Malaysian SMEs more “socially intelligent” than Asean counterparts

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) perceived their organisations to be a more likely socially intelligent organisation (SIO) when compared with majority of Asean countries, according to the Kelly Outsourcing & Consulting Group (KellyOCG) Executive Outlook Survey 2014.
KellyOCG vice president in Asia Pacific Anthony Raja Devadoss said Malaysian SMEs surprisingly revealed themselves to be more social intelligence quotient (SQ)-driven (41%), compared with larger multinational companies (33%), conglomerates (18%) and government agencies (4%) in the country.
"This could be a direct result of more Gen-Y hires that make up the SMEs' workforce and thus driving them to be more highly ranked as SIOs, as well as the higher level of entrepreneurial spirit and agility that drives SQ in Malaysian SMEs," he said at a media briefing yesterday.
SQ is an aggregated measure that comprises self and social awareness, evolved social beliefs, and interaction styles of the workforce – of how these contribute to the organisation's ranking in terms of being an SIO.
The survey also revealed that Gen-Y are the most socially intelligent among the workforce generations across all senior leadership roles and they are most preferred by the top managements – rated at 76% in Malaysia and 91% globally.
"It's becoming inevitable for organisations to not just look at emotional quotient and intelligence quotient. The SQ portion is equally important. Today, you're interacting with multiple people at the same time. Having a sound SQ will enable you personally and professionally and to drive better results for the company," said Anthony.
Leaders should focus on being an SIO because 93% of Malaysian organisations said employees now have more options and access to a vast amount of information, which influences a more liberal thought process. According to the survey, 80% said leaders are expected to be consultative and involved in communicating a compelling vision and purpose.
KellyOCG's survey was conducted with 326 leaders and executives of organisations globally covering a wide range of organisational types, sectors, sizes and locations.
Over 23% of the global organisations who consider themselves SIOs are predicting significant growth for their businesses.