#Individuals Trivia no.75

Relating to Others - Social Intelligence

As distinct from Emotional intelligence, which focuses upon emotional information about oneself, social intelligence focuses upon emotional information about others. Emmerling and Boyatzis (2012:4) define social intelligence as follows:

"A social intelligence competency is the ability to recognize, understand and use emotional information about others that leads to or causes, effective or superior performance."

Riggio and Reichard (2008:171) argue that social skills 'represent a broader range of skills' than ability-based conceptions of emotional intelligence and social intelligence comprises the ability to think and particularly to think, and particularly to act wisely in social situations. They enumerate several social skills that are key components of social intelligence as follows:

1. The ability to express oneself in social interactions.
2. Knowledge and interactions of social roles, norms, and scripts.
3. Interpersonal problem-solving skills.
4. Social role-playing skills.

Importantly, Zaccaro (2002) linked effective social functioning to effective leadership. Riggio and Reichard (2008:171) explored further and noted the specific importance of communication ineffective leadership in so far as three social functioning skills are required to be an effective communicator:

1. Social Expressiveness.
2. Social Sensitivity.
3. Social Control.

They identify social expressiveness as the ability to communicative verbally as well as engage and maintain others in social interactions, whereas social sensitivity is the ability to effectively listen to what others are saying so as to understand the social situation.

For this to be possible, the leader needs to have a general knowledge of the cultural and other situational rules and norms governing social interactions. Finally, social control refers to performative adherence to appropriate situational conventions of how to respond to social communication.

Riggio and Reichard (2008) propose three outcomes for leaders based upon these abilities:

1. Firstly, that the social expressiveness of individuals is a predictor of their emergence as leaders and their continued career progression into more senior leadership roles. They argue this based upon evidence that verbal skills and fluency are critical skills for leaders in multiple situations. For example, they cite the need for leaders to be able to represent the views of the group to outside stakeholders as well as knowing how to engage key stakeholders appropriately. Conversely, these skills serve leaders well when they are engaged inside their organization or group in one-to-one engagements with followers, such as when delivering performance feedback or describing the need for something to be done.
2. Secondly, that the social sensitivity of a leader contributes to a leader's career progression and overall success as a leader. This sensitivity allows the leader to truly get to know and understand their followers, what they are feeling and experiencing as well as what drives them. This knowledge enables the leader to navigate individual as well as group interactions more successfully. It is also argued that this same skill provides insights into the unwritten or unspoken rules about what is required to progress in an organization. 
3. Finally, social control enacted by the leader is positively associated with their self-efficacy or self-confidence as well as their ability to convince others of their comfort or competence in the leadership role. Riggio and Reichard (2008:176) note that leading others is a socially complex role and social control enables the leader to 'play' that role well. Citing Murphy (2002) and Chemers (1997) they note that 'self-assuredness and a belief in one's ability to lead are instrumental for effective leadership and critical for a leader's ability to engage in image management. 

While there is ongoing debate regarding the linkages between emotional intelligence and leadership, there is considerable support for the role that social intelligence plays in communication and the critical role that communication plays ineffective leadership. Mastering the components that make up the elements of social intelligence is, therefore, an important consideration in developing as an effective leader.

Share Your Analysis (optional)

"Let's us all wear our wings of fire with our ignited minds to awaken the giant within." Shailesh Ubhrani

To solve your problems and challenges keep reading The Individuals Trivia

To plan and discuss your goals, business plans, and investments opportunities for 2021, you can reach me here

● Email - [email protected]

● Phone - (+49) 17645731365

● Twitter - @shaileshubhrani

● Skype - Shailesh Ubhrani

● Zoom - https://calendly.com/shaileshubhrani