TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- WHY ARE SOFT SKILLS SO IMPORTANT NOWADAYS
- THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFT SKILLS ASSESSMENT
- DEVELOPING SOFT SKILLS FOR LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES
- GAME-BASED SOFT SKILLS ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH
WHY ARE SOFT SKILLS SO IMPORTANT NOWADAYS?
Whether in the workplace, during job interviews, or talking about possible promotions, soft skills are a term everybody got used to hearing. Indeed, it has become more and more present in everybody’s life. Learning what they are, but especially why and how to develop soft skills, is fundamental. It is not casual that CEOs spend 20% more time learning them than the average learner (Linkedin 2020 workplace learning report)
WHAT EXACTLY ARE SOFT SKILLS
To truly understand what soft skills are, it can be helpful to start comparing their opposite. If hard skills concern the knowledge and the occupational abilities that a person has, soft skills refer to who people are and their behavior. They can be seen as character traits and interpersonal skills that will shape how a person builds and manages relationships with others. Sociologists offer another view over soft skills. They are the person’s emotional intelligence quotient (EQ), which is complemented by the Intelligence quotient (IQ).
If these definitions may seem complicated, examples quickly fade away doubts. The LinkedIn Global talent trends report lists some of the most important ones. Critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership are those that everybody usually writes in his curriculum and is more familiar with. These are pretty self-explanatory and let you already perceive the importance held inside the words “Soft Skills.” However, the list includes other more peculiar capabilities such as intercultural fluency, professional writing, public speaking, and work ethic.
WHY ARE SOFT SKILLS BECOMING SO IMPORTANT IN THE WORKPLACE?
Our world is growing bigger and more complex constantly, and the same is happening to the workplace. Even something positive, like smart working, can bring on the table more complications to the working environment.
Whether for an employer or an employee, the skills needed are growing every day. If the necessity to learn new knowledge or abilities, like using modern tech or new software, is clear, the importance of increasing our soft skills may not be so obvious.
If a worker doesn’t know how to use Excel, the consequences are easy to grasp. But if someone is not that good at team working, or has difficulties with public speaking, the loss of performance and efficiency is not so direct. Even if so, the loss is real. And all this is constantly becoming more relevant and explicit, especially after research finding that soft skills directly increase work performance.
RESEARCHES CONFIRMING THEIR IMPORTANCE
LinkedIn is just one example of the many websites, firms, and blogs that update, year by year, report after report, the most sought-after soft skills by companies, and all the positive benefits for recruiters, managers, and employees. It is also interesting to consider that, while looking at the most in-demand hard and soft skills of 2020, the latter is subject to constant changes in priorities and increased consideration.
Digitalization, internalization, increasing competition, managing more remote people, working together, or even communicating online… All these changes that may be familiar to you make soft skills more than needed.
The US Department of Labor states that Employers look for soft skills in new employees. Indeed, looking at them from a recruiting point of view, The Burning Glass analysis found out that one in three job skills requested in a job offer is a soft skill. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers survey, leadership and team working ability are especially valued. Assessing and recognizing soft skills is particularly important for recruiters and employers.
About training made by firms to improve performances, Linkedin’s Workplace Learning Report cited soft skills as the top training priority. The new 2020 report reinforced the concept. Talent developers are focused on building soft skills, with even managers spending 30% more time than the average learning them. Therefore, learning soft skills, and finding the most efficient training method, is essential for managers and the company’s productivity.
HOW ARE SOFT SKILLS USEFUL FOR EMPLOYEES AND MANAGERS
Opposite to hard skills, soft skills do not apply only to specific areas or jobs. Therefore, they can be a vital resource for anyone. No matter what their knowledge or hierarchy position is. The positive consequences of mastering soft skills for employees and managers are a good starting point to motivate their learning.
Whether the job area, employees have the same concern: effectively working with others. It is not a case if 4 out of 10 top soft skills by the World Economic Forum are relationship-related. Good communication, collaboration, team working… are necessary to make a group of people more effective than the sum of individuals.
Furthermore, managers cannot always be looking over their employees. Skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making are crucial elements to be truly independent and reliable. Typically, they are acquired with experience. However, skipping the “fail to learn” process can be ideal for the company.
