Interpersonal skill is concerned with is the ability to
function harmoniously with multiple individuals (social intelligence) and
building relationships within groups and organization. These skills usually
encompass communication skills, listening skills, attitude and deportment. Good
interpersonal skills are essential for any position in an organization. It
includes our tolerance to not-so –pleasant situations and differences in
opinions of people, our ability to manage others by mapping their mood and our
willingness to make things work in our
personal and professional life.
Interpersonal skills is a combination of both one’s
intellectual (cognitive) and non-cognitive skills.
Characteristics of Social or community quotient
1.
Humility – understanding oneself as a vital part
of a whole. Humility naturally kills competition and consumption mind sets and
encourages collaboration and giving.
2.
Purpose – an individual’s commitment to life,
community and family. Purpose naturally kills apathy, laziness and depression.
3.
Empathy – understands oneself in a community
mindset. Empathy kills individualism, destructive – competition and careless
pain.
4.
Grace – empathy is a soil from which grace
emerges.
5.
Service – mindedness – service naturally kills
selfishness.
Theories of interpersonal
relationship
Social Exchange Theory was proposed by George Casper Homans
in 1958. According to Social Exchange Theory “give and take” forms the basis
of almost all relationships though their proportions might vary as per the
intensity of the relationship.
Uncertainty Reductions Theory (URT)
Uncertainty Reductions Theory ( Berger and Calabrese,1975) explains
the relationship between individuals who do not know each other much or are
complete strangers. According to Uncertainty Reductions Theory, two unknown
individuals meeting for the first time go through various stages to reduce the
level of uncertainty between them and come closer to each other. Strangers
must communicate well to know each other better and find out their
compatibility level. This theory
presumes that “the beginning of personal relationships are fraught with uncertainties”
and that the people want to reduce
uncertainty in relationships through knowledge and understanding.
Social Penetration Theory (SPT)
This theory is about
the development of “relational closeness.” Relational closeness can progress
from superficial to intimate. Closeness develops through self-disclosure. Self-disclosure
is sharing with someone information which helps him or her understand you.
Equity theory
The theory attempts to explain
relational satisfaction in terms of perceptions of fair/unfair distributions of
resources within interpersonal relationships. The equity theory was
first developed in 1963 by John Stacey Adams.
