Not only IQ Matters for Employee Performance
By Marjaana Gunkel

When we think about intelligence, we mainly consider a person's cognitive ability, IQ. However, in reality, a person's intelligence is not only limited to IQ but can also take different forms, such as social intelligences. This was already recognized in the Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Gardner (1983), who suggested that individuals generally possess more than one type of intelligence. In his model, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence are social intelligences, which are considered to be at least as important as cognitive intelligence and are shown to influence many work-related outcomes, such as performance, team identification, and leadership success just to mention few. As today’s work environment is not based on the model of individuals working alone but rather in teams, social intelligences play a significant role in the success of teamwork and the performance of a work team. How employees feel in a team, how they interact among each other, and how they identify themselves with their team greatly impact their individual and their team's performance. Thus, more than just being intelligent in the traditional sense is needed. Social intelligence has become an essential success factor and driver for individual and team performance.
Research studies have mainly focused on three different types of intelligence and their influence on work-related outcomes: IQ, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and Cultural Intelligence (CQ).
IQ is related to problem-solving, dealing with abstract concepts, and reasoning. Studies have shown that IQ positively affects both individual and team performance. Also, having high IQ individuals in a work team leads to more accurate decisions and better performance compared to teams whose members score lower on cognitive ability.
Emotional Intelligence refers to a person's ability to recognize their own as well as other people's feelings and emotions. In addition, emotionally intelligent people are able to regulate their emotions, which also enables them to recover faster from psychological distress. Such individuals can use their emotions, for example, as performance motivators. Research has shown that an individual’s and a team's collective emotional intelligence is positively related to team performance.
Cultural Intelligence is related to a person’s capability to adapt effectively to cultural contexts. Namely, being able to adjust and revise personal assumptions about cultures, understand cultural differences, being interested to learn about other cultures, and use culturally appropriate behavior and communication. Such intelligence may be of particular interest to organizations in South Tyrol, where, for example, the different language groups may be reflected in different subcultures in the society. Studies have shown that a person’s cultural intelligence has a significant effect not only on team performance but also on other team-related outcomes such as team identification and conflict management.
Are all intelligences of similar importance, and could it be that different types of intelligences may even compensate for each other?
An interesting question to explore is: “Are all intelligences of similar importance, and could it be that different types of intelligences may even compensate for each other?" Research shows that everyone possesses a unique "intelligence profile" consisting of different levels of the various types of intelligences, and compensatory effects between these abilities exist. For example, it has been shown that a person with high emotional intelligence can compensate for weaknesses in IQ. That is, a person with high emotional intelligence can reach the same performance level with a lower IQ than someone with a high IQ but whose emotional intelligence is not as well developed. This is an encouraging result that demonstrates that social intelligence is at least as important as cognitive ability at the workplace. Thus, when hiring people, one should not only focus on the candidates’ cognitive ability but also consider their other intelligences as well. Being able to understand and regulate emotions as well as work with individuals from different backgrounds are also key determinants of performance.
Interestingly, social intelligence is intelligence that can be developed and trained. Where IQ is more difficult to change, social intelligence can (at least partly) be learned. There are training programs directed at creating social intelligence, but such intelligence can also be created through self-observation and -study. Reflecting on one's own and others behavior and reactions to behavior as well as observing the environment and people in it are humble ways of creating social awareness and intelligence. Being interested in people and the environment is a simple start for developing social intelligence, which will pay off at the workplace, and not only there.
This text by prof. Marjaana Gunkel was published in the Südtiroler Wirtschaftszeitung.