Over the last decade, neuroscientists have identified a 10-section “empathy circuit” in our brains which, if damaged, can curtail our ability to experiencing empathetic concern and caring for one another.

The medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is highlighted as a hub for social information, and the area in which our own perspective on events can be compared to that of others. One part of this region is involved in thinking about other people’s thoughts and feelings in conjunction with our own. Another part of this region is more concerned with our own thoughts (Source: Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge). 

Empathy is developed throughout childhood, but it doesn’t stop developing in childhood. According to new research empathy is a a habit we can cultivate. We can nurture its growth throughout our lives,  and we can use this as a radical force for social interaction and transformation as well as for enhancing stakeholder management, leadership skills, customer orientation and business impact. 

According to Marriam Webster, Learningsdictionary.com empathy is "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner". 

There are many outcomes of strong empathic skills; 

• You will be more likely to treat the people you care about the way they wish you would treat them.
• You will better understand the needs of people around you.
• You will more clearly understand the perception you create in others with your words and actions.
• You will understand the unspoken parts of your communication with others.
• You will better understand the needs of your customers at work.
• You will have less trouble dealing with interpersonal conflict both at home and at work.
• You will be able to more accurately predict the actions and reactions of people you interact with.
• You will learn how to motivate the people around you.
• You will more effectively convince others of your point of view.
• You will experience the world in higher resolution as you perceive through not only your perspective but the perspectives of those around you.
• You will find it easier to deal with the negativity of others if you can better understand their motivations and fears. 
• You will be a better leader, a better follower, and most important, a better friend.

(Source: Chad Fowler, CTO of 6Wunderkinder, makers of Wunderlist. He is the author or co-author of a number of popular software books, including Rails Recipes and The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development.)

If you're curious about how empathic you are at this very moment of your life, there are different ways of measuring this skill. Below you'll find two different examples. 

The first test is a lighter version, only 28 items, however very valid. It draws from three scientifically validated scales that researchers have created to measure empathy: the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, developed by Nathan Spreng and his colleagues; the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, developed by Mark Davis; and the Emotion Specific Empathy Questionnaire, developed by Sally Olderbak and her colleagues.

When you're done answering the 28 questions, you'll receive your empathy score, along with feedback interpreting this score and tips for strengthening your empathy skills. 

Try out the Berkeley Empathy Test

The second test is called Baron-Cohen's Empathizing Quotient (EQ) snd Systemizing Quotient (SQ) test. This one is a quite substantial test with 120 items, but also measuring two different traits empathizing and systemizing.

The empathizing–systemizing theory was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen who proposes that there are individual differences in the wiring of the brain that result in two different modes a person may process information: empathizing and systemizing. 

Try out The EQSQ test

An article on how to further develop your empathy will follow on this blog.

I Codan/Trygg-Hansa har man i de seneste år arbejdet særdeles struktureret med forandringsledelse.

“Vi har valgt en struktureret change management tilgang, fordi det giver en fælles metode og et fælles sprog”, fortæller Caroline Mørck Jensen, Head of Change Management Office (CMO) i Codan & Trygg-Hansa.

“Én af de største fordele ved at anvende en struktureret tilgang til håndtering af forandrings- projekter er, at du kommer rundt i alle kroge, når du analyserer en forandring, og du får øje på udfordringer og muligheder, som du ellers ikke havde fået øje på”, forklarer hun.

“I vores organisation har vi bygget vores CMO (Change Management Office) op omkring en struktureret tilgang til change management, således at det går hånd med den måde, vi i Codan/Trygg-Hansa bedriver projektledelse på”, siger Caroline Mørck Jensen afslutningsvist.

Codan/Trygg-Hansas bevæggrunde understøttes af Prosci’s Best Practice rapport fra 2014. Heraf fremgår det, at størstedelen af de 822 respondenter mener, at fordelene ved at bruge en struktureret tilgang er, at organisationen får: 

Hjælp til udpegning af væsentlige aktiviteter og change management roller, samt en proces, templates, værktøjer og et fælles sprog samt mulighed for løbende evaluering. En sådan metode kan bidrage til at udpege logiske skridt i en forandringsproces samt gøre det muligt at forudsige foregribe mangler og modstand samt justere på typiske fejltagelser. 

Mulighed for at skabe en ensartet håndtering af forandringer, der i sin overordnede form kan repeteres i fremtidige projekter, hvilket gør det muligt at  opbygge en kompetent og effektivt intern change management organisation, der løbende kan styre og udbrede kompetencerne internt i organisationen