Download PDFOpen PDF in browserStrategic Imperatives of Soft Skills Training and Development; An exploratory investigation into the key factors influencing soft skills training and development participation and decision-making9 pages•Published: May 15, 2022AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence training and development participation from an employer and employee perspective. A mixed-methods research approach was used to uncover underlying perceptions among employers and employees in relation to soft skills training and development participation decision-making. The employer’s perspective was based on semi-structured interview data from market leading international construction companies. This was triangulated with survey data from the employee’s perspective to generate richer insights. Results suggested a lack of priority among leadership is the main barrier to soft skills training and development for employees, primarily because of the perception of its worth and a lack of time to release employees for training. The research indicates a critical role for leadership to take a lead in enabling soft skill training and development beyond the management layer and allow wider access across the organization. Ongoing training and development in soft skill competencies should be consistently incorporated into the training and development strategies across all levels and disciplines to enhance individual employee productivity as well as overall organizational performance. Furthermore, the findings bring to light the need to measure and link soft skills training and development to individual and organizational performance indicators.Keyphrases: decision making, leadership, soft skills, training and development In: Tom Leathem, Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud (editors). ASC2022. 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 3, pages 148-156.
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