Social Intelligence - The New Diversity
Since the popularisation of the idea that we have multiple intelligences and the publication of Daniel Goleman's seminal work on emotional intelligence, the idea of social intelligence has become a key part of the management lexicon.
Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is really a relationship with one's self. The ability to understand your emotions and the capacity to self-regulate them are key aspects of this idea. Social Intelligence, initially seen as a sub-set of emotional intelligence, is today better understood as describing the relationship that one has with others.
A great deal has been written about Diversity in South Africa, to the point where it has become somewhat of a national obsession. Issues of class and power still affect the way we think about diversity in South Africa and will do so for many years to come. Almost 20 years ago when I started consulting in this field, the power divide, like today, was described in white and black terms. Initiatives focused on getting blacks to talk, act, dress and smell like whites. As the political power shifted after the first democratic elections, interventions were focused more on understanding each others' culture, rather than enforcing one culture at the cost of another
Today however, we have a larger black middle class than 10 years ago, and we also have more black managers. Whilst big steps still need to be taken in the area of gender equality and in ensuring that at the executive level of most organisations we have fair demographic representation, most will acknowledge that significant progress has been made in these fields. For example, a black owned consulting firm like Ndawo today has a fair mix of black and white coaching clients, a mix which reflects it's corporate client's executive demographics.
The challenges that organisations wishing to deal with diversity now face is very complex. Coupled with wanting to enable or sustain a global competitive edge, comes the desire to ensure that your organisation is an employer of choice. The needs of the young black and white junior executives differ from those of the apartheid-scarred black and white senior executives. These factors manifest as problems in the interrelationships between these cohorts.
It is in this territory that Social Intelligence comes into its own. Ndawo has successfully assisted its client base to effectively manage diversity challenges by customised social intelligence interventions. With increased personal insight comes better understanding of group dynamics. These interventions tend to be more sustainable as they affect the behaviors that are within the ambit of an individual to change. By working on what they can control, individuals become more accountable. Diversity then moves away from discussions about politics, culture and discrimination to reflections on how I can be a better person. The journey to personal greatness, and thus the greatness of any organisation always emerges from the answer to the question: How can I be a better person?
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