MRIU’s Human Lab at Faculty of Management Studies launched an ‘Assessment Centre & Development Centre’ and hosted the first FDP on “Emotional Intelligence (EI)” under the Centre’s wing
The Human Lab at Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Manav Rachna International University (MRIU) added a feather to its cap. By launching the ‘Assessment Centre & Development Centre’ and hosting the first FDP on ‘Emotional Intelligence (EI)’ under its banner, the Human Lab created quite a buzz in the campus. The event was attended by the Who’s Who of the world of psychology: Hon’ble Addl. Chief Secretary, Haryana, Dr Dalip Singh, IAS, was the Chief Guest on the occasion while the FDP itself was conducted by eminent psychologist and academician Prof. N.K. Chadha, HOD, Psychology, Delhi University, who has developed the first test on EQ (Emotional Quotient) in India and is the recent recipient of the International Practitioner of the Year Award conferred by the National Career Development Association. The programme was privileged to have Dr N.C. Wadhwa, Vice Chancellor, MRIU, and Dr Sanjay Srivastava, Vice Chancellor, Manav Rachna University (MRU) as the guests of Honor, along with Dr M.M. Kathuria, General Secretary, MREI; Dr V.K. Mahna, Pro Vice Chancellor, MRIU; and several other senior dignitaries, researchers and academicians from the field of management studies.
In her welcome address, Dr Chavi Sharma, Dean, FMS, MRIU, quoted Daniel Goleman, author, psychologist, and science journalist saying, “People who control their emotions reach the top.” She expressed deep admiration for Dr Dalip Singh and Professor N.K. Chadha for their seminal work and initiatives in the field of Emotional Intelligence and stated, “We are fortunate to have experts on Emotional Intelligence and they would be showing us how not to be at the mercy of our emotions.” Dr Chavi also emphasized on the need for emotional literacy since “we are all emotional bombs waiting to tick off.”
The inaugural session witnessed the fresh launch of the book ‘Emotional Intelligence at Work’ authored by Addl. Chief Secretary, Haryana, Dr Dalip Singh. The book is now in its fourth edition. The occasion also marked the launch of ‘History & Philosophy of Psychology’ authored by Dr.Chavi Sharma and Dr Anita Gupta.
Addressing the audience, Dr.N.C.Wadhwa, Vice Chancellor, MRIU, appreciated Dr Dalip Singh for finding the time to write a book given his busy bureaucrat’s schedule and stated that Dr Dalip Singh was “but an academician at heart”.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sanjay Srivastava, Vice Chancellor, MRU, recited a poem to drive home the significance of emotions both in our professional and personal life.
What followed soon after was the formal launch of the Assessment Centre and Development Centre (AC/DC) by the senior dignitaries. Talking about the AC/DC centre, Professor N.K. Chadha said, “The Centre would help in assessing growth, gaps and potential of faculty members and students. There would be three stages to look forward to: Assessment, Intervention and Development. The Assessment Centre would give MRIU good mileage to establish links with Universities abroad and play a significant role in skill development.”
It has been said that only with the right people at the right place can an organization truly leverage its human resources. FMS has launched the Assessment Centre/Development Centre under the Human Lab with the aim of providing a solution to this. The Assessment Centre would focus on helping make the right selection from a group of aspirants, particularly for identifying which individuals have the potential to be promoted to management positions. The selection will be based upon the analysis of the skills and competencies required for the job. The Development Centre, on the other hand, will focus on helping individuals identify their own potential and then to move towards actualizing themselves and developing their managerial skills and talent. The techniques used will include behavioral event interviews, psychological testing, role playing, simulation exercises and leaderless group tasks in a closed setting with multiple observers.
In his keynote address, Dr Dalip Singh who has a PhD in psychology said, “It is matter of great honour to participate in the Assessment Centre and Development Centre launch. “ He also stated, “Most of us do not know how to regulate, manage and manipulate emotions to our advantage and be emotionally intelligent.” Having come a long way in highlighting the core concept of EQ, the serving bureaucrat and trained HRD expert, suggested on ways to identify and improve Emotional Quotient. In fact, Dr Dalip Singh said, “IQ is not an index of a person’s success and is being given undue importance. The greater part of a person’s success depends on his Emotional Intelligence skills.”
The latter half of the event comprised a workshop on ‘Emotional Intelligence’ conducted by Professor N.K.Chadha, widely acclaimed as a global authority in the area of psychometrics. He has been conducting many ongoing research projects with foreign universities and has been awarded many National and International awards and honors to that effect. Dr Chadha helped participants at the workshop to identify their emotions, learn emotional and managerial skills and improve interpersonal relationships by gauging other people’s emotions and empathizing with them.
The day was an affirmation of the fact that the movement of positive and affirmative psychology had truly arrived in India. The Human Lab at MRIU had succeeded in its mission of highlighting the significance of emotions and what it means to be human and successful all at the same time.
