EXPLORING SITUATIONAL ETHICS AND BEHAVIOR DYNAMICS: THE SENSITIVITIES OF MORAL COMPASS – CHAPTER -02

***Continued from Chapter 01 (Covered previously: What is Situational Ethics, The Meaning & Context of Agape, The Three Views Of Situational Ethics)

Link to Chapter 01:

EXPLORING SITUATIONAL ETHICS AND BEHAVIOR DYNAMICS: THE SENSITIVITIES OF MORAL COMPASS – CHAPTER -01

The Four Working Principles of Situationism

Principle 1. Pragmatism

The situationalist follows a strategy, which is pragmatic. “Pragmatism” is a well worked-out philosophical position adopted by the likes of John Dewey (1859–1952), Charles Peirce (1839–1914) and William James (1842–1910). Fletcher does not want his theory associated with these views and rejects all the implications of this type of “Pragmatism”.

What makes his view pragmatic is very simple. It is just his attraction to moral views, which do not try to work out what to do in the abstract, but rather explores how moral views might play out in each real life situations.

Principle 2: Relativism

Even with his rejection of Antinomianism and his acceptance of one supreme principle of morality, Fletcher, surprisingly, still calls himself a relativist. It is just an appeal for people to stop trying to “lay down the law” for all people in all contexts. If situations vary then consequences vary and what we ought to do will change accordingly. This is a very simple, unsophisticated idea and just means that what is right or wrong is related to the situation we are in.

Principle 3: Positivism

His use of “positivism” is not the philosophical idea with the same name but rather is where any moral or value judgment in ethics, like a theologian’s faith propositions, is a decision — not a conclusion. It is a choice, not a result reached by force of logic or reasoning, rather it is a decision we take.

Principle 4: Personalism

Love is something that is experienced by people. So Personalism is the view that if we are to maximize love we need to consider the person in a situation — the “who” of a situation.

Conscience as a Verb not a Noun

“Conscience” plays a role in working out what to do. Conscience is not the name of an internal faculty nor is it a sort of internal “moral compass”.

Fletcher refers to conscience as a verb. Imagine we have heard some bullies laughing because they have sent our friend some offensive texts and we are trying to decide whether or not to check his phone to delete the texts before he does. The old “noun” view of conscience would get us to think about this in the abstract, perhaps reason about it.

Instead, we need to be in the situation, and experience the situation, we need to be doing (hence “verb”) the experiencing. Maybe, we might conclude that it is right to go into our friend’s phone, maybe we will not but whatever happens the outcome could not have been known beforehand. What our conscience would have us do is revealed when we live in the world and not through armchair reflection.

The Six Propositions of Situation Ethics

1: Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good; namely, love, nothing else at all

There is one thing which is intrinsically good, that is good irrespective of context, namely love. If love is what is good, then an action is right or wrong in as far as it brings about the most amount of love.

Agapeic Calculus is a moral framework rooted in the pursuit of maximizing neighbor welfare for the greatest number of individuals within a community. Unlike conventional notions of love centered on emotional attachment or desire, this concept emphasizes the broader notion of concern for the well-being of others. In this context, “welfare” encompasses not only material prosperity but also factors such as health, happiness, and overall quality of life. By prioritizing the collective welfare of the community over individual interests, Agapeic Calculus seeks to foster a society characterized by compassion, empathy, and a commitment to the common good. In essence, it advocates for a calculus of altruism and ethical decision-making that aims to uplift and support as many neighbors as possible, thereby cultivating a more just and harmonious social order.

2: The ruling norm of decision is love, nothing else

Given our modern context and how people typically talk of “love” it is probably unhelpful to even call it “love”. For instance, we will all recall the following news item. In February 1993, Mrs Johnson’s son, Laramiun Byrd, 20, was shot in the head by 16-year-old Oshea Israel after an argument at a party in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mrs Johnson subsequently forgave her son’s killer and after he had served a 17-year sentence for the crime, asked him to move in next door to her. She was not condoning his actions, nor will she ever forget the horror of those actions, but she does love her son’s killer. That love is agápē.

Reference:

Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel

3: Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else

Practically all moral problems we encounter can be boiled down to an apparent tension between “justice” on the one hand and “love” on the other. Consider a recent story:

This could be expressed as a supposed tension between “love” of family and doing the right thing — “justice”. Imagine we are trying to decide what is the best way to distribute food given to a charity, or how a triage nurse might work in a war zone. In these cases we might put the problem like this. We want to distribute fairly, but how should we do this? To act justly or fairly is precisely to act in love. “Love is justice, justice is love”.

4: Love wills the neighbor’s good when we like him or not

Agápē is in the business of loving the unlovable. So related to our enemies. Love does not ask us to lose or abandon our sense of good and evil, or even of superior and inferior; it simply insists that however we rate them, and whether we like them nor not, they are our neighbors and are to be loved.

5: Only the ends justify the means, nothing else

Any action we take, if considered as an action independent of its consequences, is literally “meaningless and pointless”. An action, such as telling the truth, only acquires its status as a means by virtue of an end beyond itself.

6: Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively

Ethical decisions exist in a grey area most of the time. No decision can be taken before considering the situation. Consider the example of a woman in Arizona who learned that she might “bear a defective baby because she had taken thalidomide”. What should she do? The loving decision was not one given by the law, which stated that all abortions are wrong. However, she travelled to Sweden where she had an abortion. Even if the embryo had not been defective according to Fletcher her actions were “brave and responsible and right” because she was acting in light of the particulars of the situation to bring about the most love.

The Criticism of Situational Ethics

John Robinson, an Anglican Bishop of Woolwich and Trinity College started as a firm supporter of situational ethics referring to the responsibility it gave the individual in deciding the morality of their actions. However, he later withdrew his support for the theory recognizing that people could not take this sort of responsibility, remarking that “It will all descend into moral chaos.”

The central focus on agape as the moral guide for behavior allows to claim that an action might be right in one context, but wrong in a different context — depending on the level of agape brought about. Despite how popular the theory was it is not philosophically sophisticated, and we soon run into problems in trying to understand it.

Another problem with teleological or consequential theories is that they are based on the future consequences, and the future is quite hard to predict in some cases. For example, it may be easy to predict that if we harm someone, then it will make them and those around them sad and/or angry. However, when considering more tricky situations such as an abortion, it is impossible to tell how the child’s life and its mother’s will turn out either way.

Specifically Christian forms of situational ethics of placing love above all particular principles or rules were proposed in the first half of the twentieth century by liberal theologians Rudolf Bultmann, John A. T. Robinson, along with Joseph Fletcher. These theologians point specifically to agape, or unconditional love, as the highest end. Other theologians who advocated situational ethics include Josef Fuchs, Reinhold Niebuhr, Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, and Paul Tillich.  Tillich, for example, declared, “Love is the ultimate law.”

Content Curated by: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

EXPLORING SITUATIONAL ETHICS AND BEHAVIOR DYNAMICS: THE SENSITIVITIES OF MORAL COMPASS – CHAPTER -01

Situational ethics, or situation ethics, is a teleological and consequential theory of ethics concerned with the outcome of an action as opposed to an action being intrinsically wrong as in deontological theories. The theory was principally developed in the 1960s by the Christian Episcopal priest Joseph Fletcher. He argued that sometimes moral principles could be cast aside in certain situations if love is best being served. He believed that there are no absolute laws other than the law of love, and that all the other laws were secondary. This means that all the other laws may be broken if other courses of action would result in more love. Thus, in the case of situational ethics, the ends can justify the means.

Joseph Fletcher (1905–1991), in his time, developed what he called an ethical non-system. His publication was questioned amongst the public because it legitimized the general post-war dissatisfaction with authority. The English term “situation ethics” was taken from the German Situationsethik. It is unclear who first coined the term either in German or in its English variant.

At the time it was written, it seemed to make some radical claims such as that it is not wrong to have extramarital sex, to be homosexual, or to have an abortion. All that said, Fletcher’s work is not widely discussed nor respected in philosophical circles. Fletcher called this ethical “non-system” Situationism.  

