People skills

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People skills are patterns of behavior and behavioral interactions. Among people, it is an umbrella term for skills under three related set of abilities: personal effectiveness, interaction skills, and intercession skills. [1] This is an area of exploration about how a person behaves and how they are perceived irrespective of their thinking and feeling. [2] It is further elaborated as dynamics between personal ecology (cognitive, affective, physical and spiritual dimensions) and its function with other people's personality styles in numerous environments (life event's, institution's, life challenges...etc.). [3] British dictionary definition is "the ability to communicate effectively with people in a friendly way, especially in business" or personal effectiveness skills. [4] In business it is a connection among people in a humane level to achieve productivity. [5]

Contents

Portland Business Journal describes people skills as: [6]

History

Human-relations studies emerged in the 1920s when companies became more interested in "soft skills" and interpersonal skills of employees. [7] In organizations, improving people skills became a specialized role of the corporate trainer. By the mid-1930s, Dale Carnegie popularized people skills in How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living worldwide.

In the 1960s, US schools introduced people-skills topics and methods—often as a way to promote better self-esteem, communication and social interaction. These encompassed psychologist Thomas Gordon's "Effectiveness Training" variations as well as many other training programs. [8] (By the 1980s, "traditional education" and a "back-to-basics" three-Rs emphasis largely pushed these programs aside, [9] with notable exceptions. [10] )

The first documented use of the phrase "people skills" was around 1970. [11]

Business impact

The SCANS report states that business, labor and government authorities agree that having a wide range of people skills are necessary for 20th-century work success. [12] Skills like customer service, building effective relationships, and teamwork are among the abilities most requested by employers in job postings. [13] Lack of these skills is considered a serious psychological handicap. Constructive leadership based companies engage in helping individuals to grow, and through that growth employees take more responsibility and discharge it effectively. This in-turn will enhance the basic attitude of the individual; and that will reflect the general level of performance in workplace. Studies indicate that many people who have difficulty in obtaining or holding a job possess the needed technical competence but lack interpersonal competence. [14]

Lawrence A. Appley of American Management Association, reflected on these trainings as a responsibility to "increase the knowledge, sharpen and add to the skills, improve the habits, and change the attitudes of many of those for whose development we are responsible." [15] Lack of people skills among upper echelons [16] (top management) can result in bullying and/or harassment, which is not uncommon in the modern workplace due to changing values. The causes that are most identified with the situation are lack of necessary motivation, communication, influencing skills and empathy gap among upper echelons (Gilbert and Thompson, 2002). Training company staff in people skills and interpersonal skills increases the morale and dignity at work (Best, 2010). Employers that do not take steps to prevent harassment can face major costs in decreased productivity, low morale, increased absenteeism and health care costs, and potential legal expenses.

Educational importance

The Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified 22 programs in the US that are especially comprehensive in social-emotional learning coverage and effective in documented impacts. [17] [18] UNESCO research found that young people who develop speaking/listening skills and who get to know others without WIIFM [19] attitude have improved self-awareness, social-emotional adjustment and classroom behavior; in addition, self-destructive and violent behavior also decreased. [20] People skills are also important for teachers in effective classroom management. Educators have found that more is needed than a degree in the field they are teaching. Knowing how to communicate and teach people instead of simply teaching their subject will help make a difference in the classroom. [21] It is identified that 50 percent of classroom success lies in effective interpersonal relationships while the other 50 percent lies within academic skills. [22] Requirement of people skills education is greatly emphasized within higher education and recruiters stress the required focus on this skills for securing entry-level jobs right off from campus placements. [23] Oral communication and teamwork were ranked number 1 and 2 respectively among 15 job skills that executives and hiring managers identified as very important for new employees in a large US 2018 survey. [24] But employers have trouble finding new employees with good oral communication because schools are not teaching the skills. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Training</span> Acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of teaching or practice

Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of technology. In addition to the basic training required for a trade, occupation or profession, training may continue beyond initial competence to maintain, upgrade and update skills throughout working life. People within some professions and occupations may refer to this sort of training as professional development. Training also refers to the development of physical fitness related to a specific competence, such as sport, martial arts, military applications and some other occupations.

Organization development (OD) is the study and implementation of practices, systems, and techniques that affect organizational change. The goal of which is to modify a group's/organization's performance and/or culture. The organizational changes are typically initiated by the group's stakeholders. OD emerged from human relations studies in the 1930s, during which psychologists realized that organizational structures and processes influence worker behavior and motivation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team building</span> Term for activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams

Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by a combine of business managers, learning and development/OD and an HR Business Partner to improve the efficiency, rather than interpersonal relations.

Rapport is a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned are "in sync" with each other, understand each other's feelings or ideas, and communicate smoothly.

A skill is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the domain of work, some general skills would include time management, teamwork and leadership, self-motivation and others, whereas domain-specific skills would be used only for a certain job. Skill usually requires certain environmental stimuli and situations to assess the level of skill being shown and used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social skills</span> Competence facilitating interaction and communication with others

A social skill is any competence facilitating interaction and communication with others where social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning these skills is called socialization. Lack of such skills can cause social awkwardness.

Conflict management is the process of limiting the negative aspects of conflict while increasing the positive aspects of conflict. The aim of conflict management is to enhance learning and group outcomes, including effectiveness or performance in an organizational setting. Properly managed conflict can improve group outcomes.

Soft skills, also known as power skills, common skills, essential skills, or core skills, are psychosocial skills generally applicable to all professions. These include critical thinking, problem solving, public speaking, professional writing, teamwork, digital literacy, leadership, professional attitude, work ethic, career management and intercultural fluency. This is in contrast to hard skills, which are specific to individual professions.

On-the-job training is an important topic of human resource management. It helps develop the career of the individual and the prosperous growth of the organization. On-the-job training is a form of training provided at the workplace. During the training, employees are familiarized with the working environment they will become part of. Employees also get a hands-on experience using machinery, equipment, tools, materials, etc. Part of on-the-job training is to face the challenges that occur during the performance of the job. An experienced employee or a manager are executing the role of the mentor who through written, or verbal instructions and demonstrations are passing on his/her knowledge and company-specific skills to the new employee. Executing the training on at the job location, rather than the classroom, creates a stress-free environment for the employees. On-the-job training is the most popular method of training not only in the United States but in most of the developed countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, etc. Its effectiveness is based on the use of existing workplace tools, machines, documents and equipment, and the knowledge of specialists who are working in this field. On-the-job training is easy to arrange and manage and it simplifies the process of adapting to the new workplace. On-the-job training is highly used for practical tasks. It is inexpensive, and it doesn't require special equipment that is normally used for a specific job. Upon satisfaction of completion of the training, the employer is expected to retain participants as regular employees.

Job performance assesses whether a person performs a job well. Job performance, studied academically as part of industrial and organizational psychology, also forms a part of human resources management. Performance is an important criterion for organizational outcomes and success. John P. Campbell describes job performance as an individual-level variable, or something a single person does. This differentiates it from more encompassing constructs such as organizational performance or national performance, which are higher-level variables.

Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable humans to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life. This concept is also termed as psychosocial competency. The subject varies greatly depending on social norms and community expectations but skills that function for well-being and aid individuals to develop into active and productive members of their communities are considered as life skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interpersonal communication</span> Exchange of information among people

Interpersonal communication is an exchange of information between two or more people. It is also an area of research that seeks to understand how humans use verbal and nonverbal cues to accomplish several personal and relational goals. Communication includes utilizing communication skills within one's surroundings, including physical and psychological spaces. It is essential to see the visual/nonverbal and verbal cues regarding the physical spaces. In the psychological spaces, self-awareness and awareness of the emotions, cultures, and things that are not seen are also significant when communicating.

Cross-cultural psychology attempts to understand how individuals of different cultures interact with each other. Along these lines, cross-cultural leadership has developed as a way to understand leaders who work in the newly globalized market. Today's international organizations require leaders who can adjust to different environments quickly and work with partners and employees of other cultures. It cannot be assumed that a manager who is successful in one country will be successful in another.

Workplace communication is the process of exchanging information and wisdom, both verbal and non-verbal between one person/group and another person/group within an organization. It includes e-mails, text messages, notes, calls, etc. Effective communication is critical in getting the job done, as well as building a sense of trust and increasing the productivity of employees. These may have different cultures and backgrounds, and can be used to different norms. To unite activities of all employees and restrain from any missed deadline or activity that could affect the company negatively, communication is crucial. Effective workplace communication ensures that all the organizational objectives are achieved. Workplace communication is tremendously important to organizations because it increases productivity and efficiency. Ineffective workplace communication leads to communication gaps between employees, which causes confusion, wastes time, and reduces productivity. Misunderstandings that cause friction between people can be avoided by effective workplace communication. Effective communication, also called open communication, prevents barriers from forming among individuals within companies that might impede progress in striving to reach a common goal. For businesses to function as desired, managers and lower-level employees must be able to interact clearly and effectively with each other through verbal communication and non-verbal communication to achieve specific business goals. Effective communication with clients plays a vital role in development of an organization and success of any business. When communicating, nonverbal communication must also be taken into consideration. How a person delivers a message has a lot of influence on the meaning of this one.

