Modern educational organizations operate in conditions of institutional uncertainty, high emotional stress, and complex interpersonal interactions. Formal administrative mechanisms and bureaucratic procedures do not always ensure a sufficient level of fairness, transparency, and organizational legitimacy, which increases the importance of informal management mechanisms. In this context, emotional intelligence is considered not only as an individual psychological characteristic but also as a managerial resource that helps regulate interpersonal relationships, reduce conflict, and build trust within the organization. Of particular relevance is the problem of perceived favoritism, which can undermine normative expectations of meritocracy, weaken organizational commitment, and reduce the legitimacy of management decisions. The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of emotional intelligence on perceived favoritism in educational organizations in Pakistan within the framework of the sociology of management. The study was conducted within the framework of a quantitative cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 100 university faculty members in Pakistan using a standardized questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, reliability assessment, Pearson correlation analysis, Student's t-test, and multiple regression were used. The study results revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between emotional intelligence and perceived favoritism in educational organizations. Higher levels of emotional awareness, empathy, and emotion regulation are associated with a reduced perception of bias and injustice in organizational decision-making processes. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the integration of the concept of emotional intelligence into the theoretical framework of management sociology and its interpretation as an informal mechanism of management regulation. Unlike traditional psychological approaches, emotional intelligence is viewed as a resource for shaping organizational legitimacy and normative stabilization. The obtained results expand management theory, demonstrating that emotional competencies influence the interpretation of power and justice in professional organizations. The practical significance of the study relates to the possibility of implementing programs for developing emotional competence among educational institution leaders to strengthen trust and procedural fairness.
Hani Abdul Rasheed (Sun,) studied this question.