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Enjoying Your Work Richard Brislin |
Business execs value
‘people skills’ in
job-seeking graduatesMembers of the business school faculty at the University of Hawaii ask executives about the talents and skills that they want to see in job-seeking graduates. The executives often respond by starting with skills with which they are pleased. These include technical abilities such as computer literacy, accounting, statistics and forecasting. They would like to see more emphasis placed on writing skills, oral communication and the ability to work cooperatively in groups. What do these desired skills have in common?
In business school jargon, executives want to see job applicants who have evidence of "people skills," "the soft side of organizations" and "human relations emphases." The element that all have in common is that people must present their ideas to others and then receive feedback.
People must present their potential contributions in written or oral form. These contributions can be formal or informal. Business plans are very formal documents and are essential to attract interest in new projects. Informal notes in the form of memos and e-mails keep others up to date on developments in an organization. Hour-long presentations to an organization's highest-level executives can take weeks to prepare. Making suggestions to others in informal meetings is important in the development and maintenance of positive group efforts in the workplace.
After any of these written or oral presentations, people receive feedback. In the hour-long presentation, they will know whether they have kept the attention of the company's executives by reading their audience's nonverbal reactions. They may be told "good work" after both written and oral submissions. In the more informal give and take among group members, they may find others disagree with their ideas. The ability to keep up positive relations with people who frequently disagree is an extremely important part of job success and career development.
Many people find it difficult to interact with people who disagree with them. These people attribute disagreement as a challenge to their worth as individuals. Occasionally, disagreement becomes genuine criticism, as when a boss points out that a person was careless during the preparation of an oral or written presentation. People must learn to accept such criticism with graciousness and to use it to improve their next presentation.
The fear of disagreement and criticism frequently motivates people to avoid making presentations and to keep silent during meetings with work group members. The inability to disagree and to benefit from criticism will have an impact on performance during job interviews and during the early years of career development. During interviews, some panel members will ask what people will do if they find themselves in frequent disagreements with co-workers. Or, panel members will disagree with something job applicants say just to gauge their reactions.
Business school faculty members have responded to the desires of executives. Students give oral presentations in class to their peers. One student told me this semester, "I have an oral presentation in each of the four classes I am taking." They also write extensively and are given feedback on both the quality of their ideas and their styles of presentation. I also advise students to join groups where other members will probably disagree with them on a variety of issues. If they join the finance committee of any club, for example, I guarantee there will be disagreements about how club dues will be spent. If people can thicken their skins and learn to disagree in a constructive manner, they will have a talent that will serve them well in their workplaces.
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The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu