The Future of Education

Despite decades of progress in project management, failure rates remain high. Recent research highlights the growing importance of human-centered competencies, especially Emotional Intelligence (EI), as key factors in project success. While EI has been widely studied in corporate contexts, its value is now increasingly recognized in education, where collaboration, adaptability, and stakeholder engagement are essential.

This paper reviews literature and presents best practices on how project leaders’ EI influences success in educational settings. High EI, marked by empathy, self-awareness, and relationship skills, is strongly linked to better teamwork, adaptability, and communication. These soft skills are essential for navigating complex educational projects. The paper also challenges the traditional “iron triangle” model (cost, time, scope), proposing broader success indicators such as trust, motivation, and collaboration.

As a good practice illustration, the Erasmus+ project PS.smile, focused on socio-emotional learning in primary education, exemplified the benefits of EI-driven leadership of all partners and was honored with the 2024 European Innovative Teaching Award. The findings underscore the importance of integrating EI development in project management training within higher education to foster success in future educational initiatives.