Soft Skills, Attitudes, and Personality Traits: How Does the Human Factor Matter? A Systematic Review and Taxonomy Proposal through ProKnow-C Methodology
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- A discrepancy is observed in the classification of OM and SCM competencies, with a predominant focus on technical (hard or analytical) skills over soft (personal) skills, despite the significant differences among soft skills, attitudes, and personality traits that necessitate distinct categorisation [7].
- The absence of a unified taxonomy for describing soft skills, personality traits, and attitudes in Behavioural Operations Management (BeOps) leads to confusion and misapplication of these terms, underscoring the need for a clear and shared framework to enhance clarity and accuracy in the field [7,8].
2. The ProKnow-C Methodology
- Identify the connotations of “personality traits”, “soft skills”, and “attitudes” for their proper usage in Behavioural Operations Management.
- Utilise the Knowledge Development Process-Constructivist (ProKnow-C) for a literature analysis to understand current scientific literature development and the implementation of these terms.
- Perform a comprehensive literature analysis on the use of these psychological terms in the BeOps field as a foundation for the taxonomy proposal, referencing Tasca et al. [10] for a detailed description of the ProKnow-C methodology.
- Collect leading contributions for the taxonomic definition through the ProKnow-C application, resulting in a bibliographic portfolio (PB) that maps out the most scientifically relevant publications on this topic.
- Analyse the PB to provide a mapping of characteristics and academic journals, deducing a comprehensive taxonomy and research agenda.
2.1. Bibliographic Portfolio Selection
2.2. Bibliometric Analysis
3. Content Analysis
3.1. Personality Traits
3.2. Soft Skills
3.3. Attitudes
4. Taxonomical Proposal
Categorization Finding and Suggested Classification
5. Discussion and Implications
- First, the characteristics that fall under each of the three described macro-dimensions in this paper could be better clarified by also specifying their application areas.
- Second, starting from the proposed taxonomy, other research works could investigate the most suitable characteristics that equip personnel to work effectively in the OM and SCM context.
- Finally, measuring these dimensions could be a crucial step for an appropriate consideration of personality traits, soft skills, and attitudes within the work context.
6. Final Considerations
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Appendix A.1. Bibliographic Portfolio
ID | Reference | Title | Journal | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | [14] | Relationships between personality variables and burnout: A meta-analysis | Work and Stress | 2009 |
2 | [15] | The social benefits of kaizen initiatives in healthcare: an empirical study | International Journal of Operations and Production Management | 2018 |
3 | [16] | Perceptions of HR practices and innovative work behavior: the moderating effect of an innovative climate | The International Journal of Human Resource Management | 2017 |
4 | [17] | Clashing institutional interests in skills between government and industry: An analysis of demand for technical and soft skills of graduates in the UK | Technological Forecasting and Social Change | 2017 |
5 | [18] | Contextually enriched competence model in the field of sustainable manufacturing for simulation style technology enhanced learning environments | Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing | 2011 |
6 | [19] | The relationships between performance measures and employee outcomes: the mediating roles of procedural fairness and trust | Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control | 2014 |
7 | [20] | The human side of humanitarian supply chains: a research agenda and systematisation framework | Annals of Operations Research | 2021 |
8 | [21] | Resilience for lean organisational network | International Journal of Production Research | 2018 |
9 | [22] | Does people-related total quality management work for people? An empirical study of the Sri Lankan apparel industry | The TQM Journal | 2021 |
10 | [23] | What drives managers to insource production? Evidence from a behavioural experiment | Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management | 2021 |
11 | [24] | Skill and Performance | British Journal of Industrial Relations | 2011 |
12 | [24] | Causal relationship between HRM policies and organisational performance: Evidence from the Greek manufacturing sector | European Management Journal | 2010 |
13 | [25] | Person-organisation fit and employee outcomes: test of a social exchange model | The International Journal of Human Resource Management | 2013 |
14 | [6] | High commitment HR practices, the employment relationship and job performance: A test of a mediation model | European Management Journal | 2016 |
15 | [26] | Teaching Industrie 4.0 technologies in a learning factory through problem-based learning: Case study of a semi-automated robotic cell design | Procedia Manufacturing | 2020 |
16 | [27] | On industrial learning and training for the factories of the future: a conceptual, cognitive and technology framework | Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing | 2011 |
17 | [28] | Transformational leadership and the work outcomes of Chinese migrant workers: The mediating effects of identification with leader | Leadership | 2012 |
18 | [29] | Does Dispositional Aggression Feed the Narcissistic Response? The Role of Narcissism and Aggression in the Prediction of Job Attitudes and Counterproductive Work Behaviors | Journal of Business and Psychology | 2012 |
19 | [30] | A Project-based Learning curricular approach in a Production Engineering Program | Production | 2017 |
20 | [3] | Human factors: spanning the gap between OM and HRM | International Journal of Operations and Production Management | 2010 |
21 | [31] | Corporate social and environmental irresponsibilities in supply chains, contamination, and damage of intangible resources: A behavioural approach | International Journal of Production Economics | 2021 |
22 | [32] | Examining the relationship between strategic HRM and hospital employees’ work attitudes: an analysis across occupational groups in public and private hospitals | The International Journal of Human Resource Management | 2016 |
23 | [33] | Trust in organisation as a moderator of the relationship between self-efficacy and workplace outcomes: A social cognitive theory-based examination | Manufacturing and Service Operations Management | 2017 |
24 | [34] | Field trips for sustainable transport education: Impact on knowledge, attitude and behavioral intention | The International Journal of Logistics Management | 2018 |
25 | [35] | Examining the frustration-aggression model among Tunisian blue-collar workers | Journal of Managerial Psychology | 2015 |
26 | [36] | How Employee Authenticity Shapes Work Attitudes and Behaviors: the Mediating Role of Psychological Capital and the Moderating Role of Leader Authenticity | Journal of Business and Psychology | 2020 |
27 | [7] | How to train supply managers—Necessary and sufficient purchasing skills leading to success | European Journal of Operational Research | 2021 |
28 | [37] | Do personal traits influence inventory management performance?—The case of intelligence, personality, interest and knowledge | International Journal of Production Economics | 2013 |
29 | [38] | Multiple dimensions of human resource development and organisational performance | Journal of Organizational Behavior | 2014 |
30 | [2] | Agent-system co-development in supply chain research: Propositions and demonstrative findings | Journal of Operations Management | 2014 |
31 | [39] | Leadership behaviors during lean healthcare implementation: a review and longitudinal study | Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management | 2020 |
32 | [40] | Personality characteristics and Six Sigma: a review | International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management | 2018 |
33 | [41] | Attitudes toward supplier integration: the USA vs. China | International Journal of Operations and Production Management | 2017 |
Appendix A.2. Further Contributions
ID | Reference | Title | Journal | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | [42] | Recommendation on the European Qualifications Framework | Official Journal of the European Union | 2017 |
2 | [45] | e-Competence Framework (e-CF)—Framework | CEN-CENELEC Management Centre | 2018 |
3 | [44] | e-Competence performance indicators and common metrics | CEN-CENELEC Management Centre | 2021 |
4 | [43] | Foundational Body of Knowledge for the ICT Profession (ICT BoK)—Part 1: Body of Knowledge | CEN-CENELEC Management Centre | 2021 |
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Axis 1: People’s Dimensions | Axis 2: OM and SCM Field |
---|---|
Soft skills | Operations management |
Personality traits | Manufacturing |
Attitudes | Supply chain |
Production | |
Logistics | |
Maintenance | |
Transportation |
Reference | Content | Journal | Year |
---|---|---|---|
[14] | The research investigates aspects of personality and how they are related to the workplace. In particular, a meta-analysis is provided concerning the relationship with the phenomenon of burnout. | Work and Stress | 2009 |
[15] | The article emphasises how attitudes are an indicator for measuring kaizen interventions, linking attitudes to elements such as enthusiasm and willingness. | International Journal of Operations and Production Management | 2018 |
[16] | The paper investigates employees’ perceptions of the introduction of innovative practices. In particular, it emphasises the role played by a perceived positive attitude toward employees, which translates into behaviours that add value to company activities. | The International Journal of Human Resource Management | 2017 |
[17] | The work, which focuses its attention on the impact of industrial competencies in the United Kingdom, points out how soft skills improve the ability of individuals to interact with each other and have a substantial effect on the career progression of individuals. | Technological Forecasting and Social Change | 2017 |
