DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2017.v05i09.001

Pages: 1095-1103

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions normally experience low retention rates compared to their conventional counterparts. This is a characteristic of the open and distance nature of learning, which may result from a number of reasons that explain why students opt out of programmes; studies done indicated that students were generally dissatisfied with the student support services they accessed from institutions. This paper sought to establish the contribution of emotional intelligence of leadership to institutional success at Open University, which was premised on the principle that leadership established the tone and culture of their institutions; the success of institutions was directly related to the relationship leadership established between it and the workforce. Bradberry (2014) contends that emotional intelligence is the cement that holds all the mechanisms that determine a workforce’s capabilities, commitment and performance together. The researcher adopted a qualitative research paradigm and used it to access the deep-seated perceptions of institutional workers, through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The interpretivist approach was used to interpret the perceptions accessed and render them meaningful in answering the research questions and achieve research objectives. The data that was analysed was coded and consolidated into themes, from which findings were derived. The major finding was that employees perceived a distinct lack of emotional intelligence in leadership. The study’s other finding was that the rules and regulations at the workplace were observed in a rigid manner that was not tempered by human consideration. In an institution of higher learning employees felt that leadership could listen and try to empathise with people, instead of rigidly adhering to regulatory stipulations. This sapped worker commitment.