The role of strategic thinking between emotional intelligence and firm level entrepreneurship orientation

Entrepreneurship is one of the most important factors for countries to be economically resilient. Successful continuation of the entrepreneurial journey, which involves high uncertainty and intense working conditions, requires the effective management of emotional factors and strategic thinking that is becoming more and more relevant as the leadership style in an organization. The study specifically attempted to evaluate the role of strategic thinking in mediating the interaction between emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial orientation, to provide a full picture of how these cognitive and emotional abilities interact in the workplace. The questionnaire was employed as a means of electronically collecting data from the study sample. Of the 400 questionnaires collected, 34 were eliminated to be unsatisfactorily complete and were therefore rejected. The approved study sample consisted of 376 business managers in Istanbul. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilized due to its ability to handle non-normal data distributions, its effectiveness with small sample sizes, its capacity to analyze formative variables, and its suitability for complex models using SmartPls 4.0. Results revealed that leaders' emotional intelligence has a relationship with their strategic thinking and leaders' strategic thinking has a relationship with the firm's entrepreneurship orientation. The findings did not show empirical evidence that proves leaders' emotional intelligence has a relationship with the firm's entrepreneurship orientation. However, it was discovered that strategic thinking has a full mediating effect between the emotional intelligence of the leaders and firms' entrepreneurship orientation. This emphasises the critical importance of strategic thinking as a link between emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial success. This shows that, while emotional intelligence is crucial, it must be combined with strategic thinking to develop entrepreneurial behaviour effectively. Based on these results, it can be said that strategic thinking is essential for engaging in entrepreneurial projects and succeeding in a changing environment. The findings are of value for companies, decision-makers, and researchers seeking to increase success in entrepreneurial activities that are vital for businesses.