Author: Banu Betül Çiçek

We live in a world that is constantly changing and evolving, one that brings a cloud of uncertainty for the future. What we know for certain is that the world we live in in 10 years will not be the one we live in now.

Acknowledging that change will always be a factor in our lives — whether it be social, professional, familial, macro/micro whatever aspect you choose to look at it from — our biggest asset for the future will be our willingness and capacity to learn, unlearn, and relearn.

Reflecting on this loop made me wonder, what does that mean for the organizations of the future?

The Infinite Mindset

Recently, organizations have slowly begun realizing the importance of obtaining an infinite mindset in order to grow, adapt and thrive in a future that is largely undefined. With this, the need for agility, resilience, and learnability calls for a rethinking of talent and recruitment.

Throughout time, different eras have brought different ways in measuring one’s capacity; with the Industrial Era, ‘IQ’ (Intelligence Quotient) came into play, and with the Knowledge Era, one’s ‘EQ’ (Emotional Quotient). These two quotients have been at the forefront of organizations’ success criteria to date. One’s ‘intelligence’ is often measured through these metrics and that is the lens most of the organizations look through during an evaluation or assessment period, they measure their capacity through their ‘intelligence’.

But is one’s capacity solely defined by their “cognitive skills” or “emotions”? Should it be?

This raises the question, how can we today develop our parameters in measuring one’s capacity? If we acknowledge the fact that those eras have passed, is it not time that we rethink the pre-set criteria of the workspace to be one that is adapting and evolving with the changes of each era? We must acknowledge that in our current reality, it can’t just be about the “IQ” or “EQ” anymore, that is simply not enough. It’s time organizations realize there is a new indicator, one that holds a much more valuable asset for the future; The “Learning Quotient” (LQ).

Why take learnability as an indicator?

“LQ” represents an individual’s ability to change their mindset when faced with new perspectives, ability to adapt to new challenges in an ever-changing world and their willingness to take initiative and charge in order to progress. In an era where the only certainty is change, the most important asset then naturally becomes one’s potential and learnability. As stated in the HBR article “21st Century Talent Spotting”, 2014;

“The question is not whether your company’s employees and leaders have the right skills; it’s whether they have the potential to learn new ones.”

It’s clear that organizations must shift their perspectives towards the potential one holds, rather than solely considering the level of their ‘intellect.’ This is a crucial mindset change that is necessary for organizations who strive to not only survive but to be the ones who lead the future.

Here is a way you can test your LQ.