Scott's response rang a bell.
> To a degree I agree. But IQ is an awfully funny measure. Yes it is
absolute,
> in that you get points for this and points for that. BUT, if I take the
exact
> same test more than once, my Intelligence Quotient will rise. Now while
some
> might say this is a miracle, I'll say that it might be due to a bit of
> practice.
>
> And what of out Idiot Savant friends who are extraordinarily good on one
thing
> but test out quite poorly overall. And how about all the stupid folk who
have
> made it rich and all the smart folk who can't keep a job.
>>>large snip
I'm working with a couple of organizations at the moment which have
recently hired individuals who obviously have high IQ's. (no, they weren't
tested, but they've got verbal skills, math, conceptual....)
Their resumes were great. They interviewed well. They are, however,
specialists. They can be what they say they are, and no more. There is,
in one case, an absolute inability to associate the methodologies and
successful discoveries of the laboratory to operational usefulness. In
another, the successful management of continuous processes stymies the
ability to manage discrete processes. No concept of systems. No concept
of throughput. The constraint is experience and a concentration of
personal mastery in a specific technological niche.
These people are intelligent. They are, however, devoid of organizational
learning skills, team building, team thinking, systems thinking. They are
not of atrophied mind (or brain) and are learning (albeit, slowly) but are
much better at masking their behaviors and raising flags in front of
innovation that they are at innovation.
I have suggested the use of management flight simulators in the interview
process for both of these companies (one in high growth, one a start-up) to
avoid future placement of inflexible, "needs work" types in organizations
which depend on agility and innovation. I'd appreciate any comments on
this one, on-line, or off, but I think it makes a good thread....
--jzavacki@epix.net John Zavacki The Wolff Group 900 James Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 Phone: 717-346-1218 Fax: 717-346-1388
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>