Marc A. Brackett is a research psychologist and the Founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University.

Bullying is abusive social interaction between peers and can include aggression, harassment, and violence. Bullying is typically repetitive and enacted by those who are in a position of power over the victim. A growing body of research illustrates a significant relationship between bullying and emotional intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st century skills</span> Skills identified as being required for success in the 21st century

21st century skills comprise skills, abilities, and learning dispositions identified as requirements for success in 21st century society and workplaces by educators, business leaders, academics, and governmental agencies. This is part of an international movement focusing on the skills required for students to prepare for workplace success in a rapidly changing, digital society. Many of these skills are associated with deeper learning, which is based on mastering skills such as analytic reasoning, complex problem solving, and teamwork, which differ from traditional academic skills as these are not content knowledge-based.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social–emotional learning</span> Education practice

Social–emotional learning (SEL) is an educational method that aims to foster social and emotional skills within school curricula. SEL is also referred to as "socio-emotional learning," "social and emotional learning," or "social–emotional literacy." In common practice, SEL emphasizes social and emotional skills to the same degree as other subjects, such as math, science, and reading. Furthermore, SEL emphasizes an importance upon preparing students to become knowledgeable, responsible, and caring members of society when they reach adulthood.

Competence is a polyseme indicating a variety of different notions. In current literature, three notions are most evident. The first notion is that of a general competence, which is someone's capacity or ability to perform effectively on a specified set of behavioral attributes. The second notion refers to someone's capacity or ability to successfully perform a specific behavioral attribute — be it overt or covert — like learning a language, reading a book or playing a musical instrument. In both notions, someone may be qualified as being competent. In a third notion, behavioral attribute and competence are synonymous. One may for example excel at the competence of baking, the competency of ceramics, or the capability of reflexivity.

References

  1. ↑ Neil Thompson (2009). People Skills, Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN   0230221122
  2. ↑ Peter Honey (2001). Improve Your People Skills, CIPD Publishing. ISBN   085292903X
  3. ↑ People Skills, Tony Burton
  4. ↑ "Macmillan Dictionary" Retrieved on 2009-08-18
  5. ↑ J Smith. "The 20 People Skills You Need To Succeed At Work", Forbes , 15 November 2013. Retrieved on 17 January 2014
  6. ↑ Rifkin, H. "Invest in people skills to boost bottom line" Retrieved on 2009-10-14
  7. ↑ Whiting, Richard (1964). "Historical Search in Human Relations". The Academy of Management Journal. 7 (1). Academy of Management: 45–53. JSTOR   255233.
  8. ↑ Schaps, E.; Cohen, A.Y.; and Resnik, H.S.: "Balancing Head and Heart" PIRE. Retrieved on 2009-08-18 Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Doll, R.C. "Humanizing Education by Improving Communication" ERIC. Retrieved on 2009-08-19 Archived 2020-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Stop. Think. Act. Program" Learning Matters. Retrieved on 2009-08-18 Archived 2009-08-02 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Ngram for people skills
  12. ↑ "Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)" US Dept. of Labor. Retrieved on 2009-08-18
  13. ↑ "The Human Factor: The Hard Time Employers Have Finding Soft Skills," Burning Glass Technologies, November 2015
  14. ↑ "Human Relations facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Human Relations". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  15. ↑ Harwood F Merrill & Elizabeth Marting (1952). Developing Executive Skills, American Management Association, NY.
  16. ↑ Hambrick, Donald C. (2015). "Upper echelons theory". The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management. doi:10.1057/9781137294678.0713. ISBN   9781137294678.
  17. ↑ "CASEL "Select" Programs" Retrieved on 2009-08-18 Archived 2009-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ "Century of research confirms impact of psychosocial factors on health" APA. Retrieved on 2015-10-18
  19. ↑ "WIIFM".
  20. ↑ "UNESCO Research" Archived 2007-11-04 at the Wayback Machine British Telecommunications. Retrieved on 2009-08-18
  21. ↑ Bolton, Robert (2009-11-24). People Skills. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781439188347.
  22. ↑ Jerry Boyle, (2011). It's All about People Skills: Surviving Challenges in the Classroom. ISBN   1610486102
  23. ↑ Fellers, J. W. (1996). People Skills: Using the Cooperative Learning Model to Teach Students "People Skills". Interfaces, 26(5), 42-49.
  24. ↑ Hart Research Associates. "Key Findings From 2018 Employer Research" (PDF). AACU.org. AAC&U. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  25. ↑ Gewertz, Catherine (2018-09-26). "Speaking Skills Top Employer Wish Lists. But Schools Don't Teach Them". Education Week. Retrieved 30 June 2019.

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