Soft Skills and Their Impact on Job Performance. Case Study of the Technical University of Manabí

Abstract

The study focused on investigating the incidence of soft skills on the job performance of the teaching staff of the Technical University of Manabí. The general objective was to evaluate how these skills directly affect job performance, considering demographic variables such as age and gender. To achieve this objective, quantitative research was carried out through an exhaustive survey of 243 employees, addressing soft skills such as effective communication, empathy, and adaptability, among others. The methodology included the use of Spearman correlation analysis to evaluate the relationships between soft skills and job performance, as well as analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare these skills between different demographic groups. The results highlight a significant correlation between soft skills such as effective communication, empathy and adaptive capacity, and various aspects of job performance, such as general satisfaction and task management efficiency. The conclusions reveal that soft skills are essential to improve job performance and job satisfaction. Although no significant differences in soft skills were found between demographic groups such as age and gender, satisfaction with soft skills training showed significant variability. Which indicates the importance of continuous and adapted training programs to strengthen these skills, ensuring a productive and collaborative work environment at the university. The research provides a deep understanding of how soft skills impact job performance in a specific academic context, offering useful insights for educational management and the professional development of university teachers.