To maintain a competitive advantage, most companies are paying attention to the development of professional "soft skills" to boost performance, according to a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp).
The study found that, overall, 76 percent of study respondents have identified soft skills such as listening skills, persuasion and teamwork that lead to successful organizational performance. Among large and high market performing companies, the numbers climb. Eighty-three percent of companies with 10,000 or more employees said they identify soft skills, compared to 72 percent of firms with 100-999 workers and 65 percent of those with fewer than 100 employees. Also, 85 percent of high-performing organizations ID soft skills, whereas 70 percent of lower performers reported doing so.
"Soft skills can be a real differentiator in the business world and a key to improved market performance," said Eric Davis, i4cp's associate editor. "More often than not, it's who we are, not what we know, that seals the deal. The most technically competent people will still flounder if they can't communicate properly or play well with others in a business setting. Development of soft skills can help make seemingly unrelated functions run more effectively by enabling employees in the social acumen it takes to get ahead and smoothing out the communication process."
As far as training or work experiences to build soft skills, 64 percent of respondents overall tabbed teamwork and "role of a leader" as their top choices, followed by coaching (60 percent), time management (53 percent), and listening skills (49 percent). Among high performers, role of a leader was selected by 65 percent of respondents, followed by teamwork (64 percent) and time-management skills (59 percent). Comparatively, 61 percent of lower-performing organizations favor teamwork, followed by role of a leader (57 percent) and coaching (54 percent).
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