Understanding and Developing Different Kinds of Intelligence to Enhance Life-Long Learning and Success in the Workplace

From APEC HRDWG Wiki

There are a variety of bestselling education and business books on different kinds of intelligence, including Howard Gardner’s work on multiple intelligences, Daniel Goleman’s work on emotional intelligence, and recent books on social, cultural and appreciative intelligence. This teaching tip provides a summary of key ideas and practical strategies for engaging students in thinking about a broader concept of intelligence that can help them succeed in life-long learning and in a multicultural APEC workplace.

Content Objectives

• To introduce students to well-known types of intelligence (such as emotional intelligence) that can help them succeed in life-long learning and in the workplace
• To encourage students to be aware of their strengths and those of others, including from a cross-cultural perspective

Language Objectives

• To provide opportunities for students to talk about what they are good at, or not good at, and share a story
• To create a list of things that are happening in your economy or around the world right now that are working well

Activity

1. Read the background reading providing a summary of different kinds of intelligences.
2. As a group, discuss the concepts and examples:

• Clarify and provide additional examples for students, as needed.
• Ask several students to share an example of a famous person in their economy who is very good at a typical type of intelligence (such as spatial, musical, social, etc.).
• Ask one or two students to share a story of when they or someone they know had to use emotional intelligence (or needed to use it but didn’t).
• Ask the students if they can think of any other types of intelligence that may exist in their own cultural backgrounds or in the business culture of their economy. For example, if a business person comes to their APEC economy, what type of cultural intelligence might he/she need to succeed?

3. In pairs or small groups, have students discuss what kind of intelligence they are good at (or need to work on).

• Review the sample language (useful language to support the activity) for talking about what kind of intelligence you are good at or need to work on.
• Look at the different kinds of intelligence in the summary:
  • Talk about one or more kind(s) of intelligence that you are good at.
    
  • Talk about one or more kind(s) of intelligence that you would like to be better at.
• Tell a brief story. Talk about a time when you or someone you know successfully used emotional intelligence to deal with a difficult person or situation.
  • What happened?
    
  • What did you, he, or she do that worked?
    
  • Make a list with your partner of good strategies for staying calm when you are confronted with a difficult or angry person. (Then the teacher can make a master list of the ideas on the blackboard.)

4. Advanced activity (thinking outside the box): talking about appreciative intelligence

It is well understood by most people that climate change is a complex global problem that will be very expensive to address—and that most economies and companies are not doing as much as they should right now to stop it. Rather than framing the issue negatively, however, take an appreciative intelligence approach to the problem.

In small groups, make a list of things that are happening in your economy or around the world right now that are working well (very effectively) in regard to reducing climate change. How can these ideas be replicated and expanded to make a bigger impact?

You are starting a new company with your friends. Think of a product or service that would make money (be marketable) while also helping to solve climate change. 

Share the best ideas from each group with the whole class.

Materials

Background reading & sample language

Category

Organizational Leadership: self-management and performance improvement through awareness of various types of intelligence; critical thinking

Learning Theme

Learning to know; life-long learning

Resources

Albrecht, K. (2006). Social intelligence: The new science of success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gardner, H. E. (1993). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Gardner, H. (2007).Five minds for the future. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Goleman, D. (1997). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York, NY: Bantam.

Thatchenkery, T., & Metzker, C. (2006). Appreciative intelligence: Seeing the mighty oak in the acorn. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Weisinger, H. (2000). Emotional intelligence at work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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