A few instances from the epic- The Ramayana- illustrate this. The Bible also has a few illustrations.

Because of its consequentialism, situational ethics is often confused with utilitarianism, because utilitarianism’s aim is the greatest good for the greatest number, although situational ethics focuses more on creating the greatest amount of love and it also has different origins. Having said that, however, situational ethics can also be classed under the ethical theory genre of ‘proportionalism’, which says that ‘it is never right to go against a principle unless there is a proportionate reason which would justify it’. Through situational ethics, Fletcher attempted to find a ‘middle road’ between legalistic and antinomian ethics.

The Meaning & Context of Agape

Our world has many definitions of love, but we most commonly think about love in a romantic sense. What if true love meant more than romance? What if there was a deeper, fuller expression of love?

The concept of agape has been widely examined within its Christian context. It has also been considered in the contexts of other religions, religious ethics, and science. For instance, in the New Testament, agape refers to the covenant love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God; the term necessarily extends to the love of one’s fellow human beings. Some contemporary writers have sought to extend the use of agape into non-religious contexts.

The Three Views Of Situational Ethics

Situational ethics relies on one principle—what best serves love. According to Fletcher, love is unconditional and unsentimental. Situational ethics is based on the golden rule “love your neighbor as yourself” and altruism, which is putting others before yourself and showing agape (a greek interpretation of love – discussed shortly) towards everyone. It agrees on reason being the instrument of moral judgments, but disagrees that the good is to be disconcerted from the nature of things. All moral decisions depend on what the most loving thing to do is.

Fletcher says there are two unattractive views in ethics: “Legalism” and “Antinomianism”, and one attractive view, which sits in between them: “Situationism”.

Legalism: Someone who is following the system of Legalism is someone who “blindly” observes moral rules without being sensitive to the situation. For example, we ought to tell the truth in all situations, even if this means that, say, millions of people die. In 2002 the religious police of Saudi Arabia refused to let a group of girls escape from a burning building because they were wearing “inappropriate” clothing, which was against the will of God. Fifteen girls died.

Reference:

‘Saudi Police “Stopped” Fire Rescue’, BBC News (15 March 2002), freely available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1874471.stm

Antinomianism: The other extreme is Antinomianism (“anti” meaning against; “nominalism” meaning law). This is the view that says that an agent can do whatever he or she wants in a situation. An “existential” view – because it is one that says that people are always free to choose what they want. Any supposed laws and rules limiting the actions of people are simply a way of trying to comfort them because they are scared of absolute freedom.

Antinomianism means the moral agent is erratic and random, is unpredictable, and any decisions taken are ad hoc. There are no laws nor guiding principles, just agents and their conscience and the institutions in which they find themselves.

Situationism: The Middle Ethics. We might think that Legalism and Antinomianism exhaust the possibilities. If we reject moral laws then are not we forced into lawless moral anarchy?

Fletcher says that there is a moral law, and hence he rejects Antinomianism. But there is only one moral law, so he rejects Legalism. His one moral law is that we ought to always act so as to bring about the most love for the most people (“Agápē Calculus”). Fletcher’s Situationism is then a teleological theory- directed at the consequences that will determine whether an action is right or wrong. Of course, any teleological theory will ask us to look at the details of the situation. What makes his view different is the centrality of “love”, or as he calls it agápē.

There can be moral principles but that these differ from laws. Principles are generalizations which are context-sensitive and which derive from the one law regarding maximizing love. For example, we might have a moral principle that we ought not to murder. This is a principle because we might think in that in general murder is wrong because it does not bring about the most love. However, it is not a law because, murder is not wrong in all situations.

For example, a situation might arise where the child of a terrorist would have to be murdered in order to get information to stop a nuclear attack. From the universal law we can only derive principles, not other universal laws.

***To be continued in Chapter 02 (Four Working Principles of Situationism, Conscience as a Verb not a Noun, Six Propositions of Situation Ethics, The Criticism of Situational Ethics, How it falls short)

EXPLORING SITUATIONAL ETHICS AND BEHAVIOR DYNAMICS: THE SENSITIVITIES OF MORAL COMPASS – CHAPTER -02

Content Curated by: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE: UNRAVELING ITS DYNAMICS AND IMPACT ON SOCIETY

– CHAPTER 02

***Continued from Chapter 01 (Covered previously: Intelligence & its meaning, Emotional & Social Intelligence, Social Intelligence at the Workplace, Social Intelligence & Nurturing Behaviours )

Link to Chapter 01:

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE: UNRAVELING ITS DYNAMICS AND IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Attributes that Aid in Building Social Intelligence

[01]:- The Proto-conversation: There is so much going on behind our words. As we speak, our brains are taking in micro-expressions, voice intonations, gestures and pheromones. People who have high SI have a greater awareness of their proto-conversations. This may be viewed under two aspects:

[02]:- Our Social Triggers: Let’s start with our social awareness. People and places trigger different emotions and this affects our ability to connect. Think about a time when we felt excited and energized by an interaction. Now think of a time when we felt drained and defeated after an interaction. The theory on how our brain processes social interactions is:

Why are these important? The Low Road guides our gut feelings and instincts. For example, if people didn’t come to our birthday parties as a child, we might feel a pang of anxiety when thinking about our own birthday as an adult–even if we have plenty of friends who would attend. Our High Road tells that we are a grown up and things have changed, but our Low Road still gives a bit of social anxiety. These may be referred to as social triggers. We will benefit by being aware of our unconscious social triggers to help make relationship decisions. Knowing our Low Road social triggers helps our High Road function. We can explore ours with the aid of a few questions-

[03]:- Our Secure Base: Whether we are a cheerful extrovert or a quiet introvert, everyone needs space and a place to recharge. A “secure base” is a place, ritual or activity that helps us process emotions and occurrences. A secure base is helpful for two main reasons. First, it gives us a place to recharge before interactions so we don’t get burnt out. Second, it helps us process and learn from each social encounter. After a business pitch, coffee meeting, party, or date do we set aside time to reflect and review what went right and wrong? Some questions we can explore during these post-mortems may be:

Possible secure base examples, on where we can do our post-mortem, may include in the car while driving home, journaling before bed, business workbook for ideas, brainstorming with a partner, or re-hashing with a friend.

[04]:- Broken Bonds: One of the biggest pitfalls in social intelligence is a lack of empathy. These may be referred to as Broken Bonds. It happens when one person treats another like an object as opposed to a human being. Imagine having just lost a family member. We get a phone call from a friend offering condolences. Immediately we sense the obligation of the caller. They are distracted, we can hear the typing of keys in the background. Their wishes are cold, memorized, and insincere. The call makes us feel worse not better. This interaction makes us feel like an ‘it’ –a to do list item, a ‘should,’ an obligation.

Don’t interact because we feel that we ‘should.’ Say no to obligations if you can. Interact with empathy or don’t interact at all.

[05]:- Adopt to Adapt: Our Low Road automatically mirrors the people around us. This is how empathy works. Our brain copies the people around us so we feel as they feel. This in turn helps us understand them, where they are coming from and even be better at predicting their reactions. Many paths of the low road run through mirror neurons. The neurons activate in a person based on something that is experienced by another person in the same way is experienced by the person himself. Whether pain (or pleasure) is anticipated or seen in another, the same neuron is activated.

Sometimes our High Road gets in the way. For example, if our partner is angry at something we try to stay calm. Then we try to calm them down. Usually this makes it worse. The upset person feels that we ‘don’t really understand’ or we ‘don’t get them.’ Why? Because we are fighting our instinct to mirror their upset. Sometimes we may just let ourselves adopt their emotions. Put ourselves exactly where they are. This might give us a new glimpse into their perspective and helps them see that we are on the same page as them.

[06]:- Beware the Dark Triad: This is the narcissistic personality, the Machiavellian personality and the psychopath or antisocial personality in people.

For example, if we were to ask the three, “who has the darkest personality?” The Narcissist would say “me”, the Psychopath would say, “I don’t care” and the Machiavellian would say “it’s whoever I want it to be”.

People scoring high on the 3 traits are more likely to commit crimes, and create severe social problems in society, families, and organizations.

[07]:- Mind-blind: This is the inability to sense what is happening in the mind of someone else. The key to mindsight is compassion.

In short, self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection – or compassionate action. We are wired for altruism. We are inherently good. However, sometimes we forget how good it makes us feel to be good.

[08]:- A People Prescription: The most striking finding on relationships and physical health is that socially integrated people, those who are married, have close family and friends, belong to social and religious groups, and participate widely in these networks, recover more quickly from disease and live longer. Roughly eighteen studies show a strong connection between social connectivity and mortality. One prescription for a long, healthy happy life can be positive relationships. Our partner, our friends, our colleagues our kids, they support our soul as well as our immune system. Investing in our relationships is worth the effort.

Social Intelligence Profile (SIP)

Social intelligence is measurable. It includes identifying important interaction skills and then assessing their behavior. Human interactions take place in specific contexts. SI is about someone being able to distinguish these situations and contexts from each other and react to them differently and behave accordingly. The different observable behaviors are the indicators of SI. This results in a Social Intelligence Profile (SIP). An SIP analyses social intelligence through different perspectives, with each observing the social interaction from a certain perspective.

A person filling out the Social Intelligence Profile for self-evaluation will answer a range of questions that relate to the different behaviors. Each category has five scores, varying from little to a lot. The higher the scores, the higher the level of Social Intelligence. It should be noted that social intelligence only applies if there is an even distribution across the five basic skill categories. If one category is missing or if the score is particularly low, it is a good idea to focus on this area and practice with it.

Fostering Social Intelligence

It is a cliché to say that ‘we humans are social animals’, and yet we know that there can never be a statement more important than this one for deriving maximum happiness, success and significance out of one’s life. While some people may seem to develop social intelligence without really trying, others have to work to develop it. These tactics can help build social intelligence:

Pay close attention to what (and who) is around us. Socially intelligent people are observant and pay attention to subtle social cues from those around them. If someone in our life has strong people skills, watch how they interact with others. Keep track of how we are feeling. Awareness is an integral part of social intelligence. A good way to start is by being aware of our own physiological cues to our emotional state like heartbeat, respiration, perspiration etc. It will help gauge our internal dynamics and will help offset reactions and manage impulse.

Work on increasing our emotional intelligence. Although similar to social intelligence, emotional intelligence is more about how we control our own emotions and how we empathize with others. It requires recognizing when we are experiencing an emotion—which will help recognize that emotion in others—and regulating them appropriately. An emotionally intelligent person can recognize and control negative feelings, such as frustration or anger, when in a social setting.

Respect cultural differences. Also, seek out cultural differences so we can understand them. Although most people learn people skills from their family, friends and the community surrounding them, a socially intelligent person understands that others might have different responses and customs based on their upbringing.

Practice active listening.  Taking time to think about what someone else is saying before we respond, and, listening to the inflections in what others say, will give us clues to what they really mean.

Appreciate the important people in our life. Socially intelligent people have deep relationships with people who are meaningful to them. Pay attention to the emotions of our spouse and children, friends, co-workers, and other peers. If we ignore the closest people in our life, we will miss the cues on how to connect with them.

Approach interpersonal interactions with receptiveness. Whenever we have an opportunity for interpersonal interactions – a meeting, a discussion, a one-on-one, a conversation – try to get into it without preconceived notions. People are not events, they are processes. And it is only our mind’s typecasting that stops us from looking at them anew.

Make an effort to put ourselves in other person’s shoes. While dealing with someone, try to actively imagine other person’s intervening aspects like situations, constraints, preferences, complexes, priorities, or aspirations. And do it so that we can know where he or she is coming from and not to conclude how he or she is.

Reading invisible interconnections in a social apparatus. Some people call it politics and some others name it diplomacy, but the fact remains that every place, organization, institution, event or occasion has an invisible hierarchy and power-dynamics to it. Everyone is connected to everyone else in a unique way. It is important to understand these subtle interconnections at play. This helps in managing our responses wisely.

Learn to interpret people’s non-verbal behavior. Emotions call shots in most situations. And the fact is that nonverbal behavior – gestures, postures and expressions – is the most trustworthy representation of one’s emotions. Thus, to develop social intelligence, it is crucial to learn the skill of interpreting non-verbal behavior.

People who are socially intelligent display core traits that help them communicate and connect with others.

Social intelligence is a critical skill for success and well-being in today’s interconnected world. By understanding the key concepts and skills of social intelligence, and by practicing and developing these skills in our lives, we can improve our relationships, enhance our job performance, and experience greater levels of well-being and life satisfaction. Whether we are interacting with colleagues, friends, or family members, developing our social intelligence can help us navigate social situations with greater ease and effectiveness.

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE: UNRAVELING ITS DYNAMICS AND IMPACT ON SOCIETY

– CHAPTER 01

Social intelligence is the ability to understand and navigate social situations effectively. It involves the ability to read and interpret social cues, manage emotions, communicate effectively, and build and maintain relationships. Social intelligence has been linked to a range of positive outcomes, including improved job performance, better health outcomes, and more satisfying relationships.

Intelligence

According to Psychology Today, intelligence is “…a construct that includes problem solving abilities, spatial manipulation and language acquisition.” Intelligence measured by IQ tests isn’t the be all and end all. Regardless of the number of languages that we learn to speak, the amount of information we memorize, and even how well we can complete math problems, intelligence inevitably is a more complex measure. 

There are three types of intelligence, two of which are unmeasurable in IQ tests, and are pivotal for success in leadership levels in business, and even in innovation. Of these, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Social Intelligence (SQ) are unmeasurable. Lets see what each of these mean and their impact. People that have higher EQ and SQ tend to go farther in life than those with high IQ but low EQ and SQ. Most schools capitalize in improving IQ level while EQ and SQ are played down. A man of high IQ can end up being employed by a man of high EQ and SQ even though he has an average IQ. The EQ represents our character; the SQ represents our fame. EQ and SQ make one manage better than the other.

Now there is a forth one: The Adversity Quotient (AQ). This makes people go through a rough patch in life and come out without losing their centers. The AQ determines who will give up in face of troubles, who will abandon their family or who will consider suicide.

Emotional Intelligence

In contrast to SQ, Psychology Today Journal describes emotional intelligence as “…the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.” Emotional intelligence contains three competencies:

When EQ and IQ come together, they form ESI, or Emotional and Social Intelligence. ESI competencies are those linked to self-awareness, self-management and relationship management, which enable people to understand and manage their own and others’ emotions in social interactions. ESI competencies, rather than IQ and technical ones, are responsible for the gap between the performance of those leaders that are great from those just deemed average. Fortunately, while IQ often gets set in stone early on in life, ESI competencies can be learned and improved over time.

Both skillsets are critical for embracing innovation. Social intelligence is more about the future. Social intelligence came about so that people could survive, and it’s about figuring out the best way for us to get along, and come out of a situation with a favorable outcome. Even if we have the qualifications on paper, a lack of social intelligence could lead to strained or ruined relationships, as well as lost opportunities.

In contrast, emotional intelligence is more about the present, and more closely related to emotions and feelings. By reading someone’s face, we can tell whether that person is happy, incredibly nervous before going into a job interview, or shy because that person happens to be in his/ her own corner in the middle of a party.

Social Intelligence

Psychology Today Journal states that social intelligence develops from experience with people and learning from success and failures in social settings. Some key elements of social intelligence may be-

In 2003, the American psychologist Karl Albrecht defined Social Intelligence (SI) as the characteristic of employees and supervisors to be able to interact well with others and achieve full cooperation. It is about interpersonal skills and the behavior people display toward each other. This behavior can have a ‘toxic’ effect and a ‘nurturing’ effect.

First, it is about the sensitivity to and insight into the needs and interests of others; this is called a social radar. Being aware of certain situations and knowing how to act are part of that.

To a certain extent, Social Intelligence is also focused on self-assessment and reflection and becoming aware of one’s own observations and response patterns. With that, Social Intelligence, offers the opportunity to effectively deal with complex social relations and/ or environments and negotiate. Most importantly, they take care of the impression of themselves they exude on other people. This requires a delicate balance between managing and controlling the image you portray to others and being reasonably “authentic” and letting others see the true self. 

