics 2020, 41(4): 337-355 (2020). ChatGPT was used as an assistive tool in the creation of this adaptation.