Developing multiple intelligences a strategic asset for companies
Developing multiple intelligences: a strategic asset for companies
The world of work is changing at a breathtaking pace, forcing companies to constantly rethink their strategies to remain competitive. The acceleration of digital transformations, the rise of hybrid working and employees’ new expectations in terms of well-being and meaning at work are redefining traditional management models. Against this backdrop, organizations need to capitalize on a fundamental asset: the richness and diversity of the talents that make up their teams. More than ever, a holistic approach to skills development is essential to foster innovation, resilience and collective performance. But beyond technical skills, how can we identify and stimulate the capabilities that foster collaboration and organizational effectiveness?
In this article, Fanny Smolsky, iO4 Organizational Consultant, presents seven performance levers based on multiple intelligences. This approach enables you to better understand the aptitudes that influence professional success, and to exploit them to the full within your company.
A broader vision of intelligence
Traditionally, intelligence is often reduced to its cognitive aspects: memory, logic and problem-solving. Yet business interactions require much more than analytical reasoning. Many forms of intelligence contribute to individual and collective performance. To thrive in a dynamic environment, it is crucial to adopt a broader approach to intelligence, valuing human skills in all their facets.
1. Cognitive intelligence: mastering reasoning
Cognitive intelligence refers to a person’s ability to perceive, understand, assimilate, process and use information to fuel reasoning. It encompasses memory, attention, problem-solving, decision-making, verbal comprehension, abstract thinking and the ability to learn and acquire new knowledge. In other words, it’s a person’s ability to think effectively and solve problems. Cognitive intelligence is closely linked to concepts such as intelligence quotient (IQ) and is measured using standardized tests. It also enables us to understand how easy or difficult it is for the individual to put forward his or her reasoning and make relevant connections when analyzing situations. This type of intelligence also includes the notion of intellectual curiosity, so as to call on different types of knowledge that can enhance understanding of situations. This can easily impact an individual’s ability to project a professional image that highlights his or her expertise and credibility.
2. Intrapersonal intelligence: self-knowledge
Intrapersonal intelligence refers to a person’s ability to understand and manage their emotions, feelings, potential and limits, in order to self-manage and assume full responsibility for the fulfillment of their mandates. It’s self-awareness and the ability to self-regulate. Individuals with high intrapersonal intelligence are often aware of their own feelings, motivations and goals, enabling them to adapt effectively to different situations. They also have the ability to set goals and work independently to achieve them. The better a person’s self-control, the easier it will be for them to cope with life’s setbacks. This intelligence also reflects the degree of flexibility and agility a person is able to demonstrate.
3. Social intelligence: managing relationships
Social intelligence is based on understanding other people’s emotions, motivations and behaviors in order to establish effective interactions. It includes the ability to communicate with people and anticipate their behaviors or reactions. This involves being attentive to the feelings and needs of the people around you, adopting appropriate modes of communication and fostering collaboration.
Social intelligence is an essential skill in personal relationships, of course, but also in the workplace, and even more so in positions requiring leadership. It plays a crucial role in building positive interpersonal relationships and creating a healthy, balanced social environment. It can also prove invaluable in identifying customer needs and delivering quality services. Social intelligence enables us to interact effectively and appropriately, to foster collaboration and thus contribute to the establishment of a positive relational climate.
4. Operational intelligence: efficiency in action
This intelligence concerns the ability to maximize the value of one’s actions by working in a structured and methodical way, properly identifying priority elements while deploying a targeted effort to achieve one’s objectives. It also implies a desire for continuous improvement to achieve the best possible performance. Finally, it is linked to effective time management to meet deadlines and ensure smooth operations. To maximize this type of intelligence, we need to use tools that will optimize project management while respecting quality, costs, deadlines and performance indicators.
5. Influential intelligence: the art of mobilization
Essential for managers, influencing intelligence permeates all aspects of an organization, its tasks and operations. The ability to guide, motivate and inspire their team is essential to achieving organizational goals and maintaining a positive, productive work culture.
Influential intelligence refers to the ability to pay attention to employees’ needs, create winning relationships and persuade them. To do this, we need to target the levers needed to mobilize them towards the achievement of common goals. Whether it’s the art of convincing, proactively managing conflict or demonstrating managerial courage, all these elements contribute to creating a climate of trust with the team.
6. Management intelligence: coordinating resources
- Planning: determining the action to be taken, deciding what to do, when and how much.
- Organizing: structuring the action, deciding who does what, where and how
- Directing: Guiding the action, communicating the what, who, where, when, how and why.
- Controlling: measuring action, the why of the what, where, when and how.
7. Strategic intelligence: anticipating the future
Strategic intelligence is the ability to establish a global vision and anticipate trends to guide long-term decisions. It also refers to the ability to deploy the levers of innovation and influence that ensure the development of future projects and, by the same token, the long-term survival of the organization.
This type of intelligence involves gathering, analyzing and using information to make strategic decisions for an organization. Strategic intelligence is essential for guiding organizations through complex and fast-changing environments. It enables informed decisions to be made, robust strategies to be developed and sustainable competitive advantage to be maintained. It also fosters the establishment of a vision where the organization fits into a societal perspective that actively contributes to the community. Strategic intelligence enables us to think about the company of tomorrow, considering all business possibilities and opportunities.
Towards greater organizational intelligence
At iO4, we are convinced that business performance depends on a global approach to intelligence, going beyond technical skills alone. Far from being compartmentalized, these intelligences interact and complement each other, forming an ecosystem conducive to innovation and performance. By integrating these different forms of intelligence into your talent management, you can better exploit the potential of your teams. Focusing on a balanced development of these skills not only improves productivity, but also creates a more fulfilling and collaborative work environment.
Thus, recognizing and valuing the diversity of intelligences within an organization is a powerful way to meet today’s challenges and build a resilient, forward-looking company. To achieve this, it is essential to implement comprehensive strategies and initiatives:
- continuous training
- mentoring
- encouraging experimentation and innovation
With this in mind, our team has developed a competency reference framework© based on these seven types of intelligence, and on which our psychometric assessments are based. The result of five years’ research, it groups 49 key competencies and can be adapted to different levels of responsibility within organizations.
Would you like to find out more about the impact of these intelligences on your company? Our experts are at your disposal to help you.