September 12, 2005
Contextual Intelligence
I've just spent a slightly frustrating couple of hours meandering around the web looking for stuff on "Contextual Intelligence". I was alerted to the term by a posting on Creative Generalist linking to a piece in the current Fast Company. This was using the term in relation to business leaders.
But, the hints I found elsewhere that got me really intrigued related to the theories of Robert J. Sternberg. From what I could pick up from the snippets around the web his notion of Contextual Intelligence is very close to some of my ideas about Purposive Drift.
The three components of Contextual Intelligence, which would seem to apply as much to organisations as they do to individuals are:
I The ability to adapt to a context you are in by changing something in yourself.
2 The abilty to change the context you are in to create a better fit between you and your context
3 The ability to recognise when it is time to move out of one context into another more rewarding one.
All this sounds very purposive drifty to me, so if anyone can point me to where I can somewhere where this idea has been more fully developed I would be very grateful.
Posted by richard at September 12, 2005 02:00 PMThe term makes more sense if reversed, intelligent context. In my book, I assert that all things are contextual and that contextual reasoning involves the difference and similiarities between opposites.
Posted by: Jonas at April 3, 2008 08:37 PMThere may be some parallels with Gregory Bateson's 'Levels of Learning':
http://www.123webpages.co.uk/user/index.php?user=mgc&pn=10739
See his book 'Steps To An Ecology of Mind' for a full explanation.
Best wishes,
Andy Smith
Thanks for the tip, Andy.
I have struggled with Bateson for years. He is one of the writers I return to again and again. I'll have another look at "Steps" and see what I can get this time.
Posted by: richard at April 23, 2008 12:08 PM