Here’s a news release discussing Vivékin Group’s recent survey results

 

For Immediate Release

First-of-its-kind Survey Finds Clinton Regarded Better “Change-Agent” Than Obama, Has More “Leadership Intelligences”; Edwards Fares Poorly

The ability to handle or create change is indexed by five “leadership intelligences.” A survey conducted by Vivékin Group of Chapel Hill, NC, found that respondents rated Clinton higher than or on par with Obama in four of five intelligences. Obama was better than Clinton in only one category. Biden and Edwards ranked third and fourth respectively. Among Republicans, McCain was ranked best in three categories, with Ron Paul and Huckabee ranked best in one category each. Giuliani and Romney received uneven ratings.

Chapel Hill, NC. January 3, 2007 - Every Presidential candidate claims to be a “change agent.” How do you assess a candidate’s ability to deal with the unexpected or to create change? Such an ability is reflected by the leader’s intelligence-the ability to combine knowledge, experience, perception, and imagination to solve a new, unanticipated problem. But, intelligence does not mean its popular conceptualization as IQ. Through a decade of research at the Wharton School, Purdue University, and the University of Minnesota, the Chapel Hill, NC-based management consultancy firm, Vivékin Group has developed a framework that helps rank Presidential candidates on the basis of five kinds of leadership smarts (LSmarts): Analytical, Operational, Inventive, Communicative, & Ethical LSmarts.

These LSmarts may be defined as follows:

Analytical LSmarts: The ability to respond to new situations that call for analysis

Operational LSmarts: The ability to respond to surprise crises in operations

Inventive LSmarts: The ability to set a vision, to provide new ideas, to provide creative solutions

Communicative LSmarts: The ability to respond to new situations using communication skills

Ethical LSmarts: The ability to understand the ethical dimensions of a new issue or to perceive the ethical standpoints of others

In a four-day, web-based survey, respondents used this framework and rated Hillary Clinton higher than or on par with Obama in four of five intelligences. Obama was rated higher than Clinton in only one intelligence. Biden and Edwards ranked third and fourth respectively. Among Republicans, McCain was ranked best in three categories, with Ron Paul and Huckabee ranked best in one category each. Giuliani and Romney received uneven ratings.

The survey was also unique in involving respondents who are associated with the media. Since 36% of respondents were from media, interesting comparisons can be made between media- and non-media responses.

“This is the first survey of its kind, and we were surprised by the results,” said Dr. Baba Prasad, President and CEO of Vivékin Group. “While Senator Clinton is well-known for her analysis and operations-oriented nature, we were amazed that that she matched Senator Obama in areas that are considered his strengths: the ability to set a vision, and the ability to respond quickly using communication skills.”

Participation Statistics

35% or respondents are media persons - 65% are non-Media

58% Male - 42% Female;

Age Groups

46-60 years: 50%; 31-45 years: 31%; 18-30 years: 11%; 61-75 years: 8%

Other interesting observations from the survey

Respondents associated with the media (MR) versus non-media respondents (NMR)

1. MR rated Huckabee significantly higher for communicative intelligence than NMR did (77.8% versus 42.8%)

2. MR rated Clinton significantly higher for communicative intelligence than NMR did (94% versus 67%)

3. MR rated Obama higher for communicative intelligence than NMR did (89% versus 73.3%)

4. MR rated Clinton less for ethical intelligence than NMR did (44.0% versus 52.7%)

5. MR rated Obama significantly more for ethical intelligence than NMR did (77.7% versus 46.7%)

Gender differences?

Women were generally more guarded in giving candidates high ratings. Specifically, with regard to Clinton, women were harsher to her than men in three categories.

Men rated Huckabee significantly higher than women on communicative intelligence.

Overall, however, there was no significant trend in women or men favoring one candidate over another.

DETAILS OF RESULTS

[Percentage score reflects how many respondents ranked the candidate "High" or "Very High" in each leadership intelligence category; other categories were "Average", "Low", and "Very Low"]

Analytical LSmarts

(ability to respond to new situations requiring analysis)

REPUBLICANS

DEMOCRATS
McCain 75.0% Biden 80.0%
Giuliani 65.4% Clinton 76.9%
Romney 61.6% Obama 57.7%
Huckabee 15.4% Edwards 52.0%

Operational LSmarts

(ability to respond to surprise crises in operations)

REPUBLICANS

DEMOCRATS
McCain 75.0% Clinton 70.9%
Giuliani 74.6% Biden 56.5%
Romney 60.9% Obama 45.9%
Ron Paul 28.5% Richardson 41.0%
Huckabee 16.7% Edwards 37.6%

Inventive LSmarts

(ability to set a vision, to provide new ideas)

REPUBLICANS

DEMOCRATS
Ron Paul 61.9% Clinton 68.0%
Giuliani 48.0% Obama 68.0%
McCain 45.5% Biden 57.7%
Romney 33.3% Kucinich 39.1%
Huckabee 20.8% Edwards 37.5%

Communicative LSmarts

(ability to respond to new situations using communication skills)

REPUBLICANS

DEMOCRATS
Huckabee 56.7% Clinton 79.2%
Ron Paul 54.6% Obama 79.2%
Giuliani 50.0% Edwards 52.1%
Romney 50.0% Biden 39.1%
McCain 16.7% Richardson 25.0%

Ethical LSmarts

(ability to understand the ethical dimensions of a new issue or

to perceive the ethical standpoints of others)

REPUBLICANS

DEMOCRATS
McCain 50.0% Obama 58.4%
Romney 45.9% Clinton 50.0%
Huckabee 39.1% Biden 43.5%
Giuliani 24.7% Edwards 43.4%
Ron Paul 23.8% Richardson 33.3%

Vivékin Group has now opened a similar web-based survey to the general public at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=CVDmCfy5onWirBylihce0A_3d_3d

About Vivékin Group

Vivékin Group is a management consulting firm working with innovation and leadership development. Its pioneering ISmarts and LSmarts frameworks apply theories of human intelligence to innovation management and leadership development in corporate environments. Vivékin’s growing list of clients includes firms in India and Fortune 500 companies in the USA. Dr. Baba Prasad, President and CEO, got his Ph.D. at the Wharton School and taught at prestigious business schools before he founded Vivékin Group.

Interview Contact

Baba Prasad (Ph.D., The Wharton School)

President and CEO
Vivékin Group
919-338-8164
http://www.vivekingroup.com

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