The Social Intelligence Philosophy

True intelligence is about both book smarts and street smarts. Social Intelligence (SI) is the ability to successfully build relationships and navigate social environments. Our society puts a huge emphasis on book smarts and IQ, but our relationships effect a much bigger part of our lives.

Strong relationships improve our immune system and help combat disease. Loneliness and weak relationships are one of the major sources of stress, health problems and depression. Our relationships affect every area of our lives–from colleagues to spouses to friends to kids.

We are wired to connect. We have specific structures in our brain built to optimize relationships. A spindle cell is the fastest acting neuron in our brain that guides our social decisions. Human brains contain more of these spindle cells than any other species.

Mirror neurons help us predict the behavior of people around us by subconsciously mimicking their movements. This helps us feel as they feel, move as they move.

Social Intelligence (and Emotional Intelligence) at the Workplace

One of the greatest advantages of developing social and emotional intelligence in the workplace is the ability to read between the lines. To know when someone is content, upset, challenged, or emotionally healthy allows us to find the best ways to engage and work with them. When peers feel that their feelings are being understood and taken into account, they can communicate more openly. This can be invaluable for learning where the work environment needs to improve, and where others feel satisfied.

In the workplace, most people don’t want to upset the applecart. But just because our associate accepted a task doesn’t necessarily mean they have any passion for it, or even that they are the ideal person for the job. By learning how to read the emotional and social cues of the team members, we can establish their strengths, where they could stand to improve, and how well they synergize with the rest of the team.

Utilizing Social and Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

Social Intelligence & Nurturing Behaviour

Toxic behavior leads to people feeling angry, frustrated, guilty or other negative and inadequate emotions. Nurturing behavior on the other hand, makes people feel appreciated, respected, competent and motivated. That is the foundation of Social Intelligence. The more someone is subjected to a continuing pattern of toxic behavior, the lower his level of Social Intelligence will be and the less able he will be to connect people to each other and influence them effectively. A continuing pattern of nurturing behavior will lead to a higher degree of effective interaction with others.

Six Dimensions: Compare these dimensions to the six sides of a dice; each side plays an equal part and is therefore proportional to the other sides. Each side represents a dimension and together all six make up the total competency that is necessary for social intelligence:

Indicators of Social Intelligence

While we want to be able to engage with people in a mutually comfortable way, we should not have to sacrifice genuine expression in favor of a polite nod or gracious smile. The two are not mutually exclusive. People who are socially intelligent function in such a way that they can communicate with others and leave them feeling at ease without sacrificing who they are and what they want to say. Some core traits may be:

***To be continued in Chapter 02 (Attributes, Building Social Intelligence, Social Intelligence Profile, Fostering Social Intelligence,  )

Link to Chapter – 02:

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE: UNRAVELING ITS DYNAMICS AND IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

MORAL DILEMMAS: INTERTWINED BEHAVIOURS & WAYS TO NAVIGATE – CHAPTER – 02

***Continued from Chapter 01 (Covered previously: Meaning of Ethics/ Morals, Traditional Interpretations Of Ethics, Three Broad Types of Ethical Theory, Interpretation of Moral/ Ethical Dilemmas)

Link to Chapter 01:

MORAL DILEMMAS: INTERTWINED BEHAVIOURS & WAYS TO NAVIGATE – CHAPTER – 01

Moral Dilemma Questions

In a time when many question our national moral character, pondering what to do in various situations can be a positive exercise preparing an individual for worst-&-best-case. We will look at some examples of moral dilemma questions to aid in placing ourselves in the midst of them.

01. The Unfaithful Friend

You go out with your spouse for dinner at a new restaurant you have not frequented before. It is in a part of town you rarely visit. You are shocked to see your friend’s spouse having dinner with a very young, attractive person. From the way they are behaving, it is obvious they are more than friends. The couple finish their meal and leave without seeing you. They behave very affectionately on the way out the door.

02. An Office Theft
You are in charge of the petty cash at the office. However, a co-worker is responsible for making a weekly trip to the bank to make the business deposit and obtain petty cash for the following week. In a conversation with your mutual supervisor, you are asked if the increase in the petty cash amount was enough. You, however, have not seen any additional money. You realize your co-worker has been pocketing the additional money.

03. Midnight Death

You have worked years to be successful in your father’s business. You felt you were obligated to take over as he worked his whole life to build the business left to him by his father. However, the large businesses in town have seriously cut into profits and for several years you and your family have just managed to scrape by. Your father’s health has declined and he has been hospitalized. He has a substantial life insurance policy that expires at midnight. If he dies before midnight, you will inherit enough money to pursue a career you have always dreamed of and provide adequately for your family.

04. Get Rich

Your friend offers you an opportunity to make a great deal of money very quickly. He has arranged to set up an off-shore account for your profits. He will not tell you exactly how he is making this money, but you get the impression it is not exactly legal. He only wants an investment of Rs 50,000/- and promises you will have enough from your minimal investment that you will never need to work again.

05. Telling a Secret

Your friend tells you that they committed a crime. They explain that they are having trouble sleeping at night and feel you are the only one they can trust with their confession. A few days later, you read in the paper that someone has been arrested for your friend’s crime.

Moral Dilemma Scenarios

Here are some moral dilemma scenarios. Each scene is characterized by the need to make a difficult decision. As with all moral dilemmas, there is no right or wrong.

01. Sarcastic Friend
Your friend has a great sense of humour. However, sometimes his jokes involve making fun of others in inappropriate ways. He will point out a physical flaw or look for something odd or different about a person and make an unkind comment. You feel uncomfortable when your friend does this. Do you say something or just laugh along with him?

02. Hit and Run
Late one night you are driving home in a bad rainstorm. A drunk reels out in front of your car and you try to stop, but hit him. Nobody sees you. The guy looks and smells as if he is homeless. You check to see how badly he is hurt and realize he is dead. You have never even had a speeding ticket and are an upright, professional, with a family and are well-known and respected in your community. Do you make a report anonymously, confess your crime, or drive on home and forget about it, knowing no one is going to pursue the death of a homeless drunk?

03. Third Chance
Your teenager has had a rough few years. First came an arrest for shoplifting. The item was of little value, so it was only a misdemeanour. Then your teen was with some friends who were smoking pot and driving too fast. Your teen has promised they are turning over a new leaf and seem to be on the right track, doing better in school, coming home by curfew, and generally having a much better attitude. Now you get a call from the local police station saying your son was with a group of kids who broke into a liquor store and stole beer. Do you go to the station and see how you can get your teen out of this jam or let him accept whatever consequences befall him?

04. Reward a Job Well Done
You understand the importance of team work in your job. You share ideas and responsibilities with your team members on a daily basis. In your weekly team meeting with your supervisor, one of your co-workers takes credit for a time and money saving change in operating procedures you devised. Your supervisor erroneously thinks your co-worker came up with the change and your co-worker does not correct the misinterpretation, but allows the boss to not only commend him, but offer a bonus. Do you go to your co-worker and demand he correct the situation, go to your supervisor and explain you should receive the commendation and reward, or keep quiet as you do not believe in ownership of ideas?

Moral Dilemma Questions

Moral dilemma questions might be characterized as “What if?” questions. It can be hard to take a close look at ourselves and ask, “Will I do the right thing when confronted with a difficult choice?” Frequently, it is the small decisions we make that truly define our moral character.

Approaches For Ethical Decision-Making

The more novel and difficult the ethical choice we face, the more we need to rely on discussion and dialogue with others about the dilemma. There are three broad frameworks to guide ethical decision making:

While each of the three frameworks is useful for making ethical decisions, none is perfect—otherwise the perfect theory would have driven the other imperfect theories from the field long ago. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the frameworks will be helpful in deciding which is most useful in approach the particular situation with which we are presented.

In many situations, all three frameworks will result in the same—or at least very similar—conclusions about what to do, although they will typically give different reasons for reaching those conclusions. However, because they focus on different ethical features, the conclusions reached through one framework will occasionally differ from the conclusions reached through one (or both) of the others.

The Importance of Studying Moral/ Ethical Dilemmas

The exploration needs to dig deeper, taking into consideration not only how to make difficult decisions, but how the decisions reflect the underlying values that are important to us. The practice will not only foster better ethical decision-making, but exercises that require assessments of ethical dilemmas can improve reasoning and critical thinking skills—valuable assets in many contexts.

Ethical training develops important “soft skills” like respect, empathy and compassion. Exploring conflicts from different points of view—and striving to understand the value behind an opinion—also makes us more empathetic to others. Identifying the principles that comprise the foundation of our beliefs as well as those that guide others allows us to hone social and emotional competencies like self-awareness and social awareness.

A Framework for Making Moral/ Ethical Decisions

Decisions about right and wrong permeate everyday life. Ethics should concern all levels of life: acting properly as individuals, creating responsible organizations and governments, and making our society as a whole more ethical. One Framework that can be applied in daily instances may be:

Making moral/ ethical decisions requires sensitivity to the ethical implications of problems and situations.  It also requires practice. Having a framework for ethical decision making is essential for individuals and organizations.

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

MORAL DILEMMAS: INTERTWINED BEHAVIOURS & WAYS TO NAVIGATE – CHAPTER – 01

Morality is defined as the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour (Oxford Dictionary). Effective ethics instruction is about more than distributing a list of moral guidelines; it requires educating learners on how to navigate their own moral decision-making. Learners learn to search for and evaluate their assumptions, to excavate the reasons behind those assumptions, to examine without prejudice another’s opinion and to make a thoughtful decision with confidence.

What Is Ethics:

Ethics provides a set of standards for behaviour that helps us decide how we ought to act in a range of situations. In a sense, ethics is all about making choices, and about providing reasons why we should make these choices.

Ethics is sometimes conflated or confused with other ways of making choices, including religion, law or morality. Many religions promote ethical decision-making but do not always address the full range of ethical choices that we face. Religions may also advocate or prohibit certain behaviours which may not be considered the proper domain of ethics. Many people use the terms morality and ethics interchangeably. Others reserve morality for the state of virtue while seeing ethics as a code that enables morality. Another way to think about the relationship between ethics and morality is to see ethics as providing a rational basis for morality, that is, ethics provides good reasons for why something is moral.

Traditional Interpretations Of Ethics:

There are numerous ways to think about right and wrong actions or good and bad character.  The field of ethics is traditionally divided into three areas:

Three Broad Types of Ethical Theory:

Ethical theories are often broadly divided into three types. Each of these three broad categories contains varieties of approaches to ethics, some of which share characteristics across the categories.

Consequentialist Theories

The Utilitarian Approach: Utilitarianism is one of the most common approaches to making ethical decisions, especially decisions with consequences that concern large groups of people, in part because it instructs us to weigh the different amounts of good and bad that will be produced by our action. This conforms to our feeling that some good and some bad will necessarily be the result of our action and that the best action will be that which provides the most good or does the least harm, or produces the greatest balance of good over harm.

The Egoistic Approach: One variation of the utilitarian approach is known as ethical egoism, or the ethics of self- interest. In this approach, an individual often uses utilitarian calculation to produce the greatest amount of good for him or herself. The Russian-American philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982), who, in the book The Virtue of Selfishness (1964), argues that self-interest is a prerequisite to self-respect and to respect for others.

The Common Good Approach: The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) argued that the best society should be guided by the general will of the people which would then produce what is best for the people as a whole. This approach to ethics underscores the networked aspects of society and emphasizes respect and compassion for others, especially those who are more vulnerable.

Non Consequentialist Theories

The Duty-Based Approach: The ethical action is one taken from duty, that is, it is done precisely because it is our obligation to perform the action. Ethical obligations are the same for all rational creatures (they are universal), and knowledge of what these obligations entail is arrived at by discovering rules of behaviour that are not contradicted by reason.

The Rights Approach: This approach stipulates that the best ethical action is that which protects the ethical rights of those who are affected by the action. It emphasizes the belief that all humans have a right to dignity. The list of ethical rights is debated; many now argue that animals and other non-humans such as robots also have rights.

The Fairness or Justice Approach: The American philosopher John Rawls argued that just ethical principles are those that would be chosen by free and rational people in an initial situation of equality. This is considered fair or just because it provides a procedure for what counts as a fair action, and does not concern itself with the consequences of those actions. Fairness of starting point is the principle for what is considered just.

The Divine Command Approach: As its name suggests, this approach sees what is right as the same as what the Devine Beings command, and ethical standards are the creation of their will. Because Devine Beings are seen as omnipotent and possessed of free will, they could change what is now considered ethical, and they are not bound by any standard of right or wrong short of logical contradiction.

Agent Centred Theories

The Virtue Approach: One long-standing ethical principle argues that ethical actions should be consistent with ideal human virtues. Because virtue ethics is concerned with the entirety of a person’s life, it takes the process of education and training seriously, and emphasizes the importance of role models to our understanding of how to engage in ethical deliberation.

The Feminist Approach: This approach emphasizes the importance of the experiences of women and other marginalized groups to ethical deliberation. The principle of care as a legitimately primary ethical concern, often in opposition to the seemingly cold and impersonal justice approach. Like virtue ethics, feminist ethics concerned with the totality of human life and how this life comes to influence the way we make ethical decisions.

Interpretation of Moral/ Ethical Dilemmas

In philosophy, ethical dilemmas, also called ethical paradoxes or moral dilemmas, are situations in which an agent stands under two (or more) conflicting moral requirements, none of which overrides the other. A closely related definition characterizes ethical dilemmas as situations in which every available choice is wrong. The term is also used in a wider sense in everyday language to refer to ethical conflicts that may be resolvable, to psychologically difficult choices or to other types of difficult ethical problems.

The crucial features of a moral dilemma are these: the agent can do each of the actions; but the agent cannot do both (or all) of the actions. What is common to the cases in a moral dilemma (or ethical dilemma) is conflict. The agent thus seems condemned to moral failure; no matter what he/she does, he/she will do something wrong (or fail to do something that he/she ought to do).

When one of the conflicting requirements overrides the other, we have a conflict but not a genuine moral dilemma. So, in order to have a genuine moral dilemma it must also be true that neither of the conflicting requirements is overridden. What makes these questions dilemmas is an individual’s definition of right and wrong or good and bad. scenarios. Some ways in which such ethical dilemmas may be addressed are:

***To be continued in Chapter 02 (Moral Dilemma Questions & Common Situations, Approaches For Ethical Decision-Making, Importance of Understanding Moral Dilemmas, Framework for Making Moral/ Ethical Decisions)

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

RELEVANCE OF MYTHOLOGY: BEHAVIOURAL LESSONS FROM ICARUS/ JATAYU

Tales from the Mythology & Us

Sometimes, the mythology that resounds with us the most reveals much about where we are in life. How we interpret the ancient stories reveals more about our internal struggles than the motives of the authors who lived thousands of years ago. Mythology is a fascinating topic that has captivated people for centuries. It is the study of traditional stories, legends, and folklore that have been passed down from generation to generation.

While many may believe that mythology is a relic of the past, it is still very relevant today. Firstly, mythology helps us understand our cultural heritage. Every culture has its own unique set of myths and legends that define its identity. These stories provide us with a glimpse into the beliefs, values, and customs of our ancestors. Secondly, mythology can help us understand ourselves. Many of the stories found in mythology are allegories that explore the human experience. They can provide us with insights into our own fears, desires, and struggles. For example, the story of Icarus (or Jatayu, that which we will see in detail) warns us about the dangers of hubris and the consequences of ignoring sound advice.

Thirdly, mythology can inspire us to greatness. Many of the heroes and heroines in mythological stories exhibit qualities such as bravery, wisdom, and compassion. These stories can inspire us to strive for these same qualities in our own lives. For example, the story of Hanuman teaches us about the value of perseverance, loyalty, and the rewards of hard work. Fourthly, mythology can help us make sense of the world around us. In today’s complex and rapidly changing world, it can be difficult to find meaning in the events that shape our lives.

