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SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THEORIES IN TRANSFORMING THE RSAF by CPT Varun Kumar Rai, LTA Benjamin Teng Yong Wei & LTA Dustin Jee Kam Chin

Abstract: The working culture in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) started out as a hierarchy culture, like most militaries. However, given the recent technological advances and shifts towards a more integrated and interdependent military, there has been a notable shift towards a somewhat clan culture. This essay aims to explain the shift in culture and its potential merits. It also aims to critically view the place that social intelligence has in this new culture and roles that different motivational theories may have on the individual. The authors also feel that an understanding of motivational theories would allow the RSAF to keep her people on the ‘edge of their seat’, maintaining a healthy balance between the two extremes of staying stagnant due to being unmotivated and complacent from too much motivation. The authors also feel that having a deep understanding of motivation would help build a cohesive and nurturing working environment for the RSAF.

Keywords: Social Intelligence; Motivation; Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; Culture; Camaraderie

INTRODUCTION its potential merits. In particular, it focuses on how social intelligence is an important aspect of the The working culture in the RSAF started out clan culture as well as understanding motivational as a hierarchy culture, like most militaries. This theories and their impact on the individual. culture may have been a necessity in the past in order for the organisation to execute its wartime SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE roles efficiently and effectively. However, given According to Kant, hard work alone cannot guarantee the recent technological advances and shifts career success, and authors such as Riggio note that towards a more integrated and interdependent social intelligence is the key.1 Hence, this section will military, there has been a notable shift towards a break down the relevance and importance of social somewhat clan culture. Additionally, there has been intelligence and its subset of . an increasing focus and emphasis on engagement sessions between senior commanders and their men. Kant explains that social intelligence is the This would not only help to foster the camaraderie equivalent of interpersonal intelligence, which is one within the unit but also help senior commanders of the intelligences identified in Gardner’s Theory of better understand the needs of their men as well as Multiple Intelligences.2 Shearer further breaks down help the men on the ground better understand the interpersonal intelligence into two main skills.3 The intent of senior commanders. This essay examines first skill is the ability to capture differences and plausible reasons for this shift in culture as well as distinguish individuals around them. In the Singapore

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Figure 1: Relationship between Self-Determination Theory (SDT) – Emotional Intelligence – Interpersonal Intelligence

Armed Forces (SAF), or in any organisation for that Another important observation is the correlation matter, such a skill is important for team leaders as it between social intelligence and self-motivation, enables them to identify and capitalise on individual which can be illustrated by a discussion on Emotional traits more efficiently and effectively. The second Intelligence (EI). Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer skill pointed out by Shearer is the ability to recognise defined EI as a subset of social intelligence that , perspectives and of people.4 involves the ability to not just recognise, but monitor Again, this is an important trait for commanders, the feelings and emotions of both oneself and others.6 teammates and subordinates as empathy could enhance It also involves an ability to discriminate among them the effectiveness of communication and ease of and more importantly, to use this information to collaboration. Shearer further asserts that these social guide one’s thinking and actions. Goleman identified intelligence skills are critical factors in successful five domains of EI.7 Figure 1 shows how these domains employment as they are associated with traits for encompass self-motivation and social intelligence. leadership positions.5 Hence, social intelligence skills are not only relevant to a clan culture, but are also To better illustrate how these theories can be important in achieving organisational excellence. practised in the RSAF as well as the benefits that

