Empathy - The Essential Skill

I recently attended a presentation by Alan November at the International Society for Technology in Education Conference in Denver.  November described two interviews that he conducted recently.  One was with the CEO of the world's largest bank and the other was with Jack Welsh, former CEO of General Electric.  November asked each of the business leaders what they believed was the most important skill that an employee could have in the business world today.  Although the interviews took place independent of one another, both CEO's gave the same response, "Empathy!"

November's story resonated with me because I had recently finished a book by Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, a world leader in innovation and design.  Brown also identified empathy as an essential skill in business today.

Empathy?  Not a term one normally associates with the hard-nosed world of business.  The word evokes images of missionaries, social workers and dedicated health care providers. Yet according to Tim Brown and other business leaders, empathy is vital whether you are designing the next great cell phone or managing a luxury hotel.

So what is empathy?  Is it a skill?  Can it be taught?  According to both Alan November and Tim Brown it can and should be taught.

November defines empathy as the ability to view issues from the perspective of others.  In today's global economy, November contends, this is absolutely essential.  One way that teachers can help students learn how to shift perspective is to expose them to many points of view on the same issue.  November suggests that educators can help students to develop this ability by exposing them to news reports from different countries covering the same topic.  He also recommends using social media tools to enable students to discuss world events with other students from around the world.

Brown  views empathy as more than an intellectual understanding and appreciation of others' points of view.  For Brown, empathy entails the ability to understand and appreciate the experiences of others.  For instance, one premium hotel chain  pays for staff of all levels to visit their other hotels as guests, so they can understand and relate to the what guests experience when visiting their hotels.

One field that has suffered considerably due to a lack of empathy is science.  Back in the 1960's and 70's, according to Chris Mooney, author of Unscientific America, science and scientists were held in high esteem by the American public.  This was the hey day of the space program when people were glued to their TV sets watching astronauts travel through space while listening to the reassuring narration of Walter Cronkite and others tell the "story" of what was happening.

In recent decades, however, science and scientists have become further and further estranged from the public.  Scientists have developed an arcane language that few outside of their area of specialty can comprehend.  In the name of "pure science," scientists have disavowed responsibility for how the knowledge that they bring forth is used, preferring to be "agnostic."  The result, according to Mooney, has been a growing distrust of science and scientists.

As scientists have seen their research budgets cut, they have come to realize the need to reconnect with people.  That is exactly what astronaut Mike Massimino did during his flight on STS-125.  Those who followed Astro_Mike on Twitter, and there were over a million of us, experienced what it felt like to be an astronaut on the Space Shuttle including the disappointment as two launches were cancelled due to weather delays, the elation at viewing the earth from space and the mixed emotions felt upon returning to earth and resuming routine duties and family responsibilities.  Mike Massimino not only brought us along on his journey to space, but also let us tag along to his son's little league game when he came home.

Probably one of the scariest and least understood scientific undertakings currently underway involves the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment being conducted by CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.  The LHC spans 100m underground crossing the border between Switzerland and France.  Scientists hope to recreate the conditions that occurred just after the Big Bang to further their understanding of the creation of the universe.  The subterranean experiment has led some to predict that the experiment will precipitate a black hole that will consume the earth.

Using Twitter, the scientists at CERN invited everyone to join them virtually in their underground laboratory.  Throughout the experiment, researchers posted minute by minute accounts of what was happening.  These included the expression of frustration and disappointment when faulty gaskets led to the need to shutdown the Collider for months and the overwhelming excitement that was felt when the first particles successfully collided at speeds never before achieved.

In both of the above examples, the doors were thrown open and anyone with the slightest interest was  invited to participate, albeit vicariously.  We, who accepted the invitation, got to know the scientists involved.  We learned not only what they were thinking, but also what they were feeling.

We found that the LHC laboratory was not the dark and sinister setting filled with mad scientists as some would have had us believe.  It was an atmosphere filled with excitement and anticipation.

That is empathy! 

We live in a participatory culture.  People do not expect, nor do they tolerate, the role of passive by-stander.  Success in today's world requires us not only to do our job, but also to understand and appreciate the impact that our work has on others.  It is not sufficient to analyze our client's needs, we must understand the context within which they experience that need.

Can schools teach empathy as a skill?  They must.  As the above illustrates, social media tools can help.  More importantly, though, schools must create an environment that values empathy and encourages students to practice it.  Such an environment requires us to design experiences with our students, not lesson for them.  It requires us to focus on the context of learning, not just the content!