How does intra- and interpersonal perception (understanding yourself and other people) contribute to individual success both at university and later at work?
Although individuals, students and professionals are required to work harder, they must also work smarter. A fundamental aspect of working smarter is for an individual to understand their unique capabilities as well as others’ in order to coordinate their actions effectively. Academics have positively linked an association between understanding oneself and having strong relationships with achieving success both at university and at work. At its core, intrapersonal intelligence involves an accurate self-representation that allows a person to effectively manage their life. Individuals must critically assess their personal strengths and weaknesses in order to identify areas in need of further development and enriching. Having a healthy relationship with peers will enable sharing of knowledge and appropriate coordination of team action. With a solid foundation of intrapersonal and interpersonal perception, individuals can allocate their effort and time into areas which will benefit their understanding and personal growth at university and in the workforce.

Students are faced with understanding a vast amount of content during their time at university, rendering the abilities of time and self-management of personal knowledge essential to achieving academic success. Following this recognition, it is vital for students to acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses in understanding the course material to allocate their limited time appropriately. Bercher’s (2012, pp. 31) study identified that students with accurate self-assessment were aware of their capabilities and were able to modify their study plans to improve their performance. In comparison, students that showed poor self-evaluation were unable to recognize their intellectual deficits which consequently led to false assessment of knowledge, early termination of their study and poor academic performance (Bercher 2012 pp.26). It was the accurate perception of one’s knowledge and performance that led to more effective time management and appropriate goal setting, ultimately benefitting their academics.

Alongside independent monitoring, students can develop a more integrated understanding of the content through team learning. As students may view course material in different lights, research outlined by Mu and Gnyawali (2000, pp. 5) revealed that students that learn in an environment of open interaction with frequent discussion improved their knowledge. Students that were comfortable in presenting their unique perspective with others and deliberate attempts to combine these diverse views into an integrated knowledge of the material led to higher academic results. In contrast, students that learnt independently were unable to attain a coherent knowledge of the course content since differing viewpoints were not taken into account in their understanding. Students that developed greater synergistic knowledge were shown to have a more thorough understanding of the content, suggesting that discussion and understanding of diverse perspectives was a key ingredient in developing a unique, integrated body of the course material.

Understanding one’s capabilities is essential in self-learning throughout university, but also plays a vital role throughout an individual’s career. An understanding of one’s capabilities promotes clarity for career planning by aligning personal skills with those required of the job. Shearer (2009, pp. 58) identified that students who had a clear understanding of their strengths were able to select an appropriate academic major, which increased their chances of graduation and a comfortable transition into the workforce. As such, students should recognize what kind of workplace they prefer, their unique set of skills and level of interaction they aspire to have in deciding a satisfying career. Comparatively, students unable to identify a particular intellectual strength to focus on displayed career confusion, which was followed by continuous difficulty throughout their career. A clear understanding of intrapersonal intelligence was a key contributor to students who were able to transition from university to the workforce and achieve a higher sense of success.

The defining factor for students that were able to transition into the workforce from university was the ability to recognize their strengths in their career decision making. Kulik, Oldham and Hackman (1987, pp. 279) supported this notion by identifying the reciprocal impact between employees and their work environment as essential to an individual’s sense of accomplishment. They highlighted that a key factor for employees to respond positively to their job was to have sufficient knowledge and skill to perform the work effectively (Kulik, Oldham and Hackman 1987 pp.282). Following this recognition, it is essential for employees to understand their strengths in order to decide a career line that is most appropriate. For example, the study (Kulik, Oldham and Hackman 1987 pp.286) concluded that individuals that desire high growth need strength will fit highly motivating potential jobs as they are provided opportunities for personal growth, resulting in positive personal and organizational outcomes. It is important for individuals to understand their abilities as those that were sufficiently competent to perform the work they decided to undertake responded more positively.

In the modern workplace, employees must also be able to work cooperatively in teams from differing departments as firms seek to specialise. As a fundamental ability of teamwork is coordination, problems arise between parties when communication is not effectively conveyed and the inability to work cohesively. However, Abele and Stasser (2008, pp. 589) suggest that this relationship between team achievement and interpersonal liking is not static and can work both ways. The research identified that successful coordination through individuals’ matching actions elicits a sense of unity, whilst mismatching successfully elicits social distance. Following this recognition, low Mach individuals, who function well by working with others, should recognize their potential in team-orientated tasks. In comparison, high Mach individuals that merely desire the ends of a task may be attracted to dividing up a task into individual aspects. By understanding an individual’s self preferences as well as those of co-workers, individuals may act accordingly which will benefit all members and lead to beneficial outcomes.

Having the motivation and working longer hours is no longer enough for students and professionals. Rather, they must also work smarter, rendering intrapersonal and interpersonal perception a vital contributor to individuals achieving success both at university and in the workplace. Individuals must have a clear understanding of their unique set of strengths and weaknesses, as well as being adept at working cohesively with others regardless of differing attitudes, opinions or thoughts. Academics have concluded this essential link between a thorough understanding of oneself and others in an attempt to fully maximize success through coordinated actions and time management.

Reference list:
Abele, S. & Stasser, G., (2008) Coordination Success and Interpersonal Perceptions: Matching versus Mismatching, 95(3) 576 – 592.
Bercher, D.A. (2012), Self-Monitoring Tools and Student Academic Success: When Perception Matches Reality, 41(5) 26-32.
Kulik, C.T., Oldham, G.R. & Hackman, J.R., (1987) Work Design as an Approach to Person-Environment Fit. 31(3) 278-296.
Mu, S. & Gnyawali, D.R. (2000), Synergistic Knowledge Development in Cross-Major Student Groups: An Empirical Examination, 1-6.
Shearer, C.B. (2009), Exploring the Relationship between Intrapersonal Intelligence and University Student’s Career Confusion: Implications for Counseling, Academic Success, and School-to-Career Transition, 46(2) 52-61.