E-ISSN 2281-4612 Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Vol 10 No 1

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Research Article
© 2021 Mersiha Kalač Kačamakovic and Alma Shehu Lokaj.
This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Received: 28 April 2020 / Accepted: 23 December 2020 / Published: 17 January 2021

Requirements of Organization for Soft Skills as an

Influencing Factor of Their Success

Mersiha Kalač Kačamakovic

Faculty of Management, Business and Economics,

University for Business and Technology- UBT,
Pristina 10000, Kosova

Alma Shehu Lokaj

Faculty of Business/University "Haxhi Zeka"

Rr. UCK nn, 30000 Peje, Kosova

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2021-0025

Abstract

Soft skills in the today organizations are considered to be one of the most evaluable components for success.
Soft skills are traditionally considered complementary to hard skills, which are the ability to perform a
particular type of task or activity. Given that businesses have different requirements and criteria for hiring
workers, the reason for this research is to see how much organizations in Kosovo and Albania give importance
to soft skills and how much they require these skills when hiring workers. We conducted this research with
primary data, ie through questionnaires, to collect data questionnaires were distributed to various
commercial, service and production organization in several cities of Kosovo and Albania. We based this study
on Goleman's theory of emotional intelligence. And then to derive the most accurate statistics and results SPSS
software package was used. The results of the analysis show that businesses in Kosovo and Albania mainly
apply soft skills and consider them important for their development.

Keywords: Soft skills, communication, teamwork, recruitment, success

1. Introduction

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the existing state of recognition, research and application
of soft skills by businesses in Kosovo and Albania, whether production, service or commercial. The
paper also aims to present research findings on the application of soft skills by businesses.
To begin with, we will distinguish between hard and soft skills and the importance they have for
the development of organizations. Hard skills - are part of the skill set required for a job. Some of the
hard skills are considered to be: computer programming, web design, accounting, finance, writing,
math, and other measurable skills that are embedded in the requirements in the work place.
Soft skills — are considered non-technical skills and knowledge that help people find, retain and
succeed at the work place. Soft skills are a new way to describe a set of skills or talents an individual
can bring to the workplace, including various skills such as: group skills, communication skills,

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leadership skills, service skills client and problem-solving skills.

While writing this research, the classic model of presenting this research paper has been followed,
starting with the introduction, review of the literature, methodology, findings analysis and finally
conclusions and recommendations.
Through multiple linear regression done with SPSS statistical program, we validated the
hypothesis presented in this paper. The paper concludes with the references we have used to conduct
this study.

2. Literature Review

Based on data collected from different authors and countries, we find that soft skills are important as
criteria for employment, although they are sometimes difficult to identify. In some countries of the
world these soft skills are more developed whereas in some other countries they are developing, while
in Kosovo and Albania there is a lack of research of this kind which is to be understood as being in
progress. Day-to-day soft skills are becoming one of the most important criteria for employment and
to succeed in the marketplace and beyond.
According to an analysis done by GAP Institute in 2017, in the private services sector companies
find it difficult to find workers equipped with soft skills. The findings of this research confirm the lack
of professional skills in the private sector in Kosovo, where out of 92% of the surveyed companies that
have hired new workers over the last three years, 82.1% have found it difficult to find qualified workers.
The research also highlights the most required cross-cutting general skills in the service industry which
are: foreign language proficiency, rapid information dissemination, critical thinking, genuine
communication, logical thinking, problem solving, self-initiative, creativity, teamwork, use of
information technology and versatility (GAP, 2017).
Kechagias in a 2011 project "Measuring and Evaluating Soft Skills" shows that many universities
around the world have added soft skills teaching to their curriculum in order to better prepare students
for Labor market. Man is seen as good in himself aiming at his / her self-development and self-
expression. Learning levels included emotional and cognitive levels. The results obtained in this
research are satisfactory because most of the countries studied have focused on soft skills.
(K.Kechagias, 2011)
Cinque in 2016 conducted a research on soft skills development in European countries and finally
some countries offer special training for these skills, others have dedicated employment departments,
and universities were playing an important role to further develop these skills (M.Cinque, 2016)
Historically, technical skills, also known as difficult skills, were the only skills needed for
employment careers (James & James, 2004)); but today's work is showing that technical skills are not
enough to keep individuals employed (Robles, 2012). Because soft skills are critical to productive
workplace performance, current and future business leaders are emphasizing soft skills development
(Nealy, 2005).
Many researches have been done on the importance of soft skills in the workplace. A study by
Klaus (2010), found that 75% of long-term job success depends on people with soft skills while only
25% depend on technical knowledge (Klaus, 2010). Another study conducted by Harvard University
shows that strong skills contribute only 15% to success, while 85% of success is due to soft skills (Sethi,
2014).
In her research, Robles has found ten valuable skills from business executives: "Integrity,
communication, curtesy, responsibility, social skills, positive attitude, professionalism, flexibility,
teamwork and work ethic "(Robles, 2012).
Teamwork and trust are seen by employers as fundamental to success in the workplace. These
skills need a strong foundation of speech, language and communication and are needed in a potential
new employee's employment. They can be treated as the most important indicator of job performance.
(K. Slavinska, K.S. Villani, 2014)
Gloria Meeks in a 2017 study entitled "Soft Critical Skills to Succeed in the Workplace" had

