The Intelligence Many Companies Take For Granted

by Ramlit Navarro

“Organisations often appoint leaders for their IQ. Then, years later, sack them for their lack of EQ (Emotional Intelligence). Common purpose argues that in the future they will promote for CQ - Cultural Intelligence.”

Julia Middleton

The modern workplace is unique and complex in nature. It is characterized by a cultural diversity that has been facilitated by the increased connectivity across various individuals and companies. In this kind of work environment, one can easily forget that the people he/she deals with on a daily basis have different perspectives as well as perceptions from themselves. This is a recipe for disharmony and disorganization. Emotional, social and cultural intelligence is thus no longer a luxury but a necessity that is required in the workplace of the modern day.

The emotions of an individual need to be understood and managed at the individual level. Emotional intelligence is in reference to the ability of an individual to perceive, understand, as well as effectively manage their own emotions and feelings, which in turn enables them to effectively relate with outside parties. This is a necessity in the workplace that executives should factor in as they seek to hire talents. An employee may be qualified in all other aspects yet they are of little use to the organization if they cannot get along with superiors, clients, and coworkers. This calls for emotional intelligence on the employee’s part.

Essentially, cultural intelligence is the ability to relate as well as work effectively in culturally diverse situations. The role that cultural intelligence plays in the workplace cannot be ignored. An employee that is culturally intelligent will easily cooperate and relate to different people from various nationalities, corporate cultures, disciplines as well as traditions. This, as many executives will agree, creates a suitable working environment, where the flow of ideas and their implementation is facilitated.

In any organization, human relations and interactions always take place. In this case, a proper understanding, as well as use of social intelligence, is pivotal to successful interaction in the workplace. Employees that are socially intelligent are perceptive, situationally shrewd, and have excellent interactional skill. This is the crux of employment success.

"If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far."

Daniel Goleman

Leaders and project managers will concur with the fact that they spend most of the time trying to get employees to work in harmony as well as treat each other respectfully. Creating a harmonious working environment boils down to the individual level, where the cultural, social and emotional intelligence of the employee plays a significant role. It is an almost impossible feat trying to create a harmonious working environment where these spheres of intelligence lack.

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