TCU Neeley Professor Featured in the Wall Street Journal for Research on Job Skills and Intelligence

Dr. Bill Becker, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and leadership at the TCU Neeley School of Business, was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal for his research involving cognitive skills and job specialization.

The recent Wall Street Journal piece, “How Your Job Can Make You Smarter,” by Sue Shellenbarger featured insight from several reaching studies that have looked at how different jobs affect cognitive abilities. Among the studies sited was one from Neeley’s Becker, whose research has demonstrated that some jobs involve mental skills that can sharpen your brain power and make you smarter. His 2015 study suggested that analyzing each position for the cognitive skills it involves is a good way for employers to match candidates to positions.

Positions such as executives/managers and emergency-medical technicians are among those that require the skills to block out distractions and solve problems even under stress. Furthermore, a good manager should have the skills to deal with abstract problems, understand trends and maintain a good sense of their colleagues’ attitudes.

According to the article, Becker encourages TCU students in his management classes to sharpen their perceptual abilities, a skill which defines a good manager. To do this, he recommends that his students maintain a journal describing important conversations they have had, writing down reflections on what they said and what could be improved. Becker tells the Wall Street Journal that while some students resist, “every year there will be a handful of students who really get into it, and they’re the ones who get smarter.”

regions: Dallas

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