A critical review
European Journal of Training and Development The effect of soft skills and training methodology on employee performance Rosli Ibrahim, Ali Boerhannoeddin, Kazeem Kayode Bakare,
Article information: To cite this document: Rosli Ibrahim, Ali Boerhannoeddin, Kazeem Kayode Bakare, (2017) “The effect of soft skills and training methodology on employee performance”, European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 41 Issue: 4, pp.388-406, https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2016-0066 Permanent link to this document: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2016-0066
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https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2016-0066
https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2016-0066
The effect of soft skills and training methodology on employee performance
Rosli Ibrahim and Ali Boerhannoeddin Faculty of Economic and Administrations, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and
Kazeem Kayode Bakare Department of Educational Foundation, Al-Madinah International University,
Shah Alam, Malaysia
Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of soft skill acquisition and the training methodology adopted on employee work performance. In this study, the authors study the trends of research in training and work performance in organisations that focus on the acquisition of technical or hard skills for employee training and evaluating work performance. This study was conducted to redirect the focus of employee training and development goals to the acquisition of soft skills, which have a very high and lasting impact on improving employee performance. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a quantitative research approach. Questionnaires were administered to selected managers and executives of a few Malaysian private companies. The questionnaire was specifically designed to examine the competencies of various Malaysian-based company managers, executives and supervisors who had undergone a soft skills training programme over a period of a few weeks or months. These soft skills training programmes were not conducted consecutively, but rather with a break or time-space in between each session. The target population in this study consisted of 810 employees from nine companies. The sample size was 260 trainees who were selected from the population with a 95 per cent confidence level within 0.05 risk of sampling error. Findings Using regression analysis, this study estimated the relationships between employees acquisition of soft skills, the training methodology adopted by the trainer, and work performance. The results indicate that the two predictors soft skill acquisition and training methodology significantly predict employee performance. The authors propose the need for employers to redesign the methodology for training employees in soft skills. Based on the findings, time-spaced learning is highly potent in undermining the hindrance associated with training transfer. Practical implications The findings of this study help to raise the awareness of employers, human resource managers, professional and industrial experts and the government to rethink the need to improve soft skills training methodologies. Specifically, this can be achieved by giving the trainees space or breaks to practice, apply and internalise what they have learnt intermittently during the training programme. This will enhance employee performance, and consequently, organisational performance. These findings also inform company managers that the time-spaced learning method enables employees to acquire soft skills more effectively, which will invariably bring about positive behaviour changes in employees towards their work and co-workers. Originality/value The originality of this research is based on the fact that the results are peculiar to Malaysia, whereas most of the literatures on training methodology especially the time-space and soft skill have focused on developed countries. Furthermore, the study emphasised that time-space learning training methodology helps employees in transferring knowledge acquired during training to their work. The research also emphasised that soft skills acquisition brings about increase in employee work performance. This research shows 14.5 per cent increased employee work performance in the selected companies because of their employees acquisition of soft skills and a 27.9 per cent increase in employee performance is based on time-space training methodology. This makes the investigation on the effects of
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EJTD 41,4
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Received 17 August 2016 Revised 6 January 2017 27 January 2017 27 February 2017 Accepted 29 March 2017
European Journal of Training and Development Vol. 41 No. 4, 2017 pp. 388-406 © Emerald Publishing Limited 2046-9012 DOI 10.1108/EJTD-08-2016-0066
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2016-0066
soft skills acquisition and the training methodology adopted on employee performance very important for organisational survival.
Keywords Training, Culture, Work performance, Soft skills, Time-Spaced learning, Training methodology
Paper type Research paper
Introduction To survive in the current competitive and dynamic business world, employees need to possess both soft skills and hard skills. Accordingly, most present-day employers expect workers to demonstrate and excel in many softer skills such as teamwork and group development (Rothwell and Arnold, 2007). Employers are interested in tapping into vital soft skills obtained by employees during study and periods of work experience, rather than just degree-specific knowledge (Raybould and Sheedy, 2005). Maniscalco (2010), refers soft skills to cluster of qualities, habits, personality traits, attitudes and social graces, which everyone tends to possesses in varying degrees, and are needed for everyday life as much as they are needed required for work. Similarly, Lorenz (2009) refers to soft skills as a cluster of personal qualities, habits, attitudes and social graces that make someone a good employee and a compatible coworker. Gibbons and Lange (2000) maintain that the term soft skills are synonymous with core skills, key competencies and personal skills. Empirical studies have been carried out in several areas in Asia, specifically Malaysia. For instance, a study by Shariffah (2013) revealed soft skills in Malaysian tertiary education being a major concern of Malaysian higher school of learning. Furthermore, Staffans (2010) study on enhancing individual employability found that hard formal and technical vocational skills were considered to be of declining importance. Generally, these hard skills are considered less important in relation to individual employability and performance compared to different forms of soft skills. This indicates a connection between employees soft skills and performance. A study on the importance of soft skills in the workplace, found that the soft skills gap caused the high unemployment statistic of graduates Seetha (2014). Soft skills played an important role in determining the success of a project or work performance, and they are required for the success of organisation.