On their counterpart, managers too can benefit from soft skills. A Harvard survey shows that 91% of leaders think compassion is a key element for leadership. On the same subject, social intelligence and empathy can improve employee relationships. Managers’ communication skills can reduce conflicts and miscommunication. As well as help keep projects and initiatives on track.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFT SKILLS ASSESSMENT
If soft skills are essential, so is evaluating them. A soft skills assessment allows one to have a better understanding of them. Then, they are not going to be just words on a CV. It is, indeed, easy to state having “Leadership” or “Teamwork” skills. It’s different for a manager or HR to prove that. Candidates’ soft skills are notoriously hard to assess, but they can be highly beneficial.
WHY ASSESSING SOFT SKILLS
Why assess soft skills, then? To hire. 91% of recruiters agree that soft skills are the future of recruiting. In the previous part, we argued how important and useful these are for employees. Therefore, selecting workers who already have them would be crucial. Doing so means saving time and money for training. It means it is more probable that the worker will fit well in the firm. It is also an extra step in applicants’ selection so that managers can pick precisely the type of worker they are looking for.
One company above all is indeed hiring for soft skills. Shell selects candidates that can drive innovation and challenge the “status quo” because consensus didn’t always lead to the best decisions.
However, knowing the level of soft skills of their employees is also highly useful for managers. This is not something possible by just looking at them working. A leader cannot follow everything, and of course, people may behave differently when controlled or alone. A soft skills assessment will then produce specific and invaluable information. It would highlight the weaknesses and strengths of a company, for example. A lack of collaboration and team working abilities can slow down projects. In contrast, leadership and decision-making skills can suggest relying more on someone in particular to improve the whole team’s performance.
HOW TO ASSESS SOFT SKILLS
Assessing soft skills, again, is not something quick and straightforward. LinkedIn’s Global Trend report 2019 found that 57% of companies struggle to do so. This undoubtedly discourages firms from having a formal process to assess them. Only 41% of firms built a formal process to evaluate soft skills.
There are many methods to assess soft skills—each with pros and cons. Behavioral questions, Reading body language, and Situational questions are the most used ones.
However, the output can easily be unsatisfactory, and they can discourage even more soft skills monitoring for employees or formal processes to recruit. Respondents may force answers on surveys; the output may be subjected to bias from the researchers or the results may be too general or not comparable.
Another option is Tech-based assessments. This method is the least used and still in development and might find resistance. Nonetheless, it might be the more interesting one; even if using software, seen as complex and new, for something quite difficult may find some resistance at first. However, this path could ease the process and make the output more usable.
One particular method is the Game-Based approach. It focuses on transforming a tedious and complicated assessment into an easy and fun game! Thanks to a specifically-built software and precise methods, and by making applicants play tailored “games”, experts would be able to obtain comparable, specific data of soft skills. Of course, professionals would still play a significant role here: by explaining, conducting, analyzing the process, which is not just a silly smartphone game.
A STARTING POINT TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE
However, soft skills assessment can provide a starting point for improving performances. Preliminary work can of course, be done. As previously said, by understanding strengths and weaknesses, managers can make the best out of themselves and their employees and select the best ideal candidates. This is already sufficient to give a return over the effort. Nonetheless, the real point would be to use assessments as a direction.
By working on the team’s problems, a leader can increase the organization’s competitiveness. Training, learning, and soft skills development should be the final goal.
DEVELOPING SOFT SKILLS FOR LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES
As soft skills’ importance increases, they represent an ample opportunity. Businesses should consider the utility of developing them. However, soft skills training often encounters resistance. Is it truly worth it?
WHY START SOFT SKILLS TRAINING
Soft skills training is not something predominantly known. However, it can bring many improvements for the firm. Previously, we highlighted the huge importance of soft skills. This already suggests that an increase where they are low surely would be good for the company.
Nonetheless, there are more specific and convincing data. Research proves a link between soft skills and work performance (Izadikhah et al., 2010). But, in particular, the more employees train and learn soft skills, the more they develop positive behavior and attitude towards their job.
Soft skills training is also important for managers. Even the best leaders can still become even better by improving their abilities. Soft skills contribute towards work performance of managers in terms of decision-making and problem-solving (Weber et al. 2009). Hence, improving these specific soft skills will help the whole organization.
A 2017 joint study from Boston College, Harvard, and the University of Michigan brings more evidence on the table. It suggested that soft skills training in areas like problem-solving and communication increases productivity and retention by 12 percent, with a 250 percent ROI.
