Keeping it real in changing times: Pragmatic strategies to sustain empathy

Abstract

Empathy is still a frequently disputed component when it comes to leadership and in particular in relation to being able to take decisive action in times of change (Marques, 2015). After a mass shooting in two mosques in Christchurch in 2019, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Adern received international praise for her empathic leadership combined with the ability to take concrete actions related to gun control (Salam, 2019). Our research interest was initially sparked by findings in earlier research related to emotional intelligence (EI), which pointed to the value of the role of empathy for workers at all levels, and therefore the value of empathy training and development in the workplace. To follow up, interviews were undertaken in early 2017 with a mix of empathy trainers and managers of organisations where empathy is signalled as a key skill. The purpose of the inquiry was to mine their perspectives of empathy training and discover emerging themes of empathy in the workplace, identify relevant components that contribute to developing empathy skills and develop models that elucidate optimal ways for developing one’s empathy. The need for developing these skills ignited further interest in finding out more about how empathy is developed based on the assumption that empathy can be learned (Gill, Schaddelee, Ramsey, Turner & Naylor, 2018; Gill, 2015).