2017 Business Indicator Series
#empathy #2017: The New Trend in Leadership
May 24, 2017
Sophia Koustas, SNHU Alumn & Instructor (UC & COCE)
Agenda
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Empathy is…
Empathy in…
 different industries, management, leadership, social media &
internet
Most empathetic Companies & company examples
Practicing Empathy
Empathy Map
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
What is empathy?
Empathy is....
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
What is empathy?
Empathy is the
“capacity to connect with
and/or experience another’s
emotional state”
(Andreychik & Lewis, 2017).
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Discussion
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Can there be too much empathy?
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Why do people lack empathy?
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Can empathy be legislated?
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What are the most popular areas (industry,
sector) that empathy is considered and
included in day-to-day operations?
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Empathy in…
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Medicine (Hertz, 2015)
Education (Wender, 2014)
Banking (Cohen, 2016)
Law enforcement (Gracia, Gracia, & Lila, 2014)
Criminology (Posick, Rocque, & Rafter, 2014)
Society (Wheeler, 2016)
Management (Somogyi, Buchko, & Buchko, 2013)
Leadership
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Empathy and Management…
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View situation from the eyes of the employees
Be objective
Critically analyze factors
Balance empathy
Anticipate employee reactions
Create pride and need for affiliation within the company
Encourage Career/Talent development
Improve communication
Help both managers and employees grow
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Empathy and Leadership…
Transformational Leadership
 Enhances engagement
 Improves Team performance
 Improves trust
A leader must have interpersonal competence and…
• Be Self-aware
• Have Self-control
• Have action based ideas
• Be able to understand the emotional needs of others (Somogyi
et al., 2013).
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Most Empathetic Companies (2016)
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internal culture,
leadership,
brand perception,
ethics, and
social media
presence
(Parmar, 2016)
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Empathy in Companies…
VIDEO: Empathy Lab
VIDEO: Empathy Training
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Empathy vs. Social Media & Internet
Is our ability to empathize affected by social media and
the Internet?
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Social media can build empathy
Positive computing (Rafael Calvo and Dorian Peters) the
design and development of technology to support
psychological well-being and human potential.
Entrepreneurial app examples: Thrive (Arianna
Huffington), Mood Gym and Smiling Mind (apps)
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Empathy in Companies…
“A lot of times,
people don’t know
what they want until
you show it to them”
(Steve Jobs)
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Practicing Empathy…
Think of a moment in your
life that someone (company
or person) was not empathic
with your situation?
How can we practice
empathy?
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Practicing Empathy…
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Listen without interrupting
Avoid to make a quick interpretation
Take time to speak
Avoid judgement
Use appropriate language
Paraphrase communication
Use non-verbal cues that display empathy
Validate the other person’s perspective
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Empathy Map…
• Pick a persona for your customer
Elements to consider:
• Think & Feel?
• See?
• Hear?
• Say & Do?
• Pain
• Gain
Design by Conceptboard
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Practicing Empathy…
“EMPATHY
is seeing with the eyes of another,
listening with the ears of another,
and feeling with the heart of
another.”
(Alfred Adler)
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
References
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Andreychik, M. R., & Lewis, E. (2017, January 15). Will you help me to suffer less? How about to feel more joy? Positive and negative empathy are
associated with different other-oriented motivations. Personality and Individual Differences, 105, 139-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.09.038
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Booth, J. (2015). Why Genuine Empathy Is Good For Business. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3052337/why-genuine-empathy-isgood-for-business
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Center for Creative Leadership. (2016). Empathy in the Workplace: A Tool for Effective Leadership [White paper]. Retrieved from
http://www.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/EmpathyInTheWorkplace.pdf
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Cohen, S. (2016). What's Missing in Digital Banking? Empathy. Retrieved from https://www.americanbanker.com/opinion/whats-missing-in-digitalbanking-empathy
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Gracia, E., Gracia, F., & Lila, M. (2014, October). Male Police Officers' Law Enforcement Preferences in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence Versus
Non-Intimate Interpersonal Violence: Do Sexist Attitudes and Empathy Matter?. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 41(10), 1195-1213. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edswss&AN=000342575600003&site=eds-live&scope=site
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Hertz, B. (2015). Why empathy may be the best risk management strategy: when a medical mistake occurs, showing compassion and discussing clear
next steps with patients can prevent lawsuits. Retrieved from
http://bi.galegroup.com/global/article/GALE|A403447987/f4d942307e58c829373d3303c966b543?u=nhc_main
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Nicks, D. (2016). Empathy Is the Hottest Trend in Leadership. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/4376423/empathy-leadership-trend/
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Parmar, B. (2015). Corporate Empathy Is Not an Oxymoron. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/01/corporate-empathy-is-not-an-oxymoron
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Parmar, B. (2016). The Most Empathetic Companies, 2016. Retrieced from https://hbr.org/2016/12/the-most-and-least-empathetic-companies-2016
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Posick, C., Rocque, M., & Rafter, N. (2014). More Than a Feeling: Integrating Empathy Into the Study of Lawmaking, Lawbreaking, and Reactions to
Lawbreaking. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminimology, 58(1), 5-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X12465411
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Solares Menegazzo, J., Cruz-Ortiz, V., Ortega-Maldonado, A., & Salanova, M. (2015, ). Positive Institutions and their relationship with
transformational leadership, empathy and team performance. Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences, 2(2), 38-64.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/muse.2014.3694
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Somogyi, R. L., Buchko, A. A., & Buchko, K. J. (2013). Managing With Empathy: Can You Feel What I Feel? . Journal of Organizational Psychology,
13(1/2), 32-42. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=94444408&site=eds-live&scope=site
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Wender, E. (2014, July). The Practice of Empathy. English Journal, 103(6), 33-37. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=97273751&site=eds-live&scope=site
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Wheeler, R. (2016, Summer). On Empathy. Law Library Journal, 108(3), 489-498. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=118055431&site=eds-live&scope=site
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Winter, J. (2016). Three Exercises to Teach Your Team Empathy. Retrieved from http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/three-exercises-to-teach-yourteam-empathy/
Presenter: Sophia Koustas
Links
Thank you!
Great links to check out:
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Facebook’s Empathy Lab
Empathy map by Conceptboard
Corporate Empathy Training
Presenter: Sophia Koustas