Ford experiments with Emotional Intelligence

Ford has earlier this week announced that it will be rolling out emotional intelligence training for its employees in Europe, through a course with RWTH Aachen University, the company’s research partner in Germany.

This is all following a new first-of-its-kind study which reports that listening to, understanding, and inspiring colleagues can account for as much as 31 per cent of their effectiveness. This was a key finding of research undertaken with Ford engineers – and their colleagues and reports – who were asked whether they love their workplace, and how they cooperate and discuss ideas for the future. The study also found it was possible to predict how enthusiastic engineers would be about projects, just by knowing how those projects were communicated.

“Traditionally, engineers have been seen as individual contributors and there remains a major focus on technical skills, knowledge and imagination,” said Prof. Richard Boyatzis of Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. “But contrary to common perception, engineers do not work alone. They work in multidisciplinary teams with diverse clients. The ability to work with others is an important consideration.”

In an age where the importance of artificial intelligence and robots is increasing, people are expected to focus on skills and capabilities that artificial intelligence has trouble replicating – understanding, motivating, and interacting with human beings.

Ford has a network of ten engineering and research centres around the world – including Merkenich in Germany, Dunton in England and Golcuk in Turkey – which harness the talents of 25,000 engineers. The company recently opened the Merkenich Innovation Hub that offers employees on‑demand dedicated workshops; training and ideation sessions; anonymous access to research and tailored, in-depth information; as well as patent consultation.

Post Views: 297

#Ford #Ford South Africa

Posted By

Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.