Dr. M.R. Parakandi, Abu Dhabi University , U.A.E.
&
Dr. T. Asokan, Kannur University, India
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A skill is the ability, talent or competence to perform a task well or better
than average.
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There are essentially two types of skills: soft skills and hard skills.
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Hard skills are defined as technical skills while soft skills are the skills that
make an individual smart in dealing with himself ,others and the
situation. Soft skills are crucial to an employee’s ability to work better,
smarter and more effectively.

The most important element in any organization is its human capital.

With the advent of globalization and the resultant competition, more
and more corporations around the world are recognizing the fact that, in
order to gain competitive advantage, in addition to the technical
expertise, employees also required to possess `soft skills’.

In an increasingly competitive world of business and industry, these skills
are not optional but it is the skills that determine individual performance,
leading to organizational excellence.

Candidates who have both technical skills and soft skills are becoming a
hot cake for recruiters and organizations.

Increasing importance of soft skills creates the context for this study.
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107 studies closely related to this topic of research were reviewed.
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Soft skills are crucial to a worker’s ability to work smarter. Business and
industry representatives have expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the
general level of preparedness of prospective entry-level employees. It was
found that more than half of young people leave school without the
knowledge or foundation required to find and hold a good job. (Alpern,
1997)1.

Employers have serious concerns about the non-technical abilities of
graduates because this deficiency reduces their performance at work and
their ability to hold a job ( Wentling 1987) 3

87% of persons losing their jobs or failing to be promoted were found to have
‘improper work habits and attitudes’ rather than insufficient job skills or
knowledge. The special focus needs to be given to reinforcing the value of
being able to refine their soft skills. (Beach , 1982)4

This study reveals that components of soft skills can be classified
into three categories such as self management skills, people skills
and technology skills.
 Self management skills refer to the ability to manage one’s own intra
personal features such as attitude, emotions, personality, perception,
stress, etc for better personal effectiveness.
 Interpersonal skills mean the skill sets required to deal with other
individuals and also the ability to influence people’s behavior and
performance.
 Soft skills also include technical skills, which is now treated as an
essential generic competency for most job situations. This include
skills to handle technical gadgets like computers, mobile phone,
multimedia presentation tools, etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Conformity to work ethics
Self confidence
Self discipline
Presence of mind
Positive attitude
Time management and punctuality
Self esteem
Self awareness
Adaptability/ Flexibility
Motivating self
Decision making/ Problem solving
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Acceptance
Initiative
Managing non-verbal behaviour
Stress management
Assertiveness
Conformity to trends/ norms
Emotional consciousness
Control over temper
Managing own perception
Managing non-verbal behaviour
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Building trust and rapport
Creating relationship
Socialising skill
Maintaining relationship
Impressive speaking skill
Presentation skills
Motivating others
Team player skill
Decision making (group)
Agreeableness
Leadership
Courtesy
Listening
Delegation with respect
Generosity
Empathy
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
Forgiveness
Persuasiveness
Mentoring/ coaching skills
Negotiation skill
Promoting change
Appropriate use of power
Affectionate
Managing expectations
Counselling skills
Sensing other's non verbal behaviour
Managing other's perception
Conflict management
Managing remote relationships
Tolerance to criticism
Sensitivity to diversity
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

Computer skills
Mobile phones
Email etiquettes

The components of soft skills such as Self management skills,
Interpersonal skills and technology skills are measured and then
compared with performance index.

There is significant relationship between performance index and
soft skills.
Attribute
Performance
Self management
skills
People skills
Technology skills
√
√
√
√ Association is significant
×
Association is not significant




Job positions require frequent use of soft skills
Soft skills can be classified into three broad categories, namely,
self management skills, Interpersonal skills, and technology
skills.
There is strong link between soft skills and performance.
This is a gentle hint to the youth and educators to equip to
ensure possession of soft-skills to increase the chances of
better employment and better performance at work.

The results of this study are encouraging and we are extending our
work to study the factors behind the development of soft-skills,
training for developing soft skills, impact of soft-skills on the
human relations at work.