- Social competences at work: what are they and how do they affect us?
- Social competences at work: how to develop them?
Social competences at work seem no less important than those that we have thanks to education or experience. More and more companies in almost every industry pay attention not only to the hard skills of job candidates, but also the so-called soft, incl. precisely social competences. So how to develop them?
Contents:
- Social competences at work: what are they and how do they affect us?
- Social competences at work: how to develop them?
Social competences at workis an important element of it. Because although it cannot be denied that hard skills are the key to perform a specific task in a given profession, more and more often the feature that differentiates employees are social skills, such as: ease of establishing cooperation and functioning in a group, effective communication, understanding social situations or openness to diversity.
Knowledge of a given programming language or the latest trends in technical solutions is undoubtedly valuable, but for the task to be performed quickly and effectively, the team must know how to communicate and work out an optimal solution together. The demand for technical and financial specialists is high, but for the same specialists who bring highly developed social skills as an added value - even greater.
The example of a highly qualified specialist in science may seem distant from the everyday life of a large part of society, but it shows that even in such a desirable employee social skills are valued. These competences are welcome in virtually every industry. A person who knows how to find himself in a team, can and wants to communicate, does not generate unnecessary conflicts, but is able to remain assertive, is always welcome.
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Social competences at work: what are they and how do they affect us?
Social competences consist of many factors indicating the degree of efficiency in functioning in social situations. Please note that this is an individual set of characteristics, each of whichmay be developed to a different degree, e.g. a person who communicates excellently may have difficulty coping with a situation of social exposure. It is worth looking at the list of individual components of social skills and considering whether any of the elements need additional training.
Communication , i.e. the ability to clearly express yourself (verbal and non-verbal) and to read other people's messages. An effective communicator is one who minimizes distortions in the message, verifies whether it is understood or understood well, speaks on his own behalf, avoids generalizations, does not assume that the recipient will guess the message.
Working in a group , i.e. willingness to communicate, coping with conflict situations, readiness to perform various roles in the team depending on the need of the moment. The ability to read the process taking place in each group is one of the basic social competences that are an employee's asset.
Openness to social contacts and diversity.Ease of establishing professional relationships, quick integration in a team with the shortest possible adaptation time in a group is also a skill valued in the workplace. If we add to this the challenges resulting from the globalization of the labor market and frequent economic migration, it turns out that the lack of social rigidity becomes a key factor. And openness to work in an environment combining different cultures or industries is a huge resource.
Flexibility in changing social conditions.The ease of finding oneself in the changing structure of the team is helpful not only in the project work mode, where the roles of individual people change depending on the order carried out , but also in dynamically developing teams, in which new people often appear, and existing employees are promoted or change departments. Lack of rigid attachment to the role played, readiness to take on challenges, and sometimes also to perform tasks that do not fully use professional qualifications, is a valuable skill.
Social competences at work: how to develop them?
The first step isto become aware of the level at which the various components that make up social skills are already developed . It is important that this self-knowledge is based on facts, and not on our beliefs in this regard.
We can often come across a situation in which a person is convinced of his ability to work in a team, but always comes across reluctant, difficult or uncooperative teams. It is worth asking Fr.observation of loved ones. If this source of knowledge turns out to be insufficient, there is a possibility of using diagnostics and support in a specialist's office.
Psychologist, therapist . The specialist, by providing individual support, will help to analyze the current social experiences and beliefs related to them, as well as support in working through difficulties and designating areas for further development.
Personal development workshops.Group activities for personal development are extremely helpful in improving social performance. In safe conditions, under the supervision of a specialist, you can gain knowledge and experience related to a selected topic, but at the same time take advantage of the opportunity of working in a workshop group. It allows you to deal with the dynamics of the process in which at least a few people participate, with the situation of social exposure, but also with the exchange of thoughts and action strategies.
Interpersonal training.This training is a group work method that allows you to work a bit deeper on yourself. During the training, participants have the opportunity to see how they function in a group, confront their own behaviors, automatisms and how it is perceived by the environment and how it affects the participant himself.
Social training and independent work.Independent work to develop your social competences, using everyday situations. Crossing the zone of social comfort, while being mindful of your needs, is an effective way of development.
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If you want to improve the individual components of social skills, it is worth taking advantage of the available opportunities. Engaging in a team game in the local community or voluntary projects that require group work can be a pleasant testing ground both in terms of cooperation, joining a new team, and trying to change social roles. It is worth checking how the effectiveness of communication will be influenced by a change in the proportion between listening and speaking or by experimenting with paraphrases.
Regardless of the industry and position, social interactions cannot be avoided, and hence - it cannot be denied that they are important. These competences translate directly into the way of functioning both in the area of work and private life. The level at which they are developed depends on many factors - such as individual characteristics,the educational environment and training to which we are subjected every day. However, it is worth remembering that social competences can always be developed and improved, thus having a real impact on the quality of life.