Authored by: Dr Karina de Bruin, Managing Director at JvR Academy How often do you think about the future of your own workplace? How many of the skills that you use daily were required when you started your career? The new world of work and future workplace skills is often associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The World Economic Forum, Harvard Business Review, Deloitte and McKinsey Global Institute, among others, regularly report on insights, trends and challenges that relate to Industry 4.0. Like what has happened during and as a result of the previous three industrial revolutions, the current industrial revolution has already caused fundamental changes in the world we live in. Just think about the impact of the cloud, the Internet of things, 3D printing, big data and increasing computing power on how we live, work and communicate. These cyber-physical systems involve completely new capabilities and intelligence not only for people, but also for machines. Artificial intelligence is all around us, from self-driving cars and drones to robotic vacuum cleaners, chatbots and software that directs us to our destinations. Fear of being replaced Many of these advancements often dominate our thoughts with fear that employers may replace us with technology that can fulfill our roles more efficiently and effectively than we can. These fears are often amplified by predictions that going forward, up to 50% of work activities could be replaced by existing technology. Because artificial intelligence is drastically changing the nature of work, organisational structures are continuously redesigned. The results of a recent survey done by Deloitte showed that only 30% of Generation X’ers expects to work at a company for five years or more. The reality of high employee turnover therefore poses another justifiable threat to employees, which helps to maintain fears about the future of work. The toll of technological literacy Technological literacy is now a basic competency for everyone, regardless of age, generation or industry, but with that comes various social and emotional challenges. Staying connected 24/7 (as many employers expect) results in longer working hours, working at higher levels of intensity and removing the boundaries between work and private life. Proper human interaction is replaced by communication via emails, conference calls, and video chats. The demands caused by expectations that requests must receive almost immediate attention, no matter what time of the day or day of the week, often makes it very difficult to distinguish between work life and personal life. Researchers have proven that an imbalance between work and life roles may have a severe negative impact on the general well-being of individuals, including low mood, stress and anxiety. The McKinsey Global Institute recently published a report revealing that jobs that involve basic cognitive, physical and manual skills, as well as a lower level of data input are most likely to be taken over by machines. Fortunately, the report also predicts a dramatic increase in demand for more employee hours across jobs that involve (1) higher cognitive skills, such as advanced literacy and writing, quantitative and statistical skills, creativity, critical thinking and complex information processing, (2) social and emotional skills, including advanced communication and negotiation, empathy, the ability to learn continuously, to manage others and to be adaptable, and unsurprisingly (3) technological skills - from basic to advanced IT skills, data analysis, engineering and research. Creativity, complex information processing and advanced IT skills may appear to be out of reach for some of us. But what is exciting, is the fact that social and emotional skills, also commonly referred to as Emotional Intelligence, will also get more airtime. The McKinsey report predicts that from 2016 to 2030 there will be a 26% increase in the call for these skills. The good news is that it is indeed our social and emotional skills that distinguish us from and put us ahead of machines. Using EQ to survive To conquer our fear for artificial intelligence, we thus need to develop our emotional intelligence. This refers to the skills needed to identify, understand and manage our own emotions, and those of the people around us. When someone has with a high level of emotional intelligence, he or she knows what they are feeling, what their emotions mean, and what the effect of these emotions are on other people. Although some of these skills may not come naturally to everyone, they can be developed. What employees can do better than any smart machine, is manage their own emotions and that of their colleagues and team members. If we can be outstanding motivators, leaders, or listeners, and if we can manage our stress and solve problems when things are getting tough, then we will still have a very important role in the workplace where technology changes the world around us. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg, the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world, and support a range of development opportunities and host events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent.
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Author: Dr Karina de Bruin, Managing Director of the JvR Academy
As we are approaching the 2018 FIFA World Cup Soccer finals, it could be interesting to look at whether we can take some lessons from soccer players to senior management in the corporate world, and of course, vice versa. So far, this year’s World Cup tournament has been marked by huge upsets, leading to shock exits – of which South Korea’s elimination of Germany, and Croatia’s win over Argentina probably are the most remarkable. If Germany went into the tournament as one of the favourites to take the cup home, their disappointment and despondency after losing to South Korea came as no surprise. Soccer is a game of rollercoaster-ride emotions, for both the players and the spectators. One moment there is jubilation, euphoria and triumph and soon after, there is anticipation, anger and sorrow. What happens next, usually depends on how the individuals and the teams regulate these emotions. Destructive emotions can highjack performance and team relationships. They can lead to impulsive behaviours and prevent anyone from making effective decisions. Managing emotions Coping effectively with these emotions means you must have a high level of emotional self-awareness. Emotional self-awareness has to do with recognising your emotions as well as the impact of these emotions on yourself and others. Furthermore, it will help you to identify the triggers of certain emotional and behavioural reactions. The ability to be emotionally self-aware is one of the fundamental building blocks of emotional intelligence. The concept of emotional intelligence is broadly structured around “managing ourselves effectively” and “managing others effectively”. Seeing that a soccer player shares the pitch with the rest of his (or her) team, the opponents and officials, it would make sense to focus on team and social relationships and how to manage these effectively. But there is no way that you can manage your relationships with others if you cannot manage yourself well. And managing yourself (your emotions and behaviour) is impossible without knowledge of what is happening inside. The basic principle of self-awareness is somewhat like that of project management you can only manage what you are aware of! Start in a safe environment Soccer is an extremely fast-paced game, so trying to focus on emotions while playing, is probably asking too much. Similarly, the corporate world moves very quickly. How can any player or boardroom member increase his or her level of emotional self-awareness while speeding around on the pitch or in the office? It might be a good idea to start working on your self-awareness away from the field or your colleagues, where the competition is less fierce and the stress levels more manageable. Once you experience self-awareness success in safer environments, the more competitive soccer field or boardroom will provide ample opportunity to practise these skills. Here are a few tips on managing your emotions in stressful situations: Step 1: Do self-observation and write your observations down in a little notebook. However, simply writing down your experiences will not be enough. You also need to reflect on these experiences by asking yourself thought-provoking questions so that you can develop a deeper level of understanding about yourself. After a while, you will see patterns of emotions, insights and behaviour emerging. The knowledge about yourself can guide you in managing yourself and your relationships more effectively. Step 2: Ask for feedback from others that know you well and that you trust. Not everything people say about you may be true, but it is worthwhile listening to their views. The fact that someone experiences you as always angry, irritated or tired can be invaluable feedback and, as said previously - what you know, you can manage! Step 3: Listen to your body. If you continuously have tight shoulders, struggle to sleep or wake up clenching your teeth, your body is trying to tell you something! Listen to this message, because once again, what we know we can manage! Being able to identify your emotions and regulating them are cornerstone ingredients of emotional intelligence. Losing a match is always disappointing, but researchers have shown that athletes with high levels of emotional intelligence have more positive feelings. And more positive feelings will generally reduce the negative impact of the loss and help the team to face the next opponents with confidence and courage. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg, the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world, and support a range of development opportunities and host events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group Authored by: Dr Jopie de Beer, CEO of JvR Africa Group
People are hardwired as both rational and emotional beings. People’s ability to acknowledge their emotions, and work to understand and manage their emotions constructively and appropriately (referred to as emotional intelligence), has much to do with their success in life. This principle applies to both individuals and groups. Emotions are highly contagious and easily affect others. This is particularly true if the emotions are intense and have been experienced over a longer period of time. It could take quite some time before rationality, reason, and “cool heads” return. Research done by Bloomberg in 2017 refers to South Africa as “one of the most miserable countries in the world”. This is owing to high unemployment rates, slow economic growth, high interest rates, poor service delivery, and high consumer prices, amongst other things. The sense of being miserable coincides with a time of political electioneering in the country, which could form part of a “perfect storm”, given how emotionally laden politics is. The emotional messages are intensified by the tone of voice, dress code, non-verbal gestures, innuendo, and language used by political leaders in speeches. Opposition parties are often referred to in derogatory terms and even as the enemy, to elicit emotions of distrust amongst potential voters. By establishing “an enemy”, the leader elicits the powerful emotions of fear, anger, distrust, and paranoia amongst potential voters, and when such emotions are heightened enough, they could override all rationality. This kind of leadership has the potential to lead followers into chaos, as enough fear and anger can motivate people to act emotionally and irrationally. Cambridge Analytica and Bell Pottinger are recent examples where personal and emotionally laden information was used to influence voter behavior. Understanding which personal and emotional “triggers” can push a potential voter to choose one or the other political candidate provides a powerful way to influence the outcome of an election. However, those in political leadership who rely primarily on stirring emotions to provide them with power may be exposed when rationality returns. In contrast, leaders who can provide voters with calmness and reason whilst acknowledging emotions, which