For years, HR managers in companies have given importance to the 3 big things – IQ (Intelligence Quotient), EQ (Emotional Quotient) and work experience. However, it is increasingly being felt that they should also evaluate the WQ (Wisdom Quotient) in order to screen the best candidates. It is not as simple to assess WQ as the IQ or EQ, but an evaluation is highly necessary. It could be even better than IQ for a number of reasons.
What is Intelligence Quotient and Wisdom Quotient?
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is actually a process of measuring intelligence of an individual compared to other people. By concentrating on reasoning abilities, memory, mathematical, logical, linguistic and special abilities, it is anticipated that people having higher IQ can be bigger achievers in life. Many scholars argue that all through the life of a person, the IQ stays constant.
However, the boom in the sphere of technology in the recent times is hinting that the problem-solving ability of IQ can improve in the proper context and with the right equipments. Many professional websites provide the basic information to understand and take steps towards the correct direction for their betterment.
Wisdom Quotient (WQ), on the other hand, measures the ability of an individual to gather collective information, emotionally and cognitively process the same, evaluate the consequences socially and intellectually, to select the preferred course of action and positively handle the significances.
Is Wisdom Quotient Better than Intelligence Quotient?
Multiple interviews along with the assessment of many candidates have shown how WQ can prove to be a great factor for determining better workers. Independent tests have revealed that candidates having a high WQ can:
- Communicate concisely
- Respond confidently
- Communicate well
- Have meaningful and logical responses to questions
Generally, WQ tests rate candidates on a scale of 1 to 5. Those scoring 5 are rated as Outstanding while those rated 1 are Unsatisfactory. A more accurate picture can emerge from the assessment of a larger pool of candidates.
Now, WQ seems to be actually better than IQ in the following respects:
Talent and Discipline
Many candidates do not challenge their abilities and get complacent. Those with a higher WQ are seen to recognize the importance of dedication and hard work in becoming successful in their fields. They work persistently to beat the competition and understand the need to specialize with better concentration in order to be an expert.
Wise candidates can describe their goals and vision, and their vision remains constant even when their plans change over the years. Wise ones know whether their personal vision matches that of the organization they want to work in, and whether they will be able to stay suitable for the role and enjoy the position that is allotted to them.
The assessment of the WQ of a candidate has to be done in terms of discipline, social interaction and experience-driven learning as compared to standard IQ, work experience and EQ model, in order to get results that are more accurate.
Discipline is recognized to be one of the most essential components of wisdom for the assessment of candidates. By practicing discipline, one can develop wisdom. Candidates with higher IQ understand that they have to focus their own strength in doing a specific thing very well in order to attain mastery over it.
Learning driven by experience
WQ tests reveal that wise candidates learn by experience. It is good to have enough work experience, but experience-driven work experience and learning can be simply better. With age, wisdom increases. However, as it is driven by experience, instead of focusing on how many years a candidate has been handling a specific role, the test should concentrate on the things that the candidate has picked up and used for hid experiences.
Many candidates are undervalued, underpaid and stuck in less important positions for their talents. They are wiser than their years, salary and experience level. Organizations, especially start-up companies, can buck the trend by making a proper assessment of wisdom with a careful analysis of the resume and asking the following questions:
- What kind of specialization does the candidate have?
- What did he learn from his experiences in same kind of projects?
- How has he used the lessons imbibed from the experience in his future projects?
- What have been his plans to be successful in his job, and why did he use them? Did his strategies prove to be effective?
- What are the things that he learned from his mistakes? Did he rectify the errors in his subsequent projects?
Social Interaction
Those with a higher WQ have been found to be better in social interaction. They can read the verbal and physical cues of an interviewer more easily, and find out when they have to finish the answers to specific questions of an interviewer. Wise candidates understand that a proper comfort level should be maintained on both sides and the dialogue has to be natural and free flowing.
HR managers and test takers usually find the behavior of wise candidates to be comfortable and their interpersonal skills to be reasoned well. They can easily understand the direction to which an interview is leading. They can change their behavior as per the change in direction. They are generally found to be great listeners, which is an important quality that is looked for by interviewers. Wise people tend to listen more and talk only when necessary.
Conclusion
The role played by IQ and EQ is found to be insufficient in the modern world. With value systems, ethical standards and social norms changing rapidly, an intelligent and emotionally balanced man is not enough in the modern world. Organizations are quickly understanding the value of wisdom, and opting for people who exhibit wisdom in their thoughts, action and behavior.
In complex and uncertain situations, wisdom is even more important. A man who is ignorant or unaware of his or her ethical standards and value-system may end up making unwise judgments. The basis of WQ is to focus on the inherent values of an individual and the society. The loss of wisdom and value system has led to the loss of moral compass, something which mere intelligence cannot be compensated. One must be intelligent as well as wise.