[Paper Review] The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Handling Requirements Changes in Software Engineering

Kashumi Madampe, Rashina Hoda+1 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jun 23, 2022

Software Engineering Techniques and Practices4 citations

TL;DR

This study presents the first theoretical framework linking emotional intelligence (EI) to requirements change (RC) handling in software engineering, based on a socio-technical grounded theory study with 18 practitioners across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. It identifies key EI components—self-awareness, social awareness, emotion regulation, and relationship management—alongside strategies like open communication and commitment tracking, showing that mode of work (remote/in-person) mediates strategy execution, with open communication emerging as the most critical enabler for effective RC handling.

ABSTRACT

Background: Requirements changes (RCs) are inevitable in Software Engineering. Research shows that emotional intelligence (EI) should be used alongside agility and cognitive intelligence during RC handling. Objective: We wanted to study the role of EI in-depth during RC handling. Method: We conducted a socio-technical grounded theory study with eighteen software practitioners from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Findings: We found causal condition (software practitioners handling RCs), intervening condition (mode of work), causes (being aware of own emotions, being aware of others' emotions), direct consequences (regulating own emotions, managing relationships), extended consequences (sustaining productivity, setting and sustaining team goals), and contingencies: strategies (open and regular communication, tracking commitments and issues, and ten other strategies) of using EI during RC handling. We also found the covariances where strategies co-vary with the causes and direct consequences, and ease/ difficulty in executing strategies co-vary with the intervening condition. Conclusion: Open and regular communication is key to EI during RC handling. To the best of our knowledge, the framework we present in this paper is the first theoretical framework on EI in Software Engineering research. We provide recommendations including a problem-solution chart in the form of causes, direct consequences, and mode of work against the contingencies: strategies for software practitioners to consider during RC handling, and future directions of research.

Motivation & Objective

• To investigate the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in handling requirements changes (RCs) in software engineering, a phenomenon often overlooked despite its impact on team dynamics and productivity.
• To understand how software practitioners use EI during RC handling, particularly in agile environments where changes are frequent and emotionally charged.
• To develop a comprehensive theoretical framework that captures the causal, consequential, and strategic dimensions of EI in RC contexts.
• To provide practical, evidence-based recommendations for software teams and practitioners to improve RC handling through EI-aware practices.
• To identify future research directions for EI in software engineering, especially regarding cross-cultural applicability and broader use cases beyond RC handling.

Proposed method

• Conducted a socio-technical grounded theory (STGT) study with iterative, interleaved data collection and analysis over two rounds of interviews.
• Collected qualitative data via 18 semi-structured interviews (30–60 minutes) with software practitioners from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, using convenience and theoretical sampling.
• Applied open coding, constant comparison, and memoing techniques to analyze interview transcripts and pre-interview questionnaires.
• Used contextual data (demographics, team structure, project context) to enrich the analysis and ensure theoretical saturation.
• Mapped findings into the six C’s framework: context, condition, causes, consequences, contingencies (strategies), and covariances.
• Validated findings through researcher triangulation, weekly and fortnightly team discussions, and visualized findings using Miro boards and textual memos.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How do software practitioners apply emotional intelligence during requirements change handling in real-world software engineering contexts?
• RQ2 What are the key causes, direct consequences, and extended consequences of emotional intelligence use in RC handling?
• RQ3 Which specific strategies do practitioners use to leverage emotional intelligence during RC handling, and how do they vary by mode of work?
• RQ4 How does the mode of work (remote vs. in-person) influence the execution of EI-based strategies during RC handling?
• RQ5 What covariances exist between causes, consequences, and strategies in the use of emotional intelligence during RC handling?

Key findings

• Emotional intelligence plays a critical role in managing requirements changes, with self-awareness and social awareness emerging as core causes that drive effective emotion regulation and relationship management.
• Open and regular communication was identified as the most pivotal strategy, co-varying with both causes (emotional awareness) and direct consequences (emotional regulation and relationship management).
• The mode of work (remote or in-person) acts as an intervening condition that affects the ease or difficulty of executing certain strategies, particularly for S2, S4, and S9 (e.g., tracking commitments and issues).
• Ten additional strategies were identified, including tracking commitments and issues, maintaining transparency, and setting team goals, which collectively support sustained productivity and goal alignment.
• The study reveals covariances where strategies co-vary with causes and consequences, indicating that emotional intelligence is not isolated but systematically interwoven with team processes and outcomes.
• The theoretical framework presented is the first of its kind in software engineering research, offering a structured model for understanding EI in RC handling with practical implications for team well-being and performance.