Soft Skills: A Qualitative Study

Improved Essays
An article in the Wall Street Journal was found by the researcher and summed up precisely the exact foundation of the proposed theory that education geared towards soft skills is imperative. According to Alsop (2002), corporate recruiters seek first the interpersonal skills known as soft skills and yet find these to be the weakest skills possessed by M.B.A. graduates. Business schools are proficient in providing technical and teamwork skills but missing the mark when it comes to the soft skills. The article reviews how many of the top ranking universities such as Stanford and M.I.T. are working to put leadership and interpersonal studies into their business degree programs to improve the all-around caliber of graduates they produce. (Alsop, …show more content…
The number one quality the students sought after three months of team work was empathy. Burstyn (2003) states “social skills, group tasks and developing others depends on empathy.” The article concludes that empathy is a quality necessary to develop the other interpersonal skills needed to be an effective leader. (Burstyn, 2003) At first glance, the article appeared to have pinpointed a quality and given a definite characteristic which could be used in formulating better education. Despite the definitive answer, the study appeared informal rather than scientific and consisted of 382 students from Stanford University. There was no information provided on exactly the structure of the study or the complete data results. In reading this source, there was no way of deciphering if this is a trustworthy scientific study or if biases could have occurred along the way. However, upon further searching it turned out that this research was well-documented, just not in this exact article. Not only did this article end up providing qualitative data but it is possible to back it up with quantitative data as well showing that empathy is a highly desirable leadership quality from the perspective of employees. This article and study along with further studies which help overcome the age of the initial article and will …show more content…
The article titled “Does education have a role in developing leadership skills?” is a look at whether leadership skills can be taught and how. The source states that the best approach would be a “multidisciplinary, global-oriented and ethical education model” (Elmuti, Minnis, & Abebe, 2005) to prepare business graduates to meet the needs of the business world today. It addresses whether leadership skills can be taught and if leadership is a skill or behavior. It defines leadership from three distinct theories of leadership, attempts to narrow leadership characteristics while laying out the parameters for effective education models.(Elmuti et al. 2005) The researcher would find this information very helpful in defining educational parameters, as well as

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    This study was exceedingly notorious because several social scientists criticized that the research was conducted using dubious methods. I found this intriguing because it highlights…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nursing Leadership Theory

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Introduction Nursing is a profession within the health sector requiring inspiring role models and nurse leaders. Today's demanding healthcare society greatly challenges the Nursing boards and educational institutions to identify and develop capable nurse leaders. The description of leadership is very complex. Research conducted over the years concludes, no clear or constant definition or theory of leadership exists (Atsalos & Greenwood, 2001; Grossman & Valiga,2012; Mannix, Wilkes, & Daly, 2013, Josephine Scully N 2014). It is imperative that nursing professionals identify the leadership styles and theories relevant to their relevant practice.…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Empathy — a concept learned in these Humanities classes — is described as looking through the eyes of another's soul. Just being in their shoes is not enough, you have to feel the same and think the same. Using this skill set with others can ultimately give you an inside look into this person which could help you in more than just the business world. As a teen, I wasn't emotional or rather was unsure on how to express them. When I entered my first high school English class we read Night by Elie Wiesel, the first book to give the urge for empathy.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The use of written and/or spoken words can express empathy that can improve people's lives. Now, because of texts like Fahrenheit 451, speeches like Robert F. Kennedy’s, and the article about Horace Mann, we’ve learned how empathy can be expressed towards other and how to identify empathy in the real…

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Empathy may be important to having a virtuous society but what is just as important is…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Soft skills are essential to any business or organization. With modern advances in education, it is becoming more commonplace for people to be on par with each other in their skills. Some of these, though, can not be taught. It is easy to find someone who is qualified for the job - but your degree does not reflect you as a person. Leadership and teamwork is essential for any company to move forward, if there is a gear that doesn’t work it can easily stop the whole machine.…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Webster’s Dictionary defines empathy as, “the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions”. Empathy allows leaders to place themselves in the positions of their soldiers and understand their efforts. Leaders that display empathy towards their soldiers earn a sense of trust and extends influence beyond the chain of command. Displaying empathy establishes a positive environment. Positive environments allow organizations to be more successful because their leadership is willing to go above and beyond for…

    • 1432 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the most important skill sets you will constantly improve on within the duration of your military career is leader development. It has become an essential skill sets and fundamental in the progression of a (Non-Commissioned Officer) NCO and Commissioned Officer. The Army has committed itself in the progression, education, and training throughout its corps. Leadership and the development of leadership is achieved through the individual desires to improve and expand his/hers knowledge. Learning to become a leader, developing and implementing the skills and experiences with this knowledge and constructive feedback are all crucial aspects.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Empathy- The working leader endeavors to understand and identify with others, especially his or…

    • 1034 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social Work with Groups course is giving me more insight to the other courses that I have taken previously and some of those that I am currently rolled in such as Social Work with Families and Community Development. After reading the textbook and the discussions in class, the theories of group counseling, viewing groups through multicultural lens, leadership qualities and functions, co-facilitator and group development stood out for me and broaden my perception into Social Work as a profession. The first thing that caught my attention this time is that, theories of counseling are also applicable to group counseling. I learned about the theories in my social work practice class last year. This show how important the theories are to me as an emerging social worker.…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    One’s leadership style can be developed through education or by work performance. A leader can develop their leadership LEADERSHIP…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction As I reflect on this course and the results of the Questionnaires, Reflection, and Action Worksheets I have learned many aspects of leadership. I have analyzed the definition of leadership and now have a clearer understanding of it. According to, Introduction to Leadership; concepts and practice, by Peter Northouse (2015), leadership can be composed of many variables such as relationship, trait, ability, skill, behavior, and influence process. He also elaborates on how the “leadership of an individual can be used to influence a group to accomplish a common goal”. In addition, he discusses how leadership is not the same as management (Northouse, 2015, pp. 3-7).…

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    DISCUSS REASONS WHY EMPATHY IS A VITAL INGREDIENT IN ALL RELATIONSHIPS AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN RELATION TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Name: Institution: Course: Date: Introduction In our daily human interactions, communication is vital in creating relationships. The quality of a working relationship whether professional or not is dependent on many variables.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The relationship between empathy and service quality According to Bowman and Narayandas (2001), empathy contributes to the service quality and ultimately increases customer retention. It affects the value perceptions of loyal customers due to devote for paying individualized attention to meet the customer’s need (Salvador-Ferrer, 2010). Shoeb (2011) summarized that is willingness of staff in listening to what customers had said is the empathy services that organization has provided to individual pleasantly as well as concerned with the individual by treating them well and respecting them. 6.…

    • 3425 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Leadership has always been an interesting topic for me. That’s why I jumped at the chance to take this course. It was always questionable. Is it a gene that you are born with? Is it a series of life-learned experiences that actually shape the person to become who he is?…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics