An Exploratory Study Identifying Soft Skill Competencies in Entry-Level Managers

Abstract

The identification of competencies needed by hospitality managers has been investigated since the 1980s. In all of the competency research related to hospitality management, essential competencies include skills that can be classified as soft skills, yet a comprehensive list of these soft skills has not been identified. The purpose of this project is to have industry professionals rate the importance of soft skill competencies found in literature, and then reduce this list of competencies by completing a factor analysis. This study serves as the beginning for a comprehensive study of soft skills needed in entry-level hospitality management positions.

The Relationship of Organizational Commitment and Political Behavior Tendency among the Employees of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

“…On the other hand, display of political behavior in organizations is considered as the source of stress, conflict, poor performance, physical and mental intention to leave the work, burnout, ineffective communication with manager or supervisor, and finally it reduces organizational commitment (Weber et al, 2009). The results of current research indicated that majority of headquarters employees in Tehran University of Medical Sciences had low tendency to display political behavior in their organization.…”

“…The results of some previous studies indicate that tendency to political behavior in organizations reduces employees' organizational commitment, lay off, work aversion, and avoiding effective communication, have negative impact on their performance (Rahman Seresht, & Fayazi, 2009;Weber et al, 2009). In addition, the direct impact of employees' perceptions from the political environment can be effective in their degree of commitment aversion (Rahimnia & Hasanzadeh, 2010).…”

Using Delphi Panels to Assess Soft Skill Competencies in Entry Level Managers

“…Gains power to exercise influence over others). Prior research on the 107 competencies has been conducted (Weber, Finley, Crawford, & Rivera, 2009). These researchers placed the competencies into seven categories.…”

“…The two panels will evaluate a list of soft skill competencies found in literature (Weber, Finley, Crawford, and Rivera, 2009). By studying the soft skills essential to success in the business environment, a company can 1) improve their selection process, 2) enhance their initial training process, 3) improve their development program, 4) strengthen the performance evaluation process, and hopefully 5) reduce turnover.…”

Joining Efforts of Employers and Educational Institutions to Develop Competent Graduates

“…Hard skills are often referred to as technical skills (such as dealing with data and administrative skills); soft skills are behavioral skills or people skills which are needed to apply technical skills in the workplace. The latter are especially important for entry-level managers (Weber et al, 2009). Robles (2012) emphasized another element of soft skills, i.e., personal qualities and career attributes, such as professionalism and integrity.…”