The consciousness quotient - 'spiritualist nonsense' or the key to job success?

Just as we've managed to get a handle on the differences between IQ and EQ, along comes a new buzz word: consciousness quotient, or CQ.

Psychologist and author Ovidiu Brazdau writes on consciousness-quotient.com: "The consciousness quotient is the general level of being conscious/aware throughout a day, in regular life conditions."

Just as both EQ (emotional quotient) and IQ (intelligence quotient) have an impact on an employee's ability to work and interact in the office, CQ has an important role to play.

Georgina Barrick, the MD of Humanity Specialised Recruitment, said: "Consciousness is the new currency. It's what separates leadership from dynamic leadership; good from great. To thrive in any industry, companies increasingly need staff with the insight, intuition, instinct, creativity and confidence both to grow the business into the future and to stick it out through turbulent times."

Brazdau said that someone with a high CQ was able to access more information more quickly than someone with a lower CQ.

"Both CQ and IQ refer to a person's ability to process information, but IQ relates to the speed of the processing. CQ is the ability to access this information that then leads to a state of being 'conscious'."

Barrick said that taking this concept into account during recruitment could ensure a better match between employees and employers.

"A major issue in the recruitment industry is that traditional and outdated methodologies are still put into action - the old-school method of matching people to jobs solely through their qualifications, CV and level of experience ... Traditional methods are simply not enough to ensure peak performance between candidates and the companies they are placed in."

Barrick said a process that assessed both the candidates and the clients meant that the person fitted their new post in terms of their character, qualifications, CV and experience. "This leads to more satisfied employees and stress-free employers."

Barrick said that her company's focus was "on the soul of the individual and their clients" and that they were using "breakthrough research developed by clinical psychologists".

Using words such as "soul" in this context might be the reason why this concept has been so controversial.

In an article on bizcommunity.com, Brian Khumalo, chairman of executive search consultancy Leaders Unlimited, argued: "Consciousness has been a point of contention with the business elite, many of whom have tended to view the subject as 'spiritualist nonsense'. It seems, however, that this may not be the case. Humans have a unique ability to be conscious of their consciousness.

"People with higher levels of consciousness are able to make quick and accurate decisions using their intuition and instinct or gut feel."

Both Barrick and Khumalo believe that, to meet today's needs, CQ must be part of the package.