To achieve a high work performance culture, an organisation must provide its employees training and development programmes designed specifically to instil, build and change their attitudes and/or behaviours towards several organisational functions. As stated by Heathfield (2008), training is an important element in creating a high work performance culture.
The fact that training is one of the solutions that enable organisations to achieve a high work performance culture, it is important to know the kind of training and development programme that organisations need to use to change the culture, that is, the attitude and/or behaviour of all the employees in the organisation. This attitude will depict the values and practices of the workers and enhance their work performance. In the current business world, the skills training for employees can be generally divided into two main categories: hard skills and soft skills. The term hard skills normally refers to technical or administrative procedures related to an organisations business (Maniscalco, 2010). On the other hand, the term soft skills refers to the personal qualities, habits, attitudes and social graces that make someone a good employee and a compatible co-worker (Lorenz, 2009). To be competitive in the business world presently, one needs to possess soft skills in addition to hard skills. It is often said that hard skills get one a job but soft skills keep one in the job. According to Gibbons and Lange (2000), the term soft skills is synonymous with core skills, key competencies and personal skills.
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Hard skills are typically easier to observe, quantify and measure. They are also easier to train, acquire and deal with because, most of the time, the skill sets are not brand new to the learner and no unlearning or behavioural change is involved. On the other hand, soft skills are typically difficult to observe, quantify, measure and to deal with (Yen et al., 2001). For example, skills such as communicating, listening, dealing with people, managing people, etc. play a large role in relating to people. Some people make friends easily, for instance, which would be considered a valuable skill in the world of sales. In fact, soft skills include competencies that span a wide range: self-awareness, ones attitude towards managing ones career, handling critics and not taking criticism personally, taking risks, getting along with people, etc. (Marci, 2008). Most employers currently expect workers to demonstrate and excel in many softer skills, such as teamwork and group development (Rothwell, 1998).
Statement of the problem The decision makers and management of many organisations, both government and private, must ensure that their employees meet certain requirements in terms of academic and technical competencies in various knowledge areas. These hard skills include technical subjects such as engineering, computers, accounting, finance, marketing, operations, etc. However, it is not clear whether the softer skills are seen as significant factors in employee competency, and if so, which soft skills are considered vital to the employees work performance within the organisation. The identification of various skill sets is becoming necessary in differentiating high potential and non-high potential employees in the present global market (Boyatzis, 2006; Hopkins and Bilimoria, 2008).
Meanwhile, managers and executives of many companies across many industries are yet to fully recognise the importance of soft skills training on employee performance. In fact, some managers have misconceptions about soft skills itself. Many lament the huge amounts of money spent on such training; they cannot really account for its return because of the inability of the trainees to transfer what they have learnt to their jobs. Many companies place greater emphasis on professional certification programmes and training that constitute technical skills, that is, hard skills, than on human skills, that is, soft skills because hard skills are more directly relevant to the employees daily job functions and activities. This has become the norm for most companies to resist investing in soft skills training and development for their employees.
Consequently, over-reliance on technical and managerial skills at the expense of human skills or soft skills, which are deemed critical to the success of a companys management, may jeopardise the companys mission in the long run (Muzio et al., 2007). In addition, developing only the hard skills of employees makes them more task-oriented and rule adherent but less relationship- and initiative-driven. A study conducted by Bailly and Léné (2013), found an increase in the demand for soft skills for recruitment and recognition by the employer. They further cautioned that this increment in demand for softer skills may cause the service labour process to become highly personified. Many CEOs and managers of companies nowadays are spending significant time and energy on designing programmes, attending to details and monitoring the execution of routine tasks only. As a result, they neglect to address emotional issues in a timely fashion, and sometimes create unnecessary stress and unhealthy working relationships with their co-workers and clients. We conclude that to be competitive in the present business world, one needs to possess soft skills, which, according to Gibbons and Lange (2000), are synonymous with core skills, key competencies and personal skills.
