The Theory of Multiple Intelligences: learning as a strategy to obtain a competitive advantage

Abstract

This article aims to understand the implications of applying the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (TMI) in the organizational context. To this end, some assumptions were deemed accurate: the concept of intelligence from TIM has the power to adapt itself to the organizational environment, as its employees are constantly stimulating their cognition to solve problems and develop products; the finding of the plurality of the human intellect defended by TIM fostered the need to respect the learners' cognitive individuality through the development of appropriate curricula and pedagogical strategies; the success achieved by TIM in the traditional educational environment can be replicated in organizations; corporate education can use TIM to develop learning policies adapted to organizations' human capital intelligence and, finally, learning constitutes a key development policy for organizations seeking leverage and competitive advantage. The method chosen to achieve this goal was descriptive research with a quantitative approach to data from a bibliometric study based on articles indexed in the CAPES database in the last seven years. Among the most expressive results, it was found that education is at the forefront of the applicability of Gardner's theory and that its most binding concepts are learning methodologies, emotional intelligence, innovation, and development. The relevance of this bibliometric was also highlighted, as the reduced amount of investigations on the benefits of using TIM in organizations was proven, and its discoveries could serve as hypotheses for future scientific research to be confirmed or refuted.