[18] | The paper emphasises the personal dimension of evaluating work processes. It is pointed out that soft skills, personality traits, and attitudes represent enabling factors in exercising individuals’ competences in the workplace. | Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing | 2011 |
[19] | The article investigates aspects of performance measurement, integrating the dimension of individual performance. In particular, it emphasises how corporate practices aimed at trust and fairness translate into higher individual performance and positive employee attitudes. | Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control | 2014 |
[20] | The research analyses HR practices in the humanitarian field, particularly the importance of “soft” factors and how they impact HR practices for developing staff potential. | Annals of Operations Research | 2021 |
[21] | The paper deals with the resilience of organisations by considering topology, learning capacity, and the attitude of the workforce. In particular, attention is paid to how the same working condition can result in two different views depending on the positive or negative attitude of the workforce involved. | International Journal of Production Research | 2018 |
[22] | The work evaluates how the implementation of TQM practices affects employees’ positive or negative attitudes toward the workplace and how this translates into job satisfaction, emotional engagement, job commitment, and team member turnover. | The TQM Journal | 2021 |
[23] | The research analyses the factors that guide managers in their choice of in-house production, emphasising that aspects of perceived behavioural control (PBC) were among the critical elements. | Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management | 2021 |
[24] | The paper, through an analysis of the literature, underlines how there is a powerful link between skills and business performance, highlighting how difficulty is assessing the “soft” aspects of individuals and the need for greater clarity on these aspects. | British Journal of Industrial Relations | 2011 |
[5] | The research relates corporate performance to HR practices. In particular, employee attitudes, skills, and behaviours are considered measurement elements. | European Management Journal | 2010 |
[25] | The article emphasises the importance of the human and aptitude factors in the matching process between companies and employees. | The International Journal of Human Resource Management | 2013 |
[6] | The paper examines the human factor and how HR practices are linked to performance. In particular, it assesses how best practices are linked with employee output in terms of relationships, behaviours and attitudes. | European Management Journal | 2016 |
[26] | The work, through a case study, investigate how the utilisations of learning factories can enhance both the soft and hard capabilities to work successfully within Industry 4.0. | Procedia Manufacturing | 2020 |
[27] | The research examines the elements necessary to achieve operational excellence, considering aspects related to university training, learning factories, and research. Particularly relevant are parts of the human factor relating to attitudes, soft/hard skills, competences, and knowledge. | Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing | 2011 |
[28] | The paper examines several aspects related to the impact of leadership on performance within the Chinese migrant workers’ environment. | Leadership | 2012 |
[29] | The article analyses how nervousness and aggression play a role in predicting work behaviour and self-defeat. In particular, it examines the output related to elements such as aspects of personality traits and how they manifest themselves in workers’ attitudes and behaviour. | Journal of Business and Psychology | 2012 |
[30] | The research evaluates the impact of introducing a project-based teaching approach in production in Brazil. In this context, the effect is emphasised in improving complex knowledge and soft knowledge to provide the training to operate efficiently in the work environment. | Production | 2017 |
[3] | The paper examines 45 empirical studies and assesses how introducing new practices and technologies impacts company productivity. In addition, the factors considered include aspects linked to the communication, attitudes, and cooperation of workers. | International Journal of Operations and Production Management | 2010 |
[31] | The work analyses the role of corporate social responsibility by assessing the behaviours they implement, taking into account how these also impact the behaviour of employees and their attitudes towards the workplace. | International Journal of Production Economics | 2021 |
[32] | The research, set in the hospital sector, investigates how different HR practices can impact aspects of attitude, such as work satisfaction, environmental engagement, and turnover. | The International Journal of Human Resource Management | 2016 |
[33] | The article explores how certain aspects of individual workers, such as self-efficacy, can directly impact their attitudes, such as job satisfaction, turnover, and performance in achieving set goals. | Manufacturing and Service Operations Management | 2017 |
[34] | The paper shows how integrating field trips into students’ training programmes in logistics can increase their capabilities in terms of attitudes and learning skills. | The International Journal of Logistics Management | 2018 |
[35] | The research examines the links connecting stressors at work in Tunisia, perceived stress, and the possibility of burnout with factors related to personality traits and work context. Possible solutions are proposed to involve adopting systems that include improved social skills. | Journal of Managerial Psychology | 2015 |
[36] | The paper examines connections within employees’ honesty and work behaviour/attitudes based on a sample of 588 employees. The results show that specific characteristics related to employee authenticity directly influence positive attitudes and behaviours while inhibiting negative ones. | Journal of Business and Psychology | 2020 |
[7] | The article analyses the skills needed to work in the procurement sector in the Supply Chain environment. The work proposes a classification based on a survey of 366 professionals in the industry to give a direction for university and professional training. | European Journal of Operational Research | 2021 |
[37] | The research studies how human traits (intelligence, knowledge, personality, and interests) affect performance during a task of inventory management that is structurally simple but dynamically complex. | International Journal of Production Economics | 2013 |
[38] | The paper investigates how various dimensions of human resource management (HRM) can affect organisational outcomes. Among the highlighted aspects of relevance are those related to attitudes such as corporate commitment, turnover, and job satisfaction. | Journal of Organizational Behavior | 2014 |
[2] | The article elaborates an agent–system co-development (ASC) framework for behavioural investigation in SCM area. Furthermore, the ASC model is designed to explain the agent–system dynamic relation in supply chains in which the two properties influence the actions of individuals. | Journal of Operations Management | 2014 |
[39] | The paper, following a review based on 107 articles, aims to understand aspects of behavioural leadership and how these develop in the context of change. The examined elements are related, among others, to developing the soft elements of leaders as elements for the best manifestation of employees’ capabilities. | Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management | 2020 |
[40] | The work provides a review of the characteristics that characterise Six Sigma projects. The authors provide a list of essential elements for achieving the defined objectives, including factors related to soft skills, personality traits, and attitudes. | International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management | 2018 |
[41] | The research examines attitudes towards SCM integration in the Chinese and US environments. In particular, it examines managers’ attitudes (positive/negative) and the collaborationist or non-collaborationist context of the organisational culture in which they are employed. | International Journal of Operations and Production Management | 2017 |
Reference | Content | Journal/Publisher | Year |
---|---|---|---|
[42] | Within the EQF, competences are characterised as cognitive (implying the utilisation of logical, intuitive, and creative abilities) or more practical (implying hand dexterity and use of methods, tools, materials, and equipment). | Official Journal of the European Union | 2017 |
[43] | Behaviours or attitudes come under the cross-cutting aspects of EN 16234-1 (e-CF) that in turn are linked to competences and skills. While attitudes reflect the way in which ICT professionals integrate aspects of competences and knowledge and apply them in a contextually adequate way, skills encompass behavioural aspects, that are used to successfully cope with workplace scenarios. Character skills can concern the quality of performance, the quality of social interaction or emotions. These include areas such as motivation, empathy, paying careful attention to detail, and having integrity. | CEN-CENELEC Management Centre | 2021 |
[44] | This contribution provides clear definitions for the elements analysed, namely, “Skills”, defined as the capacity to perform either managerial or technical assignments, and can be either cognitive or hands-on; “Attitude”, which constitutes the people component of an e-competence and describes the way in which an ICT practitioner incorporates knowledge and skills and applies them within a contextually appropriate way; and “Behavioural Skills”, defined as the interactive abilities used to deal successfully with workplace circumstances, which can relate to quality of work, social interaction or emotion (examples include communication, empathy, attention to detail, reliability, and integrity). | CEN-CENELEC Management Centre | 2021 |
[45] | Behaviour and attitudes constitute significant factors that make the successful implementation of knowledge and skills easier. In each competence, embedded attitudes are represented in behaviour and facilitate the integration of knowledge and skills successfully.Nevertheless, attitude is incorporated in all 3 aspects and even in the cross-cutting aspects. Attitudes constitute the individual aspect of an electronic competence. These reflect the way in which an ICT worker combines knowledge and skills and applies them in an appropriate way to the situation. | CEN-CENELEC Management Centre | 2018 |