POINTER, Journal of the singapore armed forces Vol.43 No.2 features 69 can be gleaned from them, this essay uses the social ‘bearing’, the more important aspect of presence is intelligence model as defined by Karl Albrecht. one's behaviour and the mannerisms needed to create a good impression. Behavioural skills may be hard S.P.A.C.E. MODEL to develop and requires time. The RSAF has been Karl Albrecht profiled social intelligence into five actively finding ways to develop programmes such as broad categories which can be described by the SPACE SAF leadership competency models and the provision acronym.8 These five skillsets are: Situational Awareness, of Centre of Management and Development (CMD) Presence, Authenticity, Clarity, and Empathy. courses to help servicemen to improve in this area. This helps the servicemen to portray a positive image Situational Awareness is a pertinent skill set of social of the RSAF to the public, which is an important intelligence. It involves observing and understanding aspect of organisational excellence. the environment that one is in. The epitome of the 3rd Generation RSAF is to be able to fight her battles as Authenticity is basically the perception others a system. To do so, situational awareness of each and may have of the congruence between one’s ethical every individual is critical for the RSAF to perform as motives, behaviour and one’s personal values. Having 9 a well-oiled machine. Operators are equipped with a one mould for bosses and another for colleagues is not knowledge of their commander’s intent on top of their a sustainable long term endeavour that anyone can primary objective. This allows them to look out for keep up with. Often times, this ‘mould’ cracks under information that may fall outside of their mission and pressure and results in a breach of trust either with report intelligence that may reshape the battle. one’s superiors or colleagues. Given the demanding The epitome of the 3rd Generation RSAF nature of military operations, being able to trust one’s teammate is not only critical, it is imperative. is to be able to fight her battles as a Hence, the absence of such a trait may adversely system. To do so, situational awareness affect one’s ability to connect with the rest of one's of each and every individual is critical peers. Additionally, authenticity is a key component for the RSAF to perform as a well-oiled in fostering genuine familial relationships, such as machine. those in a clan culture.

Clarity involves the ability to express ideas across Presence is defined as the impression or image that you portray to others with respect to the way effectively and with impact. If presence defined the you behave. In the simplest form, it can be seen as ’visual’ aspect of social intelligence, Clarity will define ‘bearing’. In the military, presence is very important the ‘verbal’ aspect. In RSAF as a whole, people come and must not be neglected because a good presence from diverse backgrounds with varying races, religions will instil confidence to the public about you as well and educational levels. It is important to be aware as the organisation. In the RSAF, the uniform we of these diversities when communicating within the don is the simplest form of presence. It provides the RSAF. In addition, clear communication is important in soldiers with a sense of belonging as well as equality. the RSAF because mistakes can be costly. Having clear More importantly, it is a form of identification for the communication is pivotal in preventing misinformation public to know what profession we are in. Apart from and confusion that may lead to accidents.

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Empathy defined by Karl Albrecht is the ability to Motivation can be defined as what makes a person build meaningful connections with others.10 He also behave in a particular manner. The RSAF needs to defined that empathy is a notch higher by saying that constantly motivate their people, as it is an important feelings or connections have to be mutual between and relevant driving force to achieve goal congruence. yourself and your partner. As the RSAF moves towards In general, motivation theories are categorised into forging the tribe, it is important that servicemen content, process or psychological theories. understand how empathy can help forge meaningful relationships with one another. This in turn also MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS creates a sense of belonging to the organisation and (CONTENT THEORY) improves one’s commitment to it. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs was established by MOTIVATION as shown in Figure 2.11 This theory The RSAF constantly operates in a dynamic and explains the five human needs, which are ranked such challenging environment. As a result, the RSAF has that the lower, more basic needs must be satisfied to constantly plan ahead to achieve a competitive before higher levels need to become activated. In advantage over her adversaries. In the RSAF, people the 3rd Generation transformation, the RSAF is able play an important role in shaping policy planning to activate and satisfy the higher level needs.12 The and the future of Singapore’s defence. Besides the importance of creating a nurturing and conducive RSAF has done considerably well in addressing the working environment, it is also critical that the RSAF lower level needs with their competitive pay structure provides the right motivation for them to perform. as compared to similar jobs in the private sector,

Figure 2: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

POINTER, Journal of the singapore armed forces Vol.43 No.2 features 71 and also its excellent safety track record. In order to ADAM’S EQUITY THEORY OF MOTIVATION address the challenge of activating the higher level (PROCESS THEORY) needs, the RSAF has introduced a People Development Adam’s Equity Theory of Motivation states that and Management framework called Project Cardinal. people will always strive for fairness and justice in 13 The framework hinges on three main pillars which social exchanges. This means that people will be motivated only when their perceived inputs equal are Developing Professionals, Realising Potential and outputs to that of relevant others. Engaging the Heart. These three pillars are crucial to create a sense of belonging in their people and to As depicted in Figure 3, a situation whereby the satisfy their esteem needs. output is not equivalent to others can lead to either negative or positive inequity, both of which are not The RSAF constantly operates in a desirable to the organisation. For example, in the case dynamic and challenging environment. of negative inequity, the employee feels undervalued because the effort put in does not commensurate with As a result, the RSAF has to constantly the rewards. This will likely result in the employee plan ahead to achieve a competitive achieving equity by either reducing effort or increasing advantage over her adversaries. outcomes by demanding for higher rewards. For positive inequity, the rewards are far greater However, one important point to note from than the amount of effort given. As a result, it is Maslow’s theory is that a satisfied need may lose its unlikely that employees will increase efforts or seek motivational potential. Therefore, it is important for a lesser reward to achieve equity. In this case, the all levels of the organisation to constantly review, organisation stands to lose because of higher costs consolidate feedbacks and devise new programmes to and not being able to motivate the employees to satisfy their people’s ever-changing needs. work at optimum.

Figure 3: Adam’s Equity Theory of Motivation

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A person’s full potential can only be realised only Deci and Ryan as a person’s innate needs and the desire if he or she is motivated. This theory highlights the to seek growth in their lives.14 There are two parts to importance of ensuring fairness and justice in the SDT, which are a person’s needs and motivation. SDT has rewards system. For RSAF, these rewards can come identified three innate needs of people (Competence, in the form of annual ranking, performance bonus, Relatedness and Autonomy) as shown in Figure 4. job appointments, overseas posting opportunities, qualifications and many more. In general, the RSAF If these needs can be satisfied, an individual has a well-established system to give rewards and will be able to perform at an optimal level and incentives. However, different people will have experience growth. The RSAF has generally done different perspectives on what is considered fair. It well in tackling the psychological needs of people. will be hard for the organisation to have a system The RSAF has robust training programmes such as to please everyone, as the system has to be robust, the pilot training programmes where state-of-the-art flexible and communicated to all levels of the simulators and aircrafts are used to train and hone organisations to ensure transparency. Studies have the pilot’s competencies. The RSAF also emphasises also shown that job performance and satisfaction are positively correlated to employee's perception of lifelong learning, for example through postgraduate fairness in their organisation. scholarships, sponsorships and study awards.

SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY One main pillar of Project Cardinal is to engage the (PSYCHOLOGICAL) hearts of the people. In the RSAF, there are mandatory After evaluating the two motivation theories, cardinal activities organised across all levels of we will now look at the psychological aspect of it. the organisations to instil a sense of belonging and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is explained by relatedness to one another.

Figure 4: Self-Determination Theory

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Once the three needs are achieved, congruence with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, an individual will be intrinsically which asserts that as soon as a lower level need is satisfied, it loses its ability to motivate.16 motivated to achieve their goals. Developing intrinsic motivation in an CONCLUSION individual takes time and the RSAF has In conclusion, we have seen how social intelligence been taking a two-pronged approach in and motivation theories have helped shaped RSAF policy towards organisational excellence. From providing financial security as well as research, it is deemed that social intelligence plays developing individuals. a major role in contributing to the organisation. The SPACE model by Albrecht, defined the important Lastly, autonomy refers to the ability of a characteristics required for an organisation to function person to control and determine his own behaviour effectively.17 Understanding of motivational theories and goals. Autonomy is a very subjective subject allows the RSAF to keep her people on the ‘edge of their in the RSAF as it is a military organisation. There seat’, maintaining a healthy balance between the two are still rules and regulations to be followed as extremes of staying stagnant due to being unmotivated well as the hierarchical structure. However, the and complacent from too much motivation. recent command restructuring into five commands has seen a more horizontal command hierarchy Moving forward, the increasing integration of structure. This new structure has empowered greater technology into the modern battlefield has greatly increased the complexity and pace of modern missions. autonomy through decentralisation to people on Effective execution of the mission would require a the ground, empowering them to make decisions deep understanding of each team member’s strengths that improve combat effectiveness. Autonomy and weaknesses. On the peacetime front, having a is a crucial criterion for a person’s development deep understanding of motivation would help build a of self-determination, which in turn affects his cohesive and nurturing working environment for the motivation.15 However, in giving autonomy, great RSAF.  care has to be given to ensure individuals do not abuse the freedom given to them.