To ensure that employees, upon receiving the soft skills training programme, acquire the skills taught and change their behaviour and attitude to depict their values and practices, the
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manner in which the programme is conducted, that is, the training methodology, should also be reviewed. According to Mandakini (2002), training methodology includes the methods, materials, techniques and resources used to implement the training or workshop and transfer new knowledge, skills and attitudes to participants. Various training methodologies have been used to develop soft skills, such as demonstrations by the trainer, discussions and debates, lecture presentations, role-playing, case studies, game activities and electronic media such as TV, video and film. It is estimated that more than US$30bn is spent on classroom (off-the-job) training programmes every year (Jacob, 2003; Noe, 1999). The lecture or classroom approach has also been described as the most frequently used training methodology (Noe, 1999). The pattern of trials used during training, if distributed over time (spaced out across the entire learning process), are superior at generating long-term memories than if they are presented at very short intervals (on consecutive days) (Sutton et al., 2002). According to Simone and Nale (2010), the method of spacing out the training, known as time-spaced learning, is superior to massed training, which is conducted consecutively, in terms of transfer quality, self-reported sales competence and organisational outcomes. Although the time-spaced learning method has been in existence for a long time, its application in the business training industry has been minimal compared to other training methods, as current literature about spacing out the learning is built more on education and architectural embodiments of educational philosophies (Monahan, 2002).
Objectives Many organisations are now slowly realising the importance of soft skills development for their employees. They have begun to invest heavily in the training and development of their workforce to develop their critical skills, attitude/behaviour and knowledge and to change the existing organisational culture to a higher work performance culture. The objective of this research, therefore, is to examine the influence of soft skills and training methodologies, specifically using time-spaced learning, on employee performance.
Literature review Soft skills According to Maniscalco (2010), soft skills refer to [a] cluster of qualities, habits, personality traits, attitudes and social graces that everyone possesses in varying degrees and are needed for everyday life as much as they are needed for work. Lorenz (2009) refers to soft skills as qualities that make someone a good employee and a compatible co-worker. Nevertheless, according to Gibbons and Lange (2000), the term soft skills is synonymous with core skills, key competencies and personal skills. Therefore, soft skills are the non-cognitive abilities that are innate in individuals and are necessary for good social relationships at the workplace. Soft skills are typically difficult to observe, quantify and measure. Others are extremely punctual or able to make rational decisions under pressure. A person may also have the ability to work with co-workers from other cultures or learn a new language quickly. According to Zedeck and Goldstein (2000), soft skills such as dealing with conflict and gathering and sharing information are highly sought after by organisations. Leigh et al. (1999) assert that workplace competencies include problem-solving, communication skills, personal qualities and work ethics, which are soft skills categories.
Studies conducted by Campbell (1990) proposed eight dimensions of job performance taxonomy which are job-specific proficiency non-job-specific proficiency, core technical proficiency, general soldiering proficiency, effort and leadership, personal discipline physical fitness and military bearing. Through the process of sorting out critical incidents, Borman and Brush (1993) agreed upon categories of management performance. Stevens and Campion (1999) developed a taxonomy that describes five dimensions of soft skills:
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communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, goal setting and planning and task coordination. Studies on financial success conducted by the Carnegie Foundation of Advance Teaching, and later confirmed by the Carnegie Institute of Technology, discovered that 15 per cent of a persons financial success is because of the knowledge that he/she gained, and 85 per cent of his/her success is because of skills in human engineering, such as the individuals personality and ability to lead people, i.e. soft skills (Carnegie, 1981). Developing the soft skills of an organisations personnel is very crucial for the effectiveness of companies. Effective teamwork requires mastering specific abilities, such as leadership, coordination and conflict management. This implies that if higher education institutes want to meet the requirements of their students future professional lives, they must address the acquisition of such soft skills and provide the technology to support them (Rugarcia et al., 2000).
Many studies have been carried out on how the personal managerial skills of a project manager can affect the performance of a project. These studies allowed clients to have a better understanding of project managers, thus enabling them to select the appropriate project manager for their proposed project. For instance, Fryer dated back to 1985 listed social skills, decision-making skills, problem-handling skills, opportunity recognition skills and management of changes as personal attributes that affect project success. Acquisition and usage of skills as well as provision of training effects an area of the economy that is predicted to have massive jobs growth (Nickson et al., 2003). Pinto and Slevin (1988) reported that the critical success of a project depends on 10 factors. These are project mission, top management support, project schedules, client consultation, personnel recruitment, technical tasks, client acceptance, monitoring and feedback, communication and trouble-shooting. Soft skill acquisition among the executives stimulates the discovery of effective approaches and solutions and innovation with increasing potential to improve the organisation wellbeing (Massaro et al., 2016). Soft skills enable employees to propel change in organisations (Massaro et al., 2016).
