A university prioritising academic contribution to third-stream income needs to invest in academics, according to research by PhD in Leadership Studies graduate Dr Deven Reddy titled: Exploring how the Emotional Intelligence-Social Capital Nexus in Academics Impacts Third Stream Income: A Case Study of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
‘There needs to be a holistic approach incorporating soft skills with emotional intelligence advancement being a critical factor, creating an understanding and empathetic environment to build trust and deploy a coaching model to support a business mindset and culture,’ said Reddy.
Co-supervised by Professor Cecile Gerwel Proches and Dr Tilly Moodley, the research explored the potential value that exists in the emotional intelligence-social capital nexus in academics as well as the triggers that get academics and other stakeholders including leadership to share expertise, knowledge, experience, intellectual capital and networks to benefit third stream income generation initiatives at the University.
‘This was the first study that used the emotional intelligence-social capital nexus to study third stream income at universities,’ said Reddy. ‘Therefore, there is a lot more work that needs to be done in the area to develop a more systemic understanding of the impact emotional intelligence has on academic social capital. This will also be influenced by strategic focus, culture, values of institutions, resource availability and the impact of macro factors,’ said Reddy.
With 30 years’ experience in the field of human capital development, extending from skills development to university Higher Education, Reddy says a PhD has created a sound foundation for him to better understand his area of interest.
‘I think in pursuing a PhD you learn more about yourself in this process and develop more acute personal skills – it teaches humility. Depending on one’s career path a doctorate is important to define one’s self as having some degree of expertise in an area. I would like to further my research in emotional intelligence to grow communities of practice built on social capital to contribute to the sustainable futures agenda, especially in education and innovation,’ he said.
Words: Thandiwe Jumo
Photograph: Sethu Dlamini