Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Robert Hogan
Abstract
Many employers are concerned that recent business graduates lack expertise in soft skills needed to be effective in their professional roles. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the urgent need for workers with soft skills competence in communication, flexibility, and resilience. Guided by Goleman’s conceptual framework of emotional intelligence, this qualitative study examined potential solutions to reduce this gap among business graduates. The research questions investigated faculty and employer perceptions of and experiences with soft skills development and their recommendations to improve graduates’ soft skill proficiency. Eight semistructured interviews were conducted after purposeful sampling. The data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding to identify themes and patterns. Results suggested that soft skills develop within a context of safety, empowerment, self-awareness, self-reflection, continuous reinforcement, targeted focus, accountability, and practical application. To promote these conditions, educational and business leaders should reorient institutional priorities and values, modify program design, and adapt pedagogical approaches to enable effective assessment, practice, and mastery of soft skills competencies. The findings provide university and business leaders with insights into functional changes needed within their institutions and classrooms to prioritize and improve the soft skills performance of business graduates.
Recommended Citation
Ramnanan, Naveen, "Developing Soft Skills: Faculty and Employer Perspectives and Recommendations" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12829.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12829
