Rethinking the soft skills deficit blame game
Employers, skills withdrawal and the reporting of soft skills gaps
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9891975 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Scott A Hurrell (University of Glasgow), Scott Hurrell (0000-0001-6956-7097, University of Glasgow, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 605-628 |
| Publication date | 2016-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Relations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-7267 • E-ISSN: 1741-282X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0018726715591636 |
| OpenAlex | W2290431222 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 22 |
| References cited | 28 |
Soft (e.g. interpersonal and social) skills are receiving ever more attention with employers frequently reporting that employees lack these skills. The ‘blame game’ for these skills deficits is frequently directed at the individual, family or government. Scant attention has been paid to the possibility that people may possess soft skills but decide to withdraw them because of disaffection with their employer. Taking a critical perspective and drawing on three case study establishments, this article finds that some managers blamed soft skills gaps on skills withdrawal. The employee data did not, however, reveal greater employee disaffection in the establishment worst affected by soft skills gaps. Investigation of withdrawal instead revealed more about employees who had left the organizations and the propensity for employers to blame employees for soft skills gaps. The study also affirmed that organizations may be to blame for their soft skills gaps if they do not contextually integrate selection, induction and training practices with their skills needs
Blame · Developmental psychology · Government (linguistics · Interpersonal communication · Pedagogy · People skills · Political science · Public relations · Skills management · Social skills · Soft skills · Employment and Welfare Studies · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 22 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,14 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 21 |