Despite growing interest in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for leadership development, the theoretical

This conceptual paper addresses this gap by developing an integrated, multi-level theoretical framework.

Through a synthesis of literature across psychology, leadership, and cross-cultural management, we propose the

Cultural-Hierarchical NLP-EI Framework. This model delineates the cognitive, behavioral, and relational

pathways linking NLP techniques to EI dimensions and specifies the moderating roles of cultural context and

organizational hierarchy. The framework provides a theoretical foundation for future research and practical

guidance for designing culturally-sensitive leadership development programs, using the African managerial

cornerstone of effective leadership (Goleman & Cherniss, 2024). Empirically, leaders high in EI are better

equipped to manage interpersonal relationships, make sound ethical decisions under pressure, and cultivate

resilient organizational cultures (Alsalman & Chyad, 2025; Woime & Shato, 2025). Thus, researchers and

theorists in the human resource management field and organizational psychology continue to be concerned with

Looking at all the developmental paradigms, the most paradigm worthy of mention in the research is the Neuro-

linguistic Programming (NLP), which has become a ubiquitous but theoretically debated model in the field of

leadership coaching. NLP is based on the idea that the subjective experience is organized with the help of

neurological mechanisms, language, and patterns of behaviors, and that these arrangements can be simulated

and adjusted later to reach defined results (Boughattas et al., 2022). The advocates argue that NLP-based

report successes, academic research is often limited to empirical studies that, while valuable, lack a robust

theoretical foundation to explain their findings (Villarreal-Zegarra et al., 2024). NLP interventions have been

reported to influence EI in many studies; the mechanism involved is not always explained because there are

differences in the thinking, language, and behaviour processes that make up these alterations. This theoretical

Critical overlooking of contextual moderators also adds to the theoretical uncertainty. It is not a vacuum, but

leadership is embedded in cultural and organizational milieus that influence how emotions are manifested,

sensed, and controlled. An increasing body of literature on African leadership, such as the one on collectivism

and high-context communication, or gender roles expectations, can provide significant insight into how cultural

dynamics can severely affect the effectiveness of leadership development interventions (Galperin et al., 2024).

framework that defines the channels through which the NLP methods can impact the dimensions of EI and define

the moderating role of cultural considerations and organizational rank. We present an argument that the

connection between NLP and EI depends on a complex interaction among individual, cultural, and structural

The paper is structured as follows. First, we review the theoretical foundations of EI in leadership and

deconstruct the core principles and techniques of NLP, analyzing their potential points of connection. Second,

we critically review the literature available to find certain gaps on the theoretical front, especially with regard to

the cultural and hierarchical moderators. Third, and most importantly to our contribution, we present the

Cultural-Hierarchical NLP-EI Framework. It has suggested the following testable propositions: (1)

cognitiveaffective processes between certain NLP methods and certain EI dimensions; (2) the moderating role

development of leaders is also impossible without laying down the conceptual base first. This section critically

examines and synthesizes the theoretical foundations of three domains: (1) multidimensionality of EI in the

leadership situations; (2) theoretical principles and theoretical terrain debatable by NLP; and (3) paramount, but

frequently neglected, importance of the cultural and hierarchical situations on the outcomes of the leadership

The construct of EI has evolved significantly since its definition, evolving from a leading changeable individual-

difference variable to a leading critical variable. The field is rooted in two prevailing theoretical frameworks in

spite of its popularization by Goleman (1995). The conceptualization of EI is the ability model (Darvishmotevali

et al., 2018), which describes this concept in terms of separate cognitive skills (with regard to processing

Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), which measures four dimensions of SelfEmotion

Appraisal (SEA), Others-Emotion Appraisal (OEA), Use of Emotion (UOE), and Regulation of Emotion (ROE)

(Potgieter et al., 2024), can be considered an effective point of convergence between these models. It evaluates

ability-like elements by using a self-report, which makes it very applicable to researching developmental

interventions. The self-perception of leaders of their emotional skills is a major product (Wittmer & Hopkins,

The development of theoretical backgrounds has well-established EI as an asset of individuals and as a core to

relation and strategic leadership. The components of theories of transformational leadership, say, are full of high

EI requirements, including individualized consideration, inspirational motivation (Korakis & Poulaki, 2025).