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followed the theory of emotional intelligence, had a purposeful sample, and the results she had drawn
from this research were that communication was the most sought-after skill in firms in the
southeastern United States. From the perspective of principals and managers of human resources
found gaps in soft skills among some graduates (Meeks, 2017).
Fernando Cortez in 2014 conducted a study on soft skills using qualitative and quantitative
analysis. Responsibility was the skill that mattered most in the study, followed by integrity and work
ethic while interpersonal skills mattered less (Cortez, 2014).

3. Research Methodology

During the paper we used the descriptive method, the literature of various international authors was
reviewed, through which we described the soft skills and their importance.
The methodology used in this research is with primary data i.e. a questionnaire, which is divided
into three sections; the first section includes interviewee data, the second one organization data, and
the third soft skills.
The data collection is made possible by the questionnaire which is a structured segment of
research questions that almost completely answers the corresponding topic on the role of soft skills in
local organizations. Questionnaires were distributed to 101 different commercial, service and
manufacturing firms in Kosovo and Albania for data collection.
To derive the most accurate statistics and results we used SPSS package, with linear regression
and correlation analysis, where as dependent variable is the success of organizations and independent
variables are: communication, interpersonal skills, flexibility, integrity, positive attitude, leadership,
responsibility, problem solving, teamwork and work ethics.
The following are explanations for the variables of this paper.
Communication — is an important interpersonal skill in today's global business environment.
It is generally assumed by many companies that communication is a fundamental skill that everyone
knows and operates well (Cortez, 2014). Communication skills were defined verbally or in writing, with
several lists including presentation skills and listening ability. Verbal skills, written and presented, are
crucial for any workplace, both for interactions with clients and for interactions with colleagues.
A recent study published in the Journal of Business Communication (2013) investigated verbal
communication behaviors used in the workplace. The 10 most common behaviors identified in the
workplace for verbal communication were: listening, asking, discussing, sharing information, agreeing,
suggesting, receiving information, seeking answers, answering questions and explaining (Cortez, 2014).
Interpersonal skills - these skills include being able to deal with people from different
backgrounds, which means being able to develop relationships with different people when needed.
Interpersonal skills also include persuasion, motivation and encouragement skills. Persuasion skills
refer to persuading and influencing others to help you achieve your project goals. Motivational and
motivational skills refer to performing specific strategies to motivate team members to work hard,
identifying their feelings, needs, and expectations (Awan, M.H., Ahmed, K. & Zulqarnain, W., 2015).
Flexibility — it is this soft skill that requires the capacity and willingness to acquire new skills
and face new tasks and challenges (Jena, A. & Satpathy, S.S., 2017).
“You have to always be able to predict what will happen in the future and have the flexibility to
develop it (MarcBenioff).
Integrity- is also defined as: the quality or condition of being on moral principles such as; justice,
honesty, and sincerity; the desire to do the right thing; and to state and experience some desired values
and expectations for their results. The 2008 NACE study found that integrity was ranked as the most
important employee attribute, followed by work ethic. Therefore, it is no wonder why HR professionals
or companies looking for new employees look for individuals who possess integrity (Cortez, 2014).
Positive Attitude - Employers want employees who are positive, even in stressful and
challenging circumstances. They want to hire applicants with a "can do" attitude who are flexible,
dedicated and willing to contribute more, if necessary, to getting the job done. (Doyle, 2018).