Finally, mythology can help us connect with others. The stories we tell and the myths we believe in are an important part of our shared cultural heritage. By sharing these stories with others, we can build connections and foster a sense of community. In a world that often seems divided, mythology can help us find common ground and build bridges between different groups.

They say mythology was initially used to communicate ideas that the proponents of civilization felt were crucial for their citizens to understand and incorporate in their lives. As it has been demonstrated, there are more lessons that can be taught from mythology than just history or philosophy. These stories are powerful and interesting, and have concepts and ideas that can be studied that one might not initially realize. Such a story as Icarus (Or that of Jatayu), is one of the first references to man attempting a long flight.

Icarus: Greek Mythology

Daedalus looked for a way to break out of imprisonment. There was no escape at sea, which was dominated by seafarers who were loyal to Minos. The land crawled with Minos’ soldiers. Daedalus saw only one option for escape: the air. Daedalus gathered feathers from the rocky shore and used hot wax to create a structure in the shape of wings. When one pair successfully carried him into the air, he created another pair for his son and taught him how to fly.

Lessons to Take Away from Icarus

The traditional moral of the story is to beware ambition because risks can lead to unexpected consequences; however, there are far more lessons to be learned from Icarus.

A) Ambition Is Not Always Rooted In Pride: . . . Why did Icarus fly so high? Perhaps it was because he wanted to know what it would be like to touch the sun. Or maybe he flew too high purely by accident – simply enthralled by the pleasure and exhilaration of the flying— the wind in his hair and the sun warming his face– and forgot to pay attention to where he was going. Maybe he was chasing a high, longing to experience what he thought the ecstasy of that warmth would feel like after being locked away in a cold stone tower in the dark for such a long time.

B) Escape Takes Many Forms: . . . Icarus was trying to escape from a violent fate on the island of Crete. For some freedom is merely physical. Icarus was no longer trapped behind bars or locked in a tower, but he still wanted more.

C) Being Passionate Towards Achieving Our Dreams: . . . Icarus was passionate. He gave his life to achieve his dreams. To him, reaching the sun was worth any cost. It made him forget everything else. The sun was the only thing that existed for Icarus, and he had no desire for the rest of the world. One can imagine that, as he fell from the sky, he could only stare longingly back at that ill-fated star and admire its beauty. We can all think of being in love with our goals like Icarus loved the sun.

D) The Importance Of Listening To The Wisdom Of One’s Elder: . .

However, Icarus was exhilarated by his newfound power of flight. He soared high into the heavens, ignoring his father’s warning. Daedalus (Icarus’s father) was a master craftsman and an accomplished inventor. Icarus’s ignoring of his father’s warnings resulted in his death, which is a not-so-subtle warning to the youth of the society. There was no room for disobedience and disrespect of one’s elders in our mythology. We should always revere our elders and heed their advice, before we go our own way.

E) Understanding One’s Limitations (Or) The Limitations Of One’s Situation: . . . Icarus let the sheer exhilaration he felt from the act of flying distract him from the limitations of his wax wings. We often let the exhilaration of various activities and the sense of youth and a future distract us from the fact that we are still very much mortal and it could all easily end. We have to define what exactly is too far or too much for us in order to know how much we can achieve without negatively impacting ourselves. Setting boundaries means specifying to the people in our life what we can give and share, but also what we need from those relationships.

F) Failure Is Not Something To Be Feared: . . . Maybe Icarus didn’t touch the sun, but he got closer than any man ever had before. He breached domain that was thought only to belong to the gods as he conquered the skies. His flight was revolutionary and far beyond what was thought possible for humankind. The road to progress is paved by people who take risks. Perhaps, his flight was enough to give others (prisoners on the island of Crete) hope. Icarus makes us ask ourselves what we would do with a chance to fly.

G) Too Much Of A Good Thing: . . . There was nothing wrong with Icarus enjoying the experience of flight. However, he let this enjoyment cloud his judgment. He was only focused on the pleasure of the experience and lost sight of its purpose, his gateway to freedom. Instead, his pleasure brought him crashing down. More often than not, too much of a good thing has unexpected consequences. These can vary from substance abuse having a direct influence on our body to more abstract ideas like too much attention being spent on devices or activities versus one’s loved ones.

H) The Importance Of Being Balanced: . . . This applies to all aspects of our life: physical, mental, financial, social, emotional and spiritual. We should not be too greedy and want everything and neither should we be too fearful and avoid everything. Greed and fear are two emotions that direct lot of what we do. We need to consciously be aware of these emotions as we live our lives and make sure we do not fall prey to either of them.

I) Greed and Arrogance: . . . The newfound ability was too intoxicating for Icarus. His father might have constructed the wings, but it gave Icarus an ability everyone has long dreamt of: Being able to fly. He now had that ability, and understandably, it was a rush. He was excited- he let it go to his head. Ignoring his father’s cries and prior advice, he went higher. Ambition and arrogance outgrew his ability, and he died for it.

J) Being Intoxicated With Ambition: . . . Daedalus (Icarus’s father) built wings for both of them, and he stayed at a safe altitude and flew safely, and that can be contrasted with Icarus’s carelessness. Daring and innovation works just fine if we understand their limitations, but they’ll destroy us if we don’t.

Daedalus was still able to fly perfectly at certain heights. However, it is Icarus who literally got “above his place” and flew too high. Icarus thought that he was the greatest human being, as he was the only mortal who could fly. However, his wings came apart and he crashed into the sea.

The Ramayana- Jatayu and Sampati

The Indian epic Ramayana contains a similar tale of what happens when you fly too close the sun. Jatayu  and Sampati (The sons of Aruṇa & Shyeni) are two demigods in the shape of birds, who also happen to be brothers. During their youth, Samapati and his younger brother, Jatayu, in order to test their powers, flew towards Surya, the solar deity.

As a consequence, it was Sampati who had his wings burnt, descending towards the Vindhya mountains. Incapacitated, he spent the rest of his life under the protection of a sage named Nishakara, who performed a penance in the mountains. Sampati is said to have been enlightened with spiritual knowledge in these mountains by sages, who told him to cease lamenting about his broken body, and wait patiently until he is able to serve Rama. He never met his brother alive again. Sampati, unfortunately, never recovers from this incident, and lives a sad, flightless life in the forest. Although Jatayu’s wings are only partially burnt, he also falls. Eventually, Jatayu is able to recover and has further role to play in the rescue of Princess Sita.

Just like the Daedalus and Icarus myth, the tale of Jatayu and Sampati warns readers not to be reckless or overstep their bounds. But unlike Sampati, Daedalus never tries to shield Icarus from the sun. Because of this, the Indian myth contains a stronger lesson about the importance of sacrificing yourself for others (especially your family).

Finding The Balance in Our Lives

We all have, and are given, wings to fly on and it is our choice what we do with them. Do we not use them and never take flight? Do we accept them as they are and fly proudly on them to new destinations? Or do we misuse them, flying too high, too close to the Sun, destroying our gift and ourselves in the process? If we don’t fly—or try to fly too high like Icarus, the myth teaches us that we will find ourselves falling into the depths of emotional despair, drowning in our egoic feelings (as represented by the sea Icarus drowned in).

To make the most of our gifts, we don’t need to make ourselves into more than we are, you don’t need to fly higher than we can and burn, but we also don’t need to stay down on earth, denying our own wings to fly. Icarus teaches that we have power over what we do with our gifts, and to what heights and destinations they take us.

In today’s fast-paced world, finding balance in our lives can be a challenge. We juggle multiple responsibilities and commitments, and it can often feel like we are running on a hamster wheel, never quite getting anywhere. However, finding balance is crucial to our overall well-being.

Firstly, it is important to prioritize. We cannot do everything at once, and trying to do so will only lead to burnout. It is essential to identify the most important tasks and commitments and focus our energy on those. Secondly, we need to learn to say no. It can be challenging to turn down requests for our time and attention, but saying yes to everything will only lead to overwhelm. We need to set boundaries and be clear about our priorities.