Nilsson (2010) found that competence, interpersonal skills and personal characteristics significantly influence the employability of individuals. Sail and Alavi (2010) assert that interpersonal skills increase the knowledge of employees after they receive training. Olivier et al. (2009) mention that the structuring and awareness features of room-based collaborative platforms can enhance the learning experience of soft skills (communication and leadership skills) courses. Shyamala et al. (2009) second that the infusion acquisition of soft skills remains highly concentrated on specific items/skills for both coursework and training. Pilar et al. (2009) assert that the skills that assure the success of teamwork, such as communication, leadership, negotiation or team management. Evidence shows that there are links between performance and skills and that relationship is the main impetus to increase skills, as well as one of the main forces legitimising them (Grugulis and Stoyanova, 2011). Thus, it is clear from the abovementioned literature that communication skills, problem-solving skills, leadership, teamwork and interpersonal skills are some of the categories of soft skills that have been empirically tested and proven to improve employee performance and project success.
Work performance Work performance has always been an important issue in any organisation. Many organisations, as a result of a competitive global business environment (Neely, 1999), have made training and development programmes a routine exercise to maintain high work performance. Notably, the overall effectiveness and productivity of an organisation have always been attributed to high work performance, because it has been regarded as a core
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concept. Thus, the assessment and monitoring of work performance have contributed largely to organisational outcomes and success (Eccles, 1991). That is why an organisation, at all times, needs to develop a strong organisational performance culture while also maintaining their goals and objectives.
Bacharach and Bamberger (1995) argue that work performance is not only influenced by individual performance but also by situational constraints. The situational perspective, according to Sonnentag and Frese (2001), refers to factors in the individuals environment that stimulate, support or hinder performance; it encompasses approaches that focus on workplace factors. Arguably, there is a link between knowledge skills, effort and job performance; this has to be taken into consideration in the situational perspective in the models of job performance. These links may be moderated by certain situational factors, such as soft skills training (Izadikhah et al., 2010). However, on the empirical level, the conceptualisation of situational constraints is based on the factors that are relevant to the constraints (Bacharach and Bamberger, 1995).
According to Weisenger (1999), more empirical data are coming out all the time to show that soft skills is another variable to reckon with when it comes to an organisations performance. Recent developments in the interest in soft skill competencies appeared to be connected to work success. It is no wonder, then, that organisations are more willing to invest in soft skills development for better work performance, especially at top executive levels (Homer, 2001). However, some researchers have questioned performance improvement programmes, such as soft skills competencies, as to whether it does in fact lead to significant improvements in an organisations performance (Robert and Donald, 2001). It was argued that the provision of information and feedback about business activities and customer-related issues are now the focus of managers. This information is believed to solve performance-related problems (Lawler, 1998; Dean and Evans, 1994).
In addition, Spencer and Spencer (1994) stated that the success of work performance improvement programmes depends on the system that the management set up in an organisation that can improve employee performance. Blackburn and Rosen (1993) and Heneman and Judge (2000) support this view: they share the opinion that employees should be given more say and decision-making opportunities in an organisation if job performance must improve. Even if all the required information is given to employees, work performance in an organisation will still depend on the ability of the employee to use the given information to improve his job performance (Anderson et al., 1994). Moreover, for employees to retain and transfer skills acquired during training for performance improvement, the training method and style adopted by the trainer also play a vital role. The problem of the inability to transfer training by the trainee might not really lie in the training approach in itself, but in the learning style embedded in the training methodology (Rogers, 1996).
Training methodology Several stages must occur before training methods are selected. First, needs analysis should be conducted to define the problem that the training is expected to solve. Training is used to address knowledge, skill or attitude deficiencies. There are several learning activities that take place within the workplace training. Off-the-job training is giving the high relevance and validity of the training to the individual. However, the review of literatures on training methodologies such as adult learning showed that adults as learners have specific characteristics that set them apart from children. These characteristics vary from author to author; however, there seems to be a consensus in the literature (Brookfield, 1986; Knowles, 1990; Rogers, 1996, Jarvis, 1995; Cross, 1981) on some common characteristics that have an
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impact on learning efficacy and the overall classroom experience. Maria and Elena (2008) summarised the various characteristics as follows:
adults participate in the learning process with specific intents, goals and expectations; adults already have certain knowledge and experience as well as fixed perspectives; adults have already developed personal styles of learning; adults are bound to self-directed activities throughout their lives; and adults have to deal with certain obstacles in their learning process.
Space learning is an adult learning method. The significance of the spacing effect, first discovered over a century ago, describes the observation that humans and animals are able to remember things more effectively if learning is distributed over a long period rather than all at once. Brown and Philip (2005) define learning spaces as spaces that encompass the full range of places in which learning occurs, from real to virtual, from classroom to chat room. Hence, we can describe or define time-spaced learning as the time and opportunity given for the participants to apply, practice and internalise what is learnt in the classroom into their real-workplace environment. Nevertheless, at this point, no single definition captures all of the nuances of technology-impacted learning spaces. This effect is believed to be closely connected to the process of memory consolidation, whereby short-term memories are stabilised into
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