In our article “How High is Your EI?,” published in 2010, we discussed emotional intelligence (EI) as a key benchmark to a successful legal career. Now, in addition to focusing on EI, the legal industry needs to turn its attention to collaborative intelligence (CQ), an essential component of effective organizations and successful attorneys. In this highly competitive legal market, an attorney needs a high level of CQ to help clients meet their strategic business goals and law firms and other legal organizations need to foster a culture where knowledge and expertise are shared openly and effectively.
The CQ of a group, as defined by Wikipedia, generally refers to the measurement of the collaborative effectiveness of a group, which can be greater or less than the aggregate knowledge and capability possessed by individual group members. When looking at an individual’s CQ, several components are considered: the willingness to collaborate and share, knowing how and what to share, building trust, developing networks, understanding team dynamics, openness to new ideas and flexibility, willingness to mentor and coach others, and an understanding of how to use tools and technology effectively.1
