The importance of soft skills in talent development
Published on 2024.10.17
In a world turned upside down by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), soft skills are in high demand. These relational and behavioral attributes foster smoother interactions and help in managing workplace situations, making them vital skills to have. Empathy, leadership, creativity, critical thinking and other such skills play a crucial role in career development, especially in managerial functions. Better soft skills consequently pave the way not just for individual success, but also for improved collective performance.
Soft skills: driving collective performance
Today's managers must go beyond merely mastering technical skills. They also need qualities that will allow them to maximize collaboration and get the best out of their teams. From leadership and team spirit to creative thinking and stress management, soft skills have become critical to managing teams effectively. Companies are taking note. Cerba Healthcare, for one, teamed up with emlyon business school to co-build the BioManagers program, which aims to turn the company's science whizzes into inspirational leaders. The starting point was the realization that although the people running laboratories may have solid scientific CVs, their training often lacks managerial components. To tackle this situation, Cerba Healthcare created a bespoke eight-module, 15-month custom program centered on leadership and experience. Group managers taking part in the training get the opportunity to acquire solid managerial skills, with lots of emphasis on soft skills. Module One, for example, immerses participants in the world of the military, teaching managers how to react in uncertain situations and what to do when faced with the unexpected.
Critical thinking and AI: a win-win pairing
The rise of AI and automation is transforming the skills needed in the workplace. By 2030, 60% of occupations will see a significant share of their work activities automated . Already, Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Mistral and Claude AI can perform many tasks rapidly. Technical skills that used to be a key differentiating factor are now being handled by algorithms.
These developments underline a crucial point: while artificial intelligence can relieve employees of repetitive and purely technical tasks, people still need to be able to use these tools in an informed manner. Organizations that prioritize soft skills in their training will thus enable their employees to stand out in an increasingly automated world. Soft skills are becoming a differentiating factor for occupations that in the past were analyzed chiefly through the prism of technical ability. The capacity of individuals to question, interpret and use AI-generated results is evolving into an essential part of value creation, especially for people in managerial positions, who have to keep critical distance on the way in which their teams use AI.
For example, while AI can help an IT manager to automate performance tracking and assign tasks efficiently, the manager's own added value lies in blending technical and soft skills to interpret data, motivate team members and tailor strategies to reflect human dynamics and the firm's organizational priorities.
*McKinsey & Company - https://www.mckinsey.com/fr/our-insights/future-of-work-reskilling-and-remote-working-to-recover-in-the-next-normal
What are the most important soft skills and how do you go about integrating them in training programs?
Besides the critical thinking needed amid the spread of AI, other soft skills are also in demand.
Resilience, agility and adaptability
By enabling employees, and by extension their teams, to stay the course amid transformative change, agility needs to be a priority. While this skill may came naturally to some people, others need to bolster it. emlyon business school employs immersive sessions and case studies to incorporate adaptability in training programs. For example, it co-designed the intensive Unleash your potential program with Cegid, a creator of cloud-based management solutions, to accelerate the career progression of group employees by getting them ready to manage larger teams. Highlights of the program include a three-day boot camp during which participants work in small groups on actual strategic issues identified by the company's executive committee. It's a great way to put into practice the soft skills learned during other modules.
Thierry Picq, Professor, emlyon business school « As business models change in unpredictable ways, companies are looking for new contributions from vocational training. With a focus on preparing people for uncertainty, training can foster the ability to ask questions and encourage decision-makers to adopt new perspectives, helping them to shed limiting beliefs and adapt to shifting situations. »
Creative thinking and innovation
In its Future of Jobs Report 2023, the World Economic Forum identified creative thinking as the skill whose importance is set to increase by the most between 2023 and 2027 . Innovation is now a core element of corporate growth strategies, but if managers want to stimulate creativity within their teams, they need to create a climate that is conducive to creative thinking. To do that, many organizations opt for inhouse incubators and accelerator programs or seek to nurture new ideas by collaborating with start-ups. This kind of environment encourages bravery and risk-taking – two essential components of creative thinking. Les Hospices Civils de Lyon partnered emlyon business school to develop an Innovative Project Management (IPM) program that provides tailored support for hospital practitioners proposing intrapreneurial projects. The IPM initiative made it possible to train health professionals in innovation while creating an environment conducive to trying out and developing innovative medical solutions.
*World Economic Forum - https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/05/future-of-jobs-2023-skills/
Curiosity and an open mind
Curiosity opens the way to acquiring new knowledge but also to learning from others and about oneself. emlyon business school cultivates this mindset through methodologies such as knowledge brokering, a process that encourages innovation, discussion and openness by bringing in outside experts from different industries to enrich employees' ideas. Initiatives conducted with companies such as E.ON UK have shown how this approach fuels curiosity by pushing participants to explore new perspectives and find innovative solutions through cross-sector dialogue. In this way, the process nurtures openness and enhances the ability to learn – a precious skill in a world that never stands still!
A new kind of leadership
Leadership is no longer just about leading, but also about inspiring, delegating and making people accountable. In their book Leadership experience, Thierry Nadisic and Thomas Misslin argue that great leaders stand out through their ability to promote cooperation, create an efficient environment and encourage teams to be autonomous. They stress the importance of empowerment, where managers act as facilitators, guiding personnel towards informed decision-making while making them accountable for their actions. Taking on adversity together is another key component of modern leadership, requiring resilience and empathy. To instill these skills, emlyon business school's custom programs focus on experience and hands-on training.
Soft skills can give a strategic edge to companies looking to chart their course through an increasingly complex environment. emlyon business school's bespoke programs help organizations to train their managers in these skills, drawing on a wide range of approaches, including knowledge brokering, open innovation and unorthodox methods such as boot camps or military-themed immersion sessions. The approach delivers a win-win outcome: by integrating these soft skills in career development, companies can be confident of maintaining a culture of innovation and high performance, while simultaneously readying their best and brightest to take on the challenges of tomorrow.