Facilitating the acquisition of strategic skills: The role of traditional and soft managerial skills

Why Soft Skills Matter: Analyzing the Relationship between Soft Skills and Productivity in Workplace of Academic Library Professionals

This study aimed to analyze the effects of soft skills on the work productivity of academic library professionals in Pakistan. The study employed quantitative survey method. The data was collected through a self-compiled online questionnaire from academic library professionals, yielding a response rate was 83%. Findings of this study reveal that library professionals’ level of different soft skills, interpersonal, emotional intelligence, leadership, motivation, and communication is high, which indicates that they are proficient in soft skills. Results of correlation test used to examine the relationship between the variables, soft skills, and work productivity of library professionals disclose a significant relationship between variables across the study. Moreover, soft skills have profound effects on the work productivity of library professionals, and no difference is found in library professionals’ perceptions based on their demographic characteristics. Soft skills help librarians to manage and perform different jobs effectively. Based on the outcomes of the study, it is suggested that LIS schools, professional associations, and other organizations offering professional development programs should endeavor to develop soft skills among LIS students and professionals by incorporating necessary contents in LIS curricula and offering training sessions. The research paper is the first attempt to explore the relationship between soft skills and work productivity from the perspective of librarianship in Pakistan; it will make a unique contribution to the literature.

Competencies for superior performance across management levels in the provincial government executive offices

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate a set of competencies that are important for superior performance across three top levels of management in the provincial government executive offices.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the case of the West Java Province Government, Indonesia, a qualitative approach with document analysis and behavioural event interview techniques were employed. The results were confirmed using focus group discussions. The Mann–Whitney U test was also conducted to further analyse the results.

Findings

The authors found 19 competencies grouped into five competency clusters: managing personal, managing task, managing work unit, managing socio-cultural and functional aspects. The Mann–Whitney U test results showed that managing work unit and socio-cultural aspects were more important for upper-level management, while functional aspects were more necessary for lower and middle levels of management. Two competencies, that is, achievement orientation and innovation, were the main characteristics of superior performers across all management levels, differentiating them from average performers.

Practical implications

The study suggests the need for the Government of Indonesia to improve the current competency model. Its implications on educational and training institutions are discussed.

Originality/value

This study considered three different levels of management, grouped into superior and average performers and thematically analysed their past experiences when performing their jobs. It thus extends previous competency studies that mostly focus on a particular management level and individuals' perceptions.

Blue-collar workers, career success and innovation in manufacturing

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between employees’ knowledge and organisational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a structural equation model, feedback received from 237 blue-collar workers from multinational high-tech manufacturing enterprises in Italy was studied to understand, from a dynamic capabilities perspective, the role of soft skills in the career success of production workers.

Findings

The results of the analysis indicate a positive relationship between workers’ commitment to develop their soft skills and their career success, as well as a positive relationship between an organisation’s approach to both knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation and the prospects for career success of blue-collar workers.

Research limitations/implications

The research has both theoretical and practical implications, as any efforts by researchers and practitioners to find effective ways to motivate the workforce will be likely to lead to a positive attitude towards learning and, ultimately, to improved business performance.

Originality/value

The originality of the paper is the focus on the personality and interpersonal attributes of workforce – blue-collar workers – and how they can affect business performance in highly innovative contexts.

A Study on Complexity and Uncertainty Perception and Solution Strategies for the Time/Cost Trade-Off Problem

In this article, the Discrete Time/Cost Tradeoff Problem (DTCTP) is revisited in light of a student experiment. Two solution strategies are distilled from the data of 444 participants and are structured by means of five building blocks: focus, activity criticality, ranking, intensity, and action. The impact of complexity and uncertainty on the cost objective is quantified in a large computational experiment. Specific attention is allocated to the influence of the actual and perceived complexity and uncertainty and the cost repercussions when reality and perception do not coincide.