Exploring Emotional Intelligence in Software Testing

2026-09-29

AI Summary

This study investigates how software testers employ emotional intelligence to navigate high-pressure environments, interpersonal conflicts, and evolving requirements. Grounded in Goleman’s emotional intelligence framework, the research utilizes semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative data to examine the unique affective challenges inherent in testing roles. The findings identify three core themes: stress regulation, trust maintenance, and requirement responsiveness. Furthermore, the analysis reveals the pivotal position of testers within agile teams and highlights the potential implications of omitting independent testing phases. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that effective emotion management constitutes a fundamental competency requirement for software testing practice.

Abstract

Background: Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognise, understand, and manage one's own and others' emotions. Software testers deliver judgements about colleagues' work under deadlines they do not control, and prior work on emotion in software engineering has mostly studied developers. Aims: To explore how software testers describe the part EI plays in their day-to-day work, in communication and conflict within the team, and in responding to requirements volatility. Method: Semi-structured interviews with 16 software testers in Sweden working in teams that use agile practices, across aviation, automotive, healthcare, IT services, administration, banking and pharmaceuticals, analysed with reflexive thematic analysis informed by Goleman's EI framework. Results: Three themes. Testers described regulating stress under deadline pressure and drawing motivation from recognition, clarity and autonomy; managing the daily delivery of critical findings to colleagues so that trust survives; and responding to requirements change with frustration that turned into decisions about what to leave untested, into advocacy for process change, or into workarounds. Read against developer-focused studies, the themes point to features of the testing role: the work product is a criticism of a colleague's work, success is invisible while failure is attributed, and the tester's window shrinks with every upstream delay. Conclusions: For testers, managing emotions is a constant job requirement. The results highlight that the importance of EI increases when the development process lacks an independent testing phase. The findings also inform implications for teams and, ultimately, for organisations and future research.

Problem

• Emotional Intelligence
• Software Testing
• Agile Practices
• Requirements Volatility
• Team Communication

Innovation

• Emotional Intelligence
• Software Testing
• Agile Practices
• Reflexive Thematic Analysis
• Requirements Volatility