Thirdly, it is important to take care of ourselves. We cannot pour from an empty cup, and neglecting our own needs will only lead to burnout. Self-care looks different for everyone, but it might include things like exercise, meditation, spending time with loved ones, or engaging in a creative hobby. Finally, it is important to remember that finding balance is an ongoing process. Life is full of twists and turns, and what works for us one day may not work the next. We need to be adaptable and willing to adjust our priorities as needed. We also need to be patient with ourselves and remember that finding balance is a journey, not a destination.

The Two Facets of Living Life

The story of Icarus presents the notion of two facets of living life, namely:

Being too humble has its own disadvantages too because once we start caring excessively about others, they might walk all over us instead of recognizing the generous behaviour. Hence, Icarus’s father plainly exhibits that we shouldn’t fly too high that we forget our roots (else the wings shall melt) and we shouldn’t go too low as it may prove fatal to our overall flight. Either way, it’s maintain balance or be killed.

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

ATTITUDE VS. EXPERIENCE: WHICH IS MORE VALUABLE?

A debate about hiring for attitude versus aptitude has developed over the years. Nearly every job posting includes the type of experience an employer is seeking, which makes sense considering that companies want to locate applicants who have already demonstrated a certain level of skill in that particular industry or role. 

Both the experience (hard skills) and the attitude (soft skills) are given high priority in the initial job requirements. The debate comes to light during the interview and hiring process.

Although the initial requirements highlight soft skills and personality traits as important parts of the job applicant’s qualifications, during interviews, many hiring managers focus on hard skills and experience because they are easier to discuss and judge. As a result, many applicants end up being hired based exclusively on their experience rather than on their attitude. Is it better to hire people on the basis of their experience or their potential? If we believe experience is preferable, and that age equates with experience, there’s no better time than now. But experience is not the issue. The question is, experience of what?

The problem of hiring on the basis of experience gained in a former job is the assumption that it parallels what is needed in the new job. Organisational cultures and situations can and do differ dramatically. There is a litany of highly competent executives like Bob Nardelli, who excelled at GE, but was unable to duplicate that success at Home Depot. Experience is situation-specific.

Experience vs Potential

Experience also tends to equate with baggage. Behaviour is learned. We do what we do on the basis of it having led to success in the past. We’ve all been annoyed by people who insist on telling us how things were done in their last company or last job. There are benefits to learning how other people do things, but the underlying message is that what we’re doing is no good, and that can be demoralising.

So what about hiring on potential? This, too, comes with some small print. “Potential”, may also get translated as “lack of directly applicable experience”. That means giving the individual time to learn, which implies training, coaching and the provision of development opportunities. This one of the reasons many companies fall back on what they hope is the quicker-fix solution of hiring so-called experienced people — it takes less effort.

There are a number of companies that have successfully hired for potential though, notably Southwest Airlines, the originator of the discount airline model. Southwest claims it hires for “attitude” — motivation, energy, keenness, and team spirit. But Southwest doesn’t make the mistake of thinking that’s enough. It follows up with intensive skills and culture training. People learn what behaviour is acceptable and rewarded. Very few organisations make a conscious effort to do this. Instead, people have to learn the hard way.

If we wish to hire people for their potential, we need to define the core competencies for the roles in question. These are things like a demonstrated ability to motivate people, being able to close sales, a record of building effective teams, or being able to make and stand by hard decisions. Either people have done these things or they haven’t. They can be tested and observed. Assessing potential doesn’t have to be subjective — it manifests itself in observable behaviour.

But as James Callaghan, a former British Prime Minister, once said: “Some people, however long their experience or strong their intellect, are temperamentally incapable of reaching firm decisions.” No amount of experience can change that.

What gets us Hired – Attitude or experience?

For recruiters, the longstanding question remains – who makes for a better hire – someone with the perfect experience, or someone with the right attitude?

A positive attitude can transform a workplace. Employers value a positive attitude because of the impact it can have. It’s important to remember that any role – no matter how big or small – gives an opportunity to make a positive impact through the way we work. Employers are looking for people who add to the culture. Workplace culture is important to employers, and the benefits we bring to the collective culture often matter more than our experience and qualifications. The good news is that means there’s more flexibility in how we present ourselves during a job search. If employers can’t imagine sitting beside us and working on a project, then it’s really hard to get hired. So if we don’t show our personality, then it’s difficult for them to choose us over somebody who’s got the same qualifications or experience.

Exhibiting a great attitude at Work

It’s not always easy to show employers how we think, but a great attitude can go a long way. Some ways in which we can show this are:

Knowing how to show our enthusiasm to employers can make a huge difference to whether we are considered for a role. A great attitude can help us stand out – even if we are up against others who may be more qualified or experienced.

Hiring for Attitude

Although it’s clear that attitude should play a major role in the hiring process, there may be some instances when skills and experience really are of utmost importance. In that case, we may want to consider hiring freelancers to design websites, or to create content or code, for example. Here are a few questions we can raise when determining whether attitude or skill set may be more important:

Although this isn’t a comprehensive list, these questions can help to determine what to evaluate during the hiring process. Certain ways in which we can evaluate job applicants’ attitudes during the hiring process may be:

A) Ascertaining what type of attitude is needed for the job. Different attitudes are better suited for particular roles and teams, so it’s important to clearly identify what type of employee attitude is needed for the specific position you are hiring for. For example, when hiring for a sales role, you might want an employee who is charismatic and doesn’t take no for an answer. However, this type of attitude may not be necessary for a graphic design role.

B) Posing questions that reveal attitude. It can be helpful to ask questions like, “Can you tell me about a time you failed?” But instead of focusing on the specific details of their failure, listen to how they frame their response. Do they take ownership of the failure and show a growth mentality, or do they blame others and speak bitterly?

C) Solicit Assistance from our Team. We can get a more holistic view of someone’s attitude by having multiple people assess it. For example, how did they treat the receptionist when they checked in? We can also give the candidate a tour of our office so they can meet other employees, or have select employees sit in on an interview, to assess whether the candidate is a good fit for the company culture.

D) Favouring Internal Promotions & Employee Referrals. It is easier to understand an employee’s attitude if they already work for you. Instead of taking a risk on a new hire, it may be helpful to promote from within your company. Employee referrals are also a great way to gather insight on candidates’ attitudes.

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

THE DUNNING KRUGER EFFECT: INTERPLAY OF BEHAVIORS- CHAPTER 02

***Continued from Chapter 01 (Covered previously: Meaning & Interpretation, Historical Origins, Types Of Information: The Ignorance Of Ignorance, The Dunning-Kruger Effect In The Workplace and In Our Lives)

Link to Chapter 01:

THE DUNNING KRUGER EFFECT: INTERPLAY OF BEHAVIORS- CHAPTER 01

Behaviors That Initiate The Dunning-Kruger Effect

How To Steer Away From The Dunning Kruger Effect

People can learn they are incompetent . . . by becoming competent. Thinking of meta-cognition again, we may divide it into two: General and domain specific.

If we can hone our general meta-cognition, we can ensure that we do not fall for the Dunning-Kruger effect in whatever domain. Every time we think – “I am above average, of course” – an alarm bell needs to go off in our mind. How do we know we are above average? Getting to know our peers and what they are doing can help. If we can distinguish between the competent and those who are not, maybe we do know what we are doing. If not, that should be enough of a warning to dive deeper into whatever we are learning – switching to specific meta-cognition.

Another antidote is the Stoic art of premeditatio malorum, or pre-meditation of evils. Assuming we have failed, or found out we are objectively bad at something – how do we tend to explain it? Would we call it just a bad day, or something deeper? Depending on how many times we face this failure in real life (a proxy for competence), the answer ought to transition from “just a bad day” to “I need to improve”. Here are a few other things we can do:

Countering The Dunning-Kruger Effect In The Workplace

People are social animals and do not like to be exposed as simply wrong, so the best way to handle people is to help them to understand that things are more complicated than they thought through their own reasoning. That is, they must realize for themselves that maybe there is more to the situation or problem than they initially thought. Some ways we can do this are:

A) With our  Subordinates- Appropriate Coaching Style:

We can adopt a coaching style to give them feedback on their ideas and work progress. This style should not be critical but should help them to explore potential issues with their ideas. Over time, team members will develop a deeper understanding of typical issues that might arise, and a set of tools and strategies for analyzing situations for potential problems that might occur on their own.