is much more sustainable in the longer term, have a greater chance of running the country successfully. Emotional intelligence The principles of emotional intelligence require leaders and voters to acknowledge their emotions but allow for rationality at the same time. This means that they need to recognise their own emotions and the impact that others’ emotions could have on them, while objectively analyzing information and checking the accuracy of the facts. This would allow leaders to consider the impact and consequences of a highly charged political message, and voters to distill the message and react accordingly. However, a leadership approach anchored in rationality, calmness, and hope may not seem as charismatic as an approach based on hate, fear, and anger. In fact, those leaders who rely on the principles of emotional calmness, hope, optimism, trust, and reasonableness may have somewhat of an uphill battle in getting their message heard when competing against leaders using emotions as a tool. The choice Political leaders have a choice as to whether they use the power of emotions constructively or destructively. Voters also have the choice to be emotionally hijacked, or to evaluate the political messages from both an emotional and objective perspective, to determine whether the information they are provided with is accurate and true. Selfish and corrupt leaders drive personal agendas and use their ability to emotionally manipulate to gain and retain power. On the other hand, ethical and emotionally intelligent political leaders understand and manage their own emotions and respect the emotions, feelings, and needs of others. Their empathy can inform how to best seek solutions for complex and difficult problems to ensure the sustainability and survival of their people. In South Africa, the very difficult circumstances of the past in combination with current socio-economic hardships have led to a society where anger, despair, and despondency often flares up. The intensity of these emotions has, in some cases, led to destruction of property and loss of life. The South African society is intensely emotional and will probably remain so at least till after the next (2019) elections. The question is how these emotions will be used by those in positions of leadership to retain emotional political power, to gain and retain voters, and what the consequences of emotion without rationality are for the future and the reputation of the country. To build a South Africa that is not the second most miserable country on earth, we should all expect our leaders to act with integrity and with emotional intelligence. Our success as a country and as a rainbow nation depends on it. END MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Grou Author: Dr. Karina de Bruin, Managing Director of JvR Academy, a JvR Africa Group company When going to work, one does not necessarily consider the emotional aspect of it, which in reality plays a significant role in your productivity and success. We are after all emotionally driven creatures, whether we want to be or not. This is where the term Emotional Intelligence comes in. It’s the ability to recognise specific emotions in oneself and others, acknowledge their effect on one’s goals and relationships, and either minimise negative effects or actively elicit emotions more appropriate to the situation. With Emotional Intelligence as a tool in hand, you can find much more effective ways of dealing with challenges at work and get your work done as efficiently as possible. There is a lot that companies can do to foster Emotional Intelligence (or EQ as called by its metric) among employees, one of which is to make it part of their corporate culture. When companies make the language of Emotional Intelligence part of the everyday work experience, they create an environment in which employees naturally embrace and start living the concept. This can lead to lasting results and a bigger payoff in increased productivity. Internationally, and locally, Emotional Intelligence has gained popularity in business over the last few decades. Research conducted by the JvR Africa Group has shown that, when comparing professionals in South Africa to their U.S. counterparts, the South Africans generally report higher levels of EQ on most of the sub-components of the EQi2.0, which is internationally widely used to assess Emotional Intelligence. However, these differences are relatively small and not really meaningful. But what is it that increased EQ can do for a company? Benefits Success on employee and business level hinges on effective personal performance and favourable relationships with customers, suppliers, colleagues, subordinates and stakeholders. There are many examples where Emotional Intelligence can have a positive effect, but warns that it must be considered in conjunction with factors like motivation, education and experience. Many companies already use psychological assessments in their recruitment and selection process. To obtain a more comprehensive picture, the assessment of Emotional Intelligence should be included, as it can distinguish between an employee who only just copes and one who excels. Such assessments also ensure that high EQ employees are hired from the start, reducing the cost of development interventions later. Productivity usually suffers when employees face aspects of their work they don’t enjoy or people with whom they disagree. Emotional Intelligence provides the tools they need to become more productive, cope better with work stress, resolve differences and work effectively in teams. A high EQ is therefore vital for executive positions, where good stress management, excellent problem-solving and sound decision-making are expected. By nature, leaders often seek to enhance their performance, and exposure to Emotional Intelligence development opportunities can help them achieve their goals in a sustainable way. Improving EQ Emotional Intelligence relates to a broad spectrum of soft skills so companies should first establish where improvements are required. Professionally administered self-report assessments, completed by employees, will highlight areas of concern and provide a guide for coaching and/or skills development. With this self-information, employers can plot the best course for EQ improvements in their workforce. Emotional Intelligence can then be increased through appropriate employee development that focuses on practical capabilities that deliver immediate results. Programmes can be customised to address the specific competencies required. They are typically offered as workshops stretching over one or more days and delivered as face-to-face sessions with an experienced facilitator. Ultimately, if companies can truly appreciate the fact that their employees are emotional beings, they can find effective ways of managing this aspect so that it can be the x-factor that sets the organisation apart from its competition, instead of hampering its growth and success. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group |
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