Term | Proposed Taxonomy |
---|---|
Personality traits | The intrinsic characteristics that effectively distinguish individuals, which cannot be changed in the short run regardless of place or context. |
Soft skills | The set of characteristics of individuals that enable them to translate their technical knowledge effectively and efficiently into the work context, which may naturally be present or may be learnt over time. |
Attitudes | The set of characteristics that depend on individuals’ environment and influence the way people manifest their personality traits and hard or soft skills. |
Reference | Findings |
---|---|
[14] | Personality traits: Emotional stability, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness |
[15] | Attitudes: Enthusiasm, willingness |
[16] | Attitudes: Dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
[17] | Soft skills: Interpersonal communication, ethical behaviour, problem-solving, decision making, ability to prioritise, creativity, and critical thinking |
[18] | Soft skills: Collaboration, creativity, and communication |
[20] | Soft Skills: Relationship building, coordination, and leadership |
[21] | Soft skills: Collaboration, communication, cooperation, and leadershipAttitudes: Dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
[22] | Attitudes: Job satisfaction, affective commitment, job involvement, and turnover intention; dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
[23] | Attitudes: Dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
[5] | Attitudes: Motivation, commitment, and satisfactionSoft skills: Cooperation with management and cooperation among employees |
[6] | Attitudes: Dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context or job satisfaction |
[26] | Soft skills: Creativity |
[27] | Attitudes: Dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
[28] | Attitudes: Organisational commitment and turnover |
[29] | Attitudes: Organisational commitment and job satisfaction; dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific contextPersonality traits: Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism |
[30] | Soft skills: Communication, teamwork, and leadership |
[3] | Attitudes: Boredom and satisfactionSoft skills: Communication and cooperation |
[32] | Attitudes: Job satisfaction, job motivation, and organisational commitment |
[33] | Attitudes: Job satisfaction and turnover intentions; dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
[34] | Attitudes: Positive or negative. |
[36] | Attitudes: Job satisfaction, citizenship, task performance, and turnover intention; dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
[7] | Soft skills: Curiosity, critical thinking, dealing with ambiguity, resilience, self-confidence, communication, relationship management, proactivity, and leadershipPersonality traits: Humility, openness, open-minded, passion, and self-reflection |
[37] | Personality traits: Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism |
[38] | Attitudes: Organisational commitment |
[40] | Personality Traits: Emotional stability, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness |
[41] | Attitudes: Dimension of the human aspect describing how an individual relates positively or negatively with a specific context |
Term | Proposed Categorisation |
---|---|
Personality traits | Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism |
Soft skills | Curiosity, problem solving, interpersonal communication, leadership |
Attitudes | Organisational commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intention, motivation, dimension of the human aspect that reflects how positively or negatively an individual relates to a specific context |
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Fantozzi, I.C.; Martuscelli, L.; Di Luozzo, S.; Schiraldi, M.M. Soft Skills, Attitudes, and Personality Traits: How Does the Human Factor Matter? A Systematic Review and Taxonomy Proposal through ProKnow-C Methodology. Businesses 2024, 4, 156-176. https://doi.org/10.3390/businesses4020011
Fantozzi IC, Martuscelli L, Di Luozzo S, Schiraldi MM. Soft Skills, Attitudes, and Personality Traits: How Does the Human Factor Matter? A Systematic Review and Taxonomy Proposal through ProKnow-C Methodology. Businesses. 2024; 4(2):156-176. https://doi.org/10.3390/businesses4020011
Chicago/Turabian StyleFantozzi, Italo Cesidio, Luca Martuscelli, Sebastiano Di Luozzo, and Massimiliano M. Schiraldi. 2024. "Soft Skills, Attitudes, and Personality Traits: How Does the Human Factor Matter? A Systematic Review and Taxonomy Proposal through ProKnow-C Methodology" Businesses 4, no. 2: 156-176. https://doi.org/10.3390/businesses4020011
APA StyleFantozzi, I. C., Martuscelli, L., Di Luozzo, S., & Schiraldi, M. M. (2024). Soft Skills, Attitudes, and Personality Traits: How Does the Human Factor Matter? A Systematic Review and Taxonomy Proposal through ProKnow-C Methodology. Businesses, 4(2), 156-176. https://doi.org/10.3390/businesses4020011