B) With our Superiors- Managing Up: We want our superiors to realize for themselves that their initial ideas may be more complex and fraught with difficulties than they originally imagined. This will involve:

Domain Dependence Of The Dunning Kruger Effect

The effect does not show up everywhere. One big caveat is the domain under consideration. In some domains, knowledge does imply competence. For example, someone who understands inferential logic will be a competent logician. In other domains, competence depends on other factors too, like physical skill. For example, soccer coaches probably know what they are doing, but can we imagine Sir Alex Ferguson playing a 90 minute game now? He is not competent at playing soccer. Despite this, he has the knowledge to realize when one of his players is making a mistake in the game.

In domains where knowledge implies competence, lack of skill implies both the inability to perform competently as well as the inability to recognize competence, and thus are also the domains in which the incompetent are likely to be unaware of their lack of skill. Or, the domains in which the Dunning Kruger effect runs rabid. If we cannot serve in tennis, we probably don’t think we are Wimbledon material. But again, that does not stop some people from thinking they can win a point off Serena Williams.

Finally, in order for the incompetent to overestimate themselves, they must satisfy a minimal threshold of knowledge, theory, or experience that suggests to themselves that they can generate correct answers.

The Paradox Of Overcoming Ignorance

How do we get someone—or ourselves—to look for something we cannot even see?  This is the paradox of trying to overcome our own ignorance: The very thing that would help us see our mistakes is the same thing that would keep us from making them in the first place. We cannot reason with a conspiracy theorist precisely because they did not form their beliefs with reason.

Part of the problem is that there is comfort in the feeling of knowing. People do not like uncertainty. And so settling on a belief helps us feel like we have made more sense of the world. When we can make sense of the world, we feel safe. Whether that belief is true or not does not matter—it just has to give us some relief from the anxiety of not knowing.

Also, it turns out it is not helpful to be direct with them for how stupid they are. Being too open to people simply causes them to become more defensive and double-down on their challenged beliefs, not relinquish them.

Conclusion

Humility is an important value. In fact, the Dunning-Kruger Effect suggests that humility can be highly practical. By intentionally underestimating our understanding of things, not only do we open up more opportunities to learn and grow, but we also foster a more realistic view of ourselves, and prevent ourselves from looking like a narcissist around others. Now, when we talk about the Dunning-Kruger effect we seem to (ironically enough) believe that it doesn’t apply to us. But the truth is, every single one of us has been a victim of it, at one point or the other, and our denial is the very proof it. We can find many examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect just by imploring ourselves, for example our shortcoming when it comes to accepting differing opinions or facts that directly contradict our views stems from our belief that we already know the “correct” opinion on a particular matter.

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

THE DUNNING KRUGER EFFECT: INTERPLAY OF BEHAVIORS- CHAPTER 01

If we were asked to rate our driving ability on a scale of 1 to 10, how would we score ourselves? Maybe we are not amongst the best drivers in the world, but we probably do not believe we are the worst. In fact, we probably rate ourselves as being a little better than the average driver. The problem with this is that most people rate themselves as being a better driver than the average person. This is the Dunning-Kruger Effect, where most people overrate their abilities, with the greatest overestimation coming from those with the lowest skills.

Perhaps what’s even more amazing is that the English philosopher Bertrand Russell said this long before the advent of the internet. Today, due to the joys of social media, we are regularly exposed to legions of people who believe they know what they are talking about when they do not. And, indeed, as Russell pointed out, the more clueless these people are, the more confident in their pronouncements they seem to be. People who are bad at something do believe they are good at it, and people who are good at it do believe they are bad at it. Amateurs are overconfident and experts are under confident. Newbies believe they have got it all figured out and the weathered veterans understand that nothing is really known for sure.

What Is The Dunning-Kruger Effect?

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias characterized by overconfidence in one’s ability on a particular subject. The gap between perceived ability and actual ability is typically blind to the individual concerned, but often not to others around them. The Dunning-Kruger effect was first recognized in David Dunning and Justin Kruger’s 1999 study “Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One’s Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments”. This gap between perceived performance and actual performance can be best shown using the Dunning-Kruger Curve.

The Curve shows that people with zero experience know they are incompetent. However, those with just a little experience vastly overestimate their competence. As people get further experience, they become more aware of the gaps in their knowledge and their confidence decreases until they reach the point of average competence. After this point, as their expertise increases, so does their confidence.

The scariest thing about this effect is that we won’t even realize we are there. An important point to realize is that the only people who tend to underestimate their abilities are those that are actually the most competent and experienced. This is often called the burden of expertise.

Similar Falacies – Historical Origins

Anna Karenina principle (Leo Tolstoy- 1877): The Anna Karenina principle states that a deficiency in any one of a number of factors dooms an endeavor to failure. Consequently, a successful endeavor (subject to this principle) is one for which every possible deficiency has been avoided.

In other words: happy families share a common set of attributes which lead to happiness, while any of a variety of attributes can cause an unhappy family.

Aristotle’s version:

Much earlier, Aristotle states the same principle in the Nicomachean Ethics (Book 2):-

The Opposite of Dunning-Kruger:

The opposite of the Dunning-Kruger Effect to some degree is Imposter Syndrome.

Here, you have high-ability but believe your actual ability is very low. In a nutshell, while your ability is high, you feel like a fraud or believe that you are faking competence in some way.

Types Of Information: The Ignorance Of Ignorance

There are four types of information:

The unknown unknowns are where the Dunning-Kruger effect comes into play in the worst way. It is our tendency to overestimate our own knowledge/skills/competence and underestimate our own ignorance. The Dunning-Kruger Effect goes beyond ignorance. It presents a meta-layer of ignorance—the ignorance of our own ignorance. And that is what Russell says is so wrong with the world: that we predictably overestimate our knowledge and abilities in a way that causes more errors and graver mistakes.

Some more instances are:

We fail to consider that we also fall victim to this blindspot. We have blind spots when it comes to our emotional awareness as well.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect In The Workplace

In many domains in life and work, success and satisfaction depend on knowledge, wisdom, or savvy in knowing which rules to follow and which strategies to pursue. People also differ widely in the knowledge and strategies they apply in these domains. When people adopt incorrect strategies, not only do they reach wrong conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the ability to realize it. Some situations that arise may be:-

Impact  Of Dunning-Kruger In The Workplace

Impact  Of Dunning-Kruger In Our Daily Lives

A) People think they are better than they are: They think they are better than they actually are, not that they are better than the best. In some cases it is another behavior that is in play – confidence. The perceived ability therefore is equal to how great their confidence may be. People with almost zero knowledge don’t think they “know everything.” They think they know more than they do. It’s still less than what competent people know.

B) People do not recognize competence when they see it: They do not recognize the real great people. Therefore, they cannot learn from them, cannot improve themselves, and are destined to stay as they are. Meta-cognition is this ability to think about and judge our thinking. It’s a skill separate from how well we learn (cognition).

C) People do not learn from their peers: One of the ways people gain insight into their own competence is by watching the behavior of others. Because of their difficulty recognizing competence in others, they will be unable to use information about the choices and performances of others to form more accurate impressions of their own ability.

For success to occur, many things must go right: The person must be skilled, apply effort, and perhaps be a bit lucky. For failure to occur, the lack of any one of these components is sufficient. The problem with failure is that it is difficult to figure out the root cause. Because of this, even if people receive feedback that points to a lack of skill, they may attribute it to some other factor.

***To be continued in Chapter 02 (Behaviors That Initiate The Dunning-Kruger Effect, How To Steer Away From It, Countering The Dunning-Kruger Effect, Domain Dependence, Paradox Of Overcoming Ignorance) Link to Chapter -02:

THE DUNNING KRUGER EFFECT: INTERPLAY OF BEHAVIORS- CHAPTER 02

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa