Introduction
In our daily lives we use the word Intelligence a lot, for e.g. “This person is intelligent”. We sometimes even use the word intelligence as a synonym for smart, knowledgeable etc. But are these words the same? Intelligence basically means acquiring knowledge while being smart means applying the previously acquired knowledge in practical use. Does being intelligent mean that you're smart too? Well, it is always not the case. Sometimes people have knowledge but they don’t know how to apply that knowledge in a practical situation because of which dissonance occurs between one’s thought process and the situation that needs to be solved.
Intelligence
Intelligence can be defined as the ability to learn from experience, acquire knowledge and skills and try to put them into use. Intelligence can be easily measured through IQ tests, aptitude tests etc. as it is something that is inherent. But does this mean that if the person is intelligent s/he is smart or clever too ? Is it necessary that a person with a high IQ level is always practical or empathetic towards other people in the organization?
Well, the organizations understood the importance of the ability of a person to empathize with their co-workers or the ability to make prompt decisions as per the situation regardless of the position they are working on. In today’s era the organization is searching for the people with high emotional intelligence, conceptual blending skills , trend awareness etc.
Let us know more about this concepts in detail:
Conceptual Blending Skills
Conceptual blending skills basically mean the ability of an individual to combine two different concepts and use creative thinking and counterfactual thinking to work with the dissonance while doing so. The question that now arises is, “Why is this skill required at workplaces?” Well, the market being volatile, uncertain and vulnerable, these are the two skills that will always be in active use there. So the organization needs people who can think in a broader sense and can come up with new ideas and policies that can be implemented in the organization and carry out the transition process smoothly with new ideas for the enrichment of the organization in the long run and people who can blend two different concepts.
To survive in the market the organization needs to think from the perspective and well being of both their employees and their customers too. While bringing any new change in the organization the heads need to make sure that the transition will be smooth and the employees should be comfortable along with the process. While serving the customers the marketers need to be sure that they are providing them the goods and services that the consumers need and as per the on going trends. To focus on all these areas it is important for an individual to have a high conceptual blending skill for the enrichment of the organization and the individual him/herself.
Fluid Intelligence
Conceptual blending skills takes us to our next topic that is fluid intelligence. As the name suggests, fluid intelligence is the ability to think flexibly and do the reasoning accordingly which suggests that the organization needs to come up with the solutions as per the situation arises. For instance, there are a lot of professions like businessmen, doctors, pilots, F1 racers, astronauts, firefighters and more where they all need to have an extra alert and super active presence of mind. There can be a lot of situations or cases where the learned and acquired knowledge may not come to much or any use and they have to think according to the situation.
In such situations the individual / organization needs to be flexible as the risk and uncertainty factor always prevails on a higher degree. And during such situations the individual needs to be prompt with problem solving and decision making, and can't be rigid or inflexible otherwise s/he might lose the deal or control over the situation. In all such uncertain situations the person has to rely on his/her instincts, logic, creative and abstract thinking.
The term flexibility takes us to our next topic i.e.
Trend Awareness
So why is it important to know the ongoing trend of the market? Well the answer to it is to survive in the market. The marketers need to be aware of the trend and provide new features in their products to attract more customers, to maintain them and to retain their old customers. If the organization is rigid about not bringing the change, it can affect their sales as they will lose their customers for not providing them with what they need, because of which the stocks of the organization may fall which will directly affect the goodwill of it.
The marketers always need to come up with something new and create a need in the market to survive and grow. By keeping up with trends the individual / organization can:
work effectively and efficiently
can create new tools
plan things prior
reduce risk and uncertainty
build credibility
enhance the chance of being "First" to provide goods / services in the market
focus on growth and development
Today organizations also look for people with high emotional intelligence i.e. the ability to understand, navigate emotions in a positive way, to empathize with others, and understand the need of the organization and to work in a team to achieve organizational goals. You can also read more about emotional intelligence to understand the fundamental concepts of the same.
Hope you found this article helpful. If you or your organization is interested to learn more about such attributes and behavioral skills at the workplace, feel free to get in touch with us at RGB Training Services!