The Value and Development of Soft Skills

Human capital is the stock of knowledge, skills and abilities, which can help employees increase productivity and performance at work and thus it may be interesting to know how far it has been able to contribute to economic development vis-à-vis other types of capital. The interest of this study is not only to assess the relative contribution of the hard skill components but also to document the presence and need for soft skills in an emerging economy like Oman. The purpose of the study is to assess the role of soft component of human capital theory and explain the differences in soft skill endowment in Oman. Being quasi-experimental, the methodology envelops not only quantitative analysis but also qualitative case studies and in-depth illustrations to exemplify the relevance and relative contribution of soft skills vis-à-vis hard skills before and after intervention programmes. The study pioneers in identifying the critical soft skills in the workplace and their measurement and also in their contribution to personal and institutional development. This book will be useful to HR managers of any organisation.