Soft Skills Training: So Important yet so Underrated

Many firms around the world are increasingly recognizing the importance of soft skills in advancing their organization’s objectives. According to a Harvard Business School study, soft skills account for up to 80% of an individual's professional achievements, whereas hard skills account for only 20%. However, a lot of organizations pay little attention to the soft skill development of their employees. This is not to say that soft skills are a replacement for technical abilities, but rather they work as harmonizing agents that serve to unleash the potential for highly effective performance in people who also have hard skills. While technical skills are vital, soft skills serve as the glue that unites teams and business units together. These skills vary from effective communication to problem-solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and teamwork: and form the foundation upon which leaders and teams build trust, cooperation, and high performance.

Some people will argue that soft skills are inborn and do not need to be developed. However, while these abilities exist in everyone to some extent, they must be developed and refined to be used successfully. The aim of any soft skills training is to remove roadblocks that prevent an individual from achieving their full potential. Soft skills training helps individuals become more aware of latent abilities and shows them how to  refine these abilities for their overall development and success. 

Namrata Kala, an assistant professor of economics, studied five factories of Shahi Exports, an Indian garment manufacturing company, alongside  other researchers from the University of Michigan and Boston College. Their goal was to validate the effectiveness of soft skills training. In the course of their study, they discovered that a 12-month soft skills training program focused on communication, problem-solving & decision-making, time & stress management, financial literacy, legal literacy,  social entitlements, and execution excellence resulted in a 250% ROI within eight months of completion.

Due to a lack of investment in employee soft skill development, many organizations have lost clients and are plagued by friction and divisiveness among team members. As the popular adage goes, "United we stand, divided we fall." According to a study carried out by the Society for Human Resource Management, organizations that invest in soft skills development benefit from increased employee engagement, improved productivity, and higher retention rates.

Given the importance of soft skills, Dan Pontefract, a leadership consultant, and CEO, stated in an article, "Long mislabeled as soft, these skills are in reality the bedrock of effective leadership." Organizations should invest in soft skills development for their staff to remain competitive in an ever-changing business landscape.

References

Walsh, D. (2023, May 11). Soft skills training brings substantial returns on investment. MIT Sloan. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/soft-skills-training-brings-substantial-returns-investment 

John, Jessy. (2009). Study on the Nature of Impact of Soft Skills Training Programme on the Soft Skills Development of Management Students. 

Vance, R. J. (2006). Employee engagement and commitment: A guide to understanding, measuring and increasing engagement in your organization. SHRM Foundation. 

Pontefract, D. (2023, March 28). It’s about time we abandoned the term’ soft skills’. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2023/03/27/its-about-time-we-abandoned-the-term-soft-skills/?sh=1984553f1ff7 

Photo source: Photo by Anna Tarazevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/skills-text-on-black-background-5598301/