ENDNOTES Once the three needs are achieved, an individual will be intrinsically motivated to achieve their 1. Kant, Kamal. Career Theories. In Work and Careers in goals. Developing intrinsic motivation in an the 21st Century. . Mc Graw Hill Education. individual takes time and the RSAF has been taking a "Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century." Choice Reviews Online 37, no. 10 (2000). two-pronged approach in providing financial security as well as developing individuals. More importantly, 2. Kant, Kamal. Career Theories. In Work and Careers in the 21st Century. . Mc Graw Hill Education. research by Deci, Koestner and Ryan mentioned that 3. Shearer, C. Branton. "Using a Multiple Intelligences having an extrinsic motivation may not be feasible Assessment to Promote Teacher Development and in the long run as an individual may be led to Student Achievement." Teachers College Record ‘detract from subsequent motivation.’ This is also in Teachers College Rec 106, no. 1 (2004): 147-62.

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4. Shearer, C. Branton. "Using a Multiple Intelligences 16. Maslow, A. H. "A Theory of Human Motivation." Assessment to Promote Teacher Development and Psychological Review 50, no. 4 (1943): 370-96. Student Achievement." Teachers College Record 17. Albrecht, Karl. Social Intelligence: The New Science of Teachers College Rec 106, no. 1 (2004): 147-62. Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, 5. Shearer, C. Branton. "Using a Multiple Intelligences 2006. Assessment to Promote Teacher Development and Student Achievement." Teachers College Record Teachers College Rec 106, no. 1 (2004): 147-62.

6. Salovey, Peter, and John D. Mayer. "Emotional Intelligence." Imagination, and 9, no. 3 (1989): 185-211.

7. Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1995.

Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 2006.

8. Albrecht, Karl. Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, 2006.

9. "POINTER - Journals - 2009 - Vol 35 No. 1 - The RSAF - Becoming a Full Spectrum, Integrated, and Ready Air Force." POINTER - Journals - 2009 - Vol 35 No. 1 - The RSAF - Becoming a Full Spectrum, Integrated, and Ready Air Force. Accessed February 22, 2016. http:// www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/publications/pointer/ journals/2009/v35n1/feature1.html.

10. Albrecht, Karl. Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, 2006.

11. Maslow, A. H. "A Theory of Human Motivation." Psychological Review 50, no. 4 (1943): 370-96.

12. "CO07006 | The Transformation of the RSAF: The Organisational Dimension." CO07006. Accessed February 22, 2016. https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis- publication/idss/889-the-transformation-of-the- rsaf/#.VquFQFN97Uo.

13. Adams, J. Stacy. "Inequity In Social Exchange." Advances in Experimental , 1965, 267-99.

14. Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan. "Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in ." 1985.

15. Deci, Edward L., Richard Koestner, and Richard M. Ryan. "A Meta-analytic Review of Experiments Examining the Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation." Psychological Bulletin 125, no. 6 (1999): 627-68.

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CPT Varun Kumar Rai is currently in 123 SQN. He graduated with a degree in Business (Banking & Finance)(1st Class Honours) from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). CPT Rai is a helicopter pilot by vocation.

LTA Benjamin Teng Yong Wei is currently an operational helicopter pilot in 125 SQN. He recently graduated from NTU with a Bachelors of Business (Honours).

LTA Dustin Kam Chin Jee is currently pursuing a degree in Economics from NTU. He is a Super Puma pilot by vocation, previously from 126 SQN.

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