The Hindu Business Line : Social intelligence is about ability, not attitude

A little understanding: A file picture of a workshop for children suffering from Autism, a development disorder. Very often we label that small percentage of employees with poor social skills as having an ‘attitude problem’. Some of these people may have what is called Asperger Syndrome, a neurobiological disorder that belongs to a larger diagnostic category known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in European countries or Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) in the US.

Ganesh Chella

Have we all not come across that small percentage of employees with poor social skills? Employees who are unable to conduct themselves socially in ways that seem fairly normal; employees who are unable to empathise, see things from others’ point of view, control emotions, fit into teams, unable to deal with authority and with other emotional challenges.

Most of us will instinctively claim that such people have a serious “attitude problem”. We tend to believe that such people are unwilling to be socially intelligent. Most of the time, we fail to examine the possibility that it could be an inability or even a disability.

Look at it this way — some of us are good at maths and some of us are not and it seems so easy to accept this. Some of us can sing and some cannot and it seems so easy to accept this. Some of us can dance and some cannot and it seems so easy to accept this too. However, it seems so difficult for us to accept the fact that some people can and some cannot manage social situations and relations with others. For those who can, it seems normal; for those who cannot, it seems normal not to be able to.

Having worked with people with varying social abilities across levels and organisations over long years, I have begun to take a more empathetic view of such people and I wish to share this perspective with readers.

So, what is this disability all about?

Well, there is a possibility that some of these people could have what is called Asperger Syndrome. Asperger Syndrome or Asperger’s Disorder is a neurobiological disorder that belongs to a larger diagnostic category known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in European countries or Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) in the US.

Asperger Syndrome is named after Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his practice who lacked non-verbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers and were physically clumsy.

Individuals with Asperger Syndrome experience difficulties in basic elements of social interaction such as a failure to develop friendships or to seek common interests and achievements, a lack of reciprocal social or emotional ability, impaired non-verbal behaviour such as eye contact, facial expression, posture and gesture. The failure to react in an appropriate manner may appear as disregard for other people’s feelings, although it is thought that individuals with Asperger Syndrome have a theoretical understanding of people’s emotions but have difficulty expressing themselves in fluid, real world and real time situations or in “reading” other people or understanding humour.

There is less information on Asperger Syndrome in adulthood. Some individuals with mild Asperger Syndrome are able to learn to compensate. They become indistinguishable from everyone else. They marry, have a job and have children. Other individuals live an isolated existence with continuing severe difficulties in social and occupational functioning.

Adults with Asperger’s are supposed to benefit from group therapy or individual behavioural therapy when required, it is said . They may need help to find jobs that fit their areas of strength. Individuals with Asperger’s often do well in jobs that require technical skill but little social finesse. Some do well with predictable, repetitive work. Others relish the challenge of intricate technical problem solving or jobs that call for specialist know-how and a high attention to detail (such as computer programming, drafting, commercial art, photography, equipment design and Webpage design) but with little need for social contact. If parents have children with these symptoms, it would be useful to start planning well ahead for career options that best suit their needs.

In the workplace, employers have a responsibility to go behind the apparent poor social skills displayed and explore the possibility of an inherent disability and not condemn them as people who have an attitude. To do this, HR professionals will need to first become more aware of such a possibility and learn to handle this with care and respect.

The story of Thorkil Sonne is special in this context. Apparently, Thorkil’s autistic son caused him to become an entrepreneur and set up Specialisterne, which employs only people with Asperger’s and provides them with careers as testers and offers testing services to the IT industry. The company Web site says it wants to give people with ASD the opportunity to use and develop their special skills based on their own qualifications, strengths and ambitions.

The Danish IT Industry Association presented the ‘IT Award 2008’ to Thorkil Sonne for his commitment to using IT as a constructive engine in changing the world and improving the situation for people with Asperger’s. In his story is a powerful lesson for all employers, including our IT industry.

So the next time we are faced with employees who have difficulties with their social skills, let us take a closer look at what caused it before condemning them or even getting rid of them. Not all of them may have Asperger’s and we may not even have a way of finding this out conclusively. However, by being more mindful about a potential disability and by taking a more empathetic view of their condition, we may discover some brilliance that will do all of us a lot of good.

(I must caution readers that I am not a specialist in the field. My work with people and my research into the subject has led me to understand their condition better. Not all people with poor social skills have Asperger’s. It is my desire that readers will use this insight to be better informed and take a more balanced view of their employees or members of their families who are working or are planning to enter the world of work.)

(The writer is the founder and CEO of totus consulting, a strategic HR consulting firm. He is also the co-founder of the Executive & Business Coaching Foundation India Ltd. He can be reached at ganesh@totusconsulting.com)

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