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Lidershipi- leadership is another skill required for managers. Some might argue that leadership
is a strong skill, as there are some technical aspects to being a good leader. However, leadership
qualities are generally based on one's personality, experience both in and out of work, and a personal
philosophy, so this is also a soft skill. While different organizations need different types of leaders at
different times (Hamlin, 2017), in general, leadership is important because companies need individuals
who can not only motivate others but also provide guidance and implement strategic plans
Liability —as a characteristic that employers are looking for it is ultimately and synonymously
linked to trust. Being responsible is not only a good quality to have while working in any organization,
but it is also a determining factor that most companies look for in their employees when downsizing
or restructuring. According to Cascio (2002), this soft skill is the key that employers look for in their
employees that will ultimately determine whether or not to retain them during the company
downsizing. In his book, Cascio suggested that companies should view their employees as assets, not
as costs. If a company perceives employees as assets, it will invest in developing their skills; thus,
improving their work effectiveness (Cortez, 2014)
Problem Solving and Critical Thinking refers to the ability to use knowledge, facts and data to
solve problems effectively. This does not mean that you need to have an immediate answer, it does
mean that you must be able to think, evaluate problems and find solutions. The ability to find a well
thought out solution within a reasonable amount of time, however, is a skill that employers greatly
value (ODEP, 2007)
Teamwork - Remedios (2012) pointed out that an individual who possesses good teamwork skills
can build good relationships and interact with others, can be a leader or a follower, can recognize and
respect differences and can communicate and listen well. Troth et al. (2012) asserted that good
communication between team members is a fundamental requirement for successful team
performance and a fundamental element of how teams work together. Successful team performance
comes from good communication, the resources of a team, the processes in which members engage,
and the skills possessed by each team member. The demand for teamwork is a skill that has grown
because organizations require people to work together on committees, cross-teams, and joint ventures
(Meeks, 2017)
Work ethic - The last soft skill that was explored is work ethic. Ezigbo (2012) addressed this topic
through a study of workplace ethics. He said the importance of ethics helps employees decide how best
to respond to the interests of different organizational actors. Employees, especially those in
management, often experience an ethical dilemma when they are faced with a situation that affects the
employer and the organization. The study also identified the long time the employee spends in the
organization, loyalty to others, and professionalism were the variables that affected their decisions.
"Sometimes making a decision is easy because a standard, value or norm of behavior is evident." (Cortez,
2014)

4. Theoretical Approach - Theory of Emotional Intelligence

Goleman's theory of Emotional Intelligence was the theory we based this study on. The subject of soft
skills has been analyzed by numerous scholars under the framework of emotional intelligence since a
direct relationship must exist between them. People with high emotional intelligence are more likely
to develop skills that are part of soft skills such as teamwork, effective communication, and successful
social interactions. Emotional intelligence seems to be a critical attribute for personal and professional
success (Goleman, 1998).
Goleman builds his theory from a variety of sources and identifies what he calls the greatest
separation with human abilities that lies between the mind and the heart or what he calls more
technically between cognition and emotion. Emotional intelligence as a concept has continued to
evolve in the areas of business, management, marketing, psychology, psychotherapy, education, and
with a slight increase in social work (Meeks, 2017)
Emotional Intelligence - is a person's ability to connect with others and to understand others and

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themselves. Goleman divided the five components of emotional intelligence into two categories:
personal competencies and social competences. Personal competencies include: awareness, self-
regulation and motivation. Courses of social competence include: empathy that is the ability to identify
other people's feelings, needs and concerns, and the social ability to build bridges between people
through teamwork, conflict management, negotiation and leadership (Goleman, 1998).
This is one of the most common patterns of human resource recruitment in organizations, despite
the fact that insufficient empirical research has been conducted to support its validity.

5. Empirical Analysis

In order to arrive at the most accurate conclusions and analysis of our study, the research question and
the working hypothesis have been raised which will be the basis of the argumentation of the analysis.
The research question and hypothesis are constructed as follows:
• Are soft skills required by businesses, namely human resource management?

5.1 Hypothesis

• Hypothesis zero: Soft skills have no impact on organizations success

• Alternative Hypothesis: Soft skills impact the organizations success
Through the multiple regression method, we will test the effects that soft skills have on the
success of organizations.
Therefore, the specification of the multiple regression model is as follows:
𝒀 𝛃𝟎 𝛃𝟏 𝐗 𝟏 𝛃𝟐 𝐗 𝟐 𝛃𝟑 𝐗 𝟑 . . . 𝛃𝐧 𝐗 𝐧 𝐮
Y- represents the dependent variable, in our case is the success of the organizations
X - represents the independent variable, where in our case are X1 communication, X2
interpersonal skills, X3 flexibility, X4 integrity, X5 positive attitude, X6 leadership, X7 responsibility,
X8 problem solving, X9 teamwork, X10 work ethic.
B0, B1 and B2 are the parameters or estimation coefficients; where B0 is the constant parameter,
while B1 and B2 are the independent variable estimation parameters.
U- is the stochastic or erorr term variable, it contains all factors or variables not foreseen in the
model and is a non-reserved random variable assuming positive and negative values.

5.2 Coefficient of determination analysis

R- The coefficient of determination in our case is about 99%, which indicates a strong positive
relationship between the dependent variable (success of organizations) and independent ones
(communication, interpersonal skills, flexibility, integrity, positive attitude, leadership, responsibility,
problem solving, teamwork and work ethics).
Based on the result obtained by R-square we can say that the independent variables explain the
dependent variance for 98% which is a good result for our work.

Tab. 1: Coefficient of determination

Model Summary
R Adjusted Std. Error of Change