Resource-based approach is concerned with the EI of a leader. It can be considered an intangible strategic

resource in the leader that creates a competitive advantage with better social coordination and trust (Salameh-

not reality. This is in line with the social cognitive theory (Wang & Shao, 2024), which is keen on the use of

Even though it seems counterintuitive, NLP has found some usefulness and fails to be contested theoretically in

academic psychology. The criticisms are usually over the basis on insufficient empirical evidence to validate the

claims and allegations that overpower the evidence (Thomson, Reiter, & Belz, 2024). However, it is this same

argument that brings us to the necessity of a modern, theoretic exercise, namely, a shift in attitude of wholesale

acceptance or rejection toward a more specific, testable specification of the mechanisms by which its methods

Leadership is not a situational free event, and neither is the development of leadership abilities. A severe

Culturally, the expression, interpretation, as well as management of emotions are highly rooted in culture

(Hofstede, 2015). In the African context of leadership, the situation tends to focus more on communalism,

relational dependence, and high-context communication, meaning derived out of situational and nonverbal

signals (Nkomo & Kekana, 2024). This is in contrast to the more individualistic, low-context cultural milieus

where most of the NLP principles were initially developed. This would theoretically indicate that NLP

because junior managers need to cope with the dynamism of the team interactions and the personal conflicts

within the team. The top-level executives, in their turn, work in a more strategic sphere where UOE, the capacity

to use emotions and motivate large groups of people to promote the vision, becomes of paramount importance.

The theoretical implication is that the one-size-fits-all approach to NLP intervention cannot be highly effective.

The application of certain NLP practices must rely upon the EI requirements in place in the hierarchical job of

the leader. This is in line with the principle of requisite leader intelligence, which creates the argument that the

cognitive and affective conditions to be reasonable vary in a systematic manner in accordance with the level of

Though the above theoretical analysis is important in laying the foundation of knowledge, it also reveals major

emotional intelligence. NLP is perceived as a unitary form of intervention and EI as a unitary outcome in the

literature, which forms a theoretical black box (Passmore and Rowson, 2019). We understand that NLP

interventions may influence EI, yet we do not have a consistent theory about the methods that are best to develop

where most of the studies are based on Western, individualistic, and low-context cultural paradigms (Galperin

et al., 2024). This forms a profound theoretical issue when blindly applied to various contexts, including the

collectivist, high-context, and relationally-oriented environments, which typify most of the African

specifies the actual theoretical mechanisms that connect NLP techniques and EI dimensions; (b) considers

cultural context and organisational hierarchy as fundamental, moderating factors of the model; and (c) explicitly

Proposition 3: The conative instruments of the NLP approach (e.g., perspective-taking, i.e., perceptual positions,

mirroring) will directly have a beneficial impact on the relational aspects of EI, specifically, enhancing the

deepening of the OESs Emotion Appraisal (OSEA) by systematically training the ability to read emotional

Technology: The use of the perceptual position’s technique is a theoretical mind drill. Hypothetically, when one

builds a pattern of over and over again shifting one's own point of view to that of another and a neutral observer,

they improve their aptitude for correctly inferring and sympathizing with the feelings of others, and as such, the

and less hectic in individualistic cultures, but there is also a possibility they will be embraced and potentially

Theoretical Justification: The innate drive to know others is high in the context of collectivist cultures in which

such a sense of identity is interdependent and the society is committed to harmony. This cultural priority is

compatible and enhanced by NLP techniques, which offer a structured approach to the latter (e.g., perceptual

positions). On the other hand, individualistic cultures might make cognitive re-patterning methods that target

Proposition 5: The cultural aspect of Power Distance (the tolerance of hierarchical inequalities) is going to

moderate the relationship between NLP and EI. Normative inhibitions might limit the efficacy of NLP techniques

used by junior managers in assessing the feelings of senior leaders (a particular type of OEA), though the efficacy

Theoretical Justification: A Social filter is a result of High-power distance. A junior manager can clearly

by an employee based on the organisational hierarchy will be identified, and the most effective NLP techniques

Theoretical Justification: This is in concord with requisite organisation theories (O’Leary & Boland, 2019) and

stratified systems theory. Junior-level work is more transactional and interpersonal and requires a high level of

relationship EI. The job at higher ranks is more tactical and symbolic, which requires EI skills that can be utilised

to achieve influence and energy mobilisation towards long-term objectives. Interventions based on NLP that are

adjusted to such level requirements will prove to be more useful and, consequently, more perceived and actual

The Cultural-Hierarchical NLP-EI Framework is not just a descriptive framework; it is a generative framework,

the one that is intended to trigger a shift of paradigm with which scholars and practitioners are conceptualizing

the interaction between developmental interventions and emotional competencies. The ramifications of this

framework are massive, as they offer novel avenues of theoretical progress as well as introduce practically

Our framework has a number of contributions that are notable to the theoretical scenery of human resource

Reorient towards audience: Do not use a universal curriculum, but selectively use NLP techniques depending

on the audience. An example of this is a senior-executives program in a high-power-distance culture may place