A Bibliometric Analysis of the Concept of “Social Intelligence” and Its Interpretation in the Context of Leadership

Öz

Social intelligence is the ability to communicate effectively, understand others, and interact, and it plays a key role in leadership. Although it includes emotional intelligence, it has been examined only to a limited extent in the Turkish literature. Leadership behavior is at the core of organizational behavior, and social intelligence has gained importance for its potential impact on leadership. This study first examines the general view of the social intelligence literature and then evaluates its relationship with leadership to contribute to the Turkish literature. The concept of “social intelligence” was searched in the Web of Science (WoS) database on 21 January 2025 under the “all fields” criterion, and 2,149 publications from 1977–2025 were obtained. Data were analyzed with VOSviewer by author, country, institution, source, citation, and bibliographic coupling. For each analysis, network maps were created to visualize structural patterns. In the second stage, publications on both leadership and social intelligence were searched. On 21 January 2025, “social intelligence” and “leadership” were analyzed under the “title” criterion in WoS, and 17 publications were identified. Their distributions by year, type, and citation count were tabulated, and 13 full-text publications were included in summary form. All data came solely from WoS, and the part examining the two concepts together was limited to the title level. Nevertheless, the study aims to deepen the literature on social intelligence and leadership and provide a meaningful contribution to Turkish sources.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• social intelligence
• leadership
• bibliometric analysis
• VOSviewer

“Social Intelligence” Kavramının Bibliyometrik Analizi ve Liderlik Bağlamında Yorumlanması

Öz

Sosyal zekâ, bireylerin başkalarıyla etkili iletişim kurma, anlama ve etkileşimde bulunma yeteneğidir ve liderlikte kilit rol oynar. Sosyal zekâ duygusal zekâyı kapsasa da Türkçe literatürde sınırlı incelenmiştir. Liderlik davranışı örgütsel davranışın merkezindedir ve sosyal zekâ bu süreçlerdeki potansiyel etkisiyle önem kazanmıştır. Bu çalışma, birinci aşamada sosyal zekâ literatürünün genel görünümünü incelemeyi, ikinci aşamada kavramın liderlik ile ilişkisini değerlendirmeyi ve Türkçe literatüre katkı sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu doğrultuda “social intelligence” kavramı 21.01.2025’te Web of Science (WoS) veri tabanında “tüm alanlar” kriteriyle taranmış, 1977–2025 yılları arasında yayımlanan 2.149 yayından oluşan veri seti elde edilmiştir. Veriler VOSviewer aracılığıyla yazar, ülke, kurum, kaynak, atıf ve bibliyografik eşleşme analizleriyle incelenmiş, her analiz için ağ haritaları oluşturularak kavramın yapısal örüntüleri görselleştirilmiştir. İkinci aşamada liderlik ve sosyal zekâ kavramlarının birlikte ele alındığı yayınlar taranmıştır. 21.01.2025’te WoS veri tabanında “social intelligence” ve “leadership” kavramları “title” kısıtıyla analiz edilerek 17 yayın belirlenmiştir. Bu yayınların yıllara, türlere ve atıf sayılarına göre dağılımları tablolaştırılmış, tam metnine ulaşılan 13 yayın özet olarak dâhil edilmiştir. Tüm veriler yalnızca WoS’tan elde edilmiş, iki kavramın birlikte incelendiği kısım başlık düzeyiyle sınırlı kalmıştır. Buna rağmen çalışma, sosyal zekâ ve liderlik literatürünü derinleştirerek Türkçe kaynaklara anlamlı katkı sağlamayı hedeflemektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• sosyal zekâ
• liderlik
• bibliyometrik veri analizi
• VOSviewer

Kaynakça

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