Deloitte’s 2016 Global Human Capital Trends report also reinforces these findings. Furthermore, it implies that soft skills training would help build a meaningful organizational culture.
DOUBTS OVER SOFT SKILLS TRAINING
The concept of soft skills training comes with many doubts. Managers, especially small companies, rightfully question the real necessity of that. It would cost money, and there is a feeling of uncertainty about outcomes. Why should a small or medium business bother to start soft skills training?
It is a logical question. Linking soft skills training and improving performances is something new; therefore, that still has to be truly accepted. When considering Learning & Development, hard skills are the average choice. The outcome is seen as more direct. Hard skills are seen as more important. This has become the norm for most companies to resist investing in their employees’ soft skills training and development.
The consequence is that over-reliance on technical and managerial skills at the expense of human skills or soft skills may jeopardize the company’s mission in the long run (Muzio et al., 2007). Furthermore, developing only the hard skills of employees makes them more task-oriented and rule adherent but less relationship- and initiative-driven.
The conclusion isn’t that firms will go bankrupt without soft skills training. But thanks to it, they can have a great return. Evidence is everywhere. With the consequent increase in competitiveness, better working performance is what managers should always be looking for.
“Soft skills training is still quite new, and some people may be skeptical. But as an expert, I believe it is a great opportunity for companies”
Szilvia Szlavitsek, Head of training and corporate events at ITL Group, Accelium facilitator and Accelium Israel Partner
INNOVATIVE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Similarly for the assessment, technology offers attractive new opportunities for training. The so-called gamification of the learning phase is fastly gaining popularity. Tiring lectures or basic training may not motivate employees, therefore not very effective. This difficulty in creating a genuinely efficient learning system may be based on the diffidence over soft skills training. As unexpectedly as it sounds, games can be more efficient to learn something. Researchers started to look for and found evidence about this.
A company that is entirely relying on the game-based method is Accelium. This firm, among others, is working to normalize this concept and increase its use. Especially among students and small/medium enterprises. Big companies, indeed, have already started to create their own platforms and systems to develop this approach. L’Oréal is among the ones believing that gamifying training can lead to successful results.
“Playing is a key tool we use to engage L’Oréal employees”
Eric de la Tour, Business Excellence director
GAME-BASED SOFT SKILLS ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH
Soft skills assessment and training can become a more exciting and doable option thanks to the game-based approach. One of the pioneer companies in this sector, and a proud supporter of this method, is Accelium.
THE ACCELIUM METHODOLOGY
Accelium was founded in 1994 when a team of game experts wanted to extend the chess-mentoring experience to a variety of strategy games, creating a powerful learning tool that is universally accessible. Since then, the company has reached 4.000.000 learners and 10.000 teachers.
Although Accelium uses games for its services, there is a serious and academic approach behind that. The Accelium gamified method has indeed been tested in many comparative research projects. In particular, Professor Donald Green of Columbia University confirmed the effectiveness of the process.
A mix of unique out-of-the-box classes, smart games structured by game theory experts and analysis tools and experts assure the best possible experience.
ITL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPANIES
ITL Group saw in the Accelium method a unique and innovative opportunity for Human resources. This opportunity was made into reality thanks to Szilvia Szlavitsek, Head of training and corporate events at ITL Group, Accelium facilitator and Accelium Israel Partner.
ITL Group can offer specific services based on the Accelium method. These can provide new perspectives and innovations for organizations and people looking for a modern and practical evaluation and training system.
In particular, ITL Group offered services are:
- Accelium Pro: Immersive corporate training programs consist of workshops, smart games, one-to-one meetings, and coaching. It helps employees develop dynamic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills and become more methodical and resilient.
- 360 Assessment; the most advanced technology of Accelium to truly understand how people within the organization think and operate.
- Talent and Gamified Recruitment; an increasingly common recruitment process to help attract the best candidates. Game-based tests provide a multidimensional report on each taker.
If these services catch your interest, contact us directly to know more!
“Soft skills assessment, recruiting and training are new to many, but have become one of the main topics in HR. Proposing them with an innovative and effective method that we strongly believe in can make the difference for firms.”
Szilvia Szlavitsek, Head of training and corporate events at ITL Group, Accelium facilitator and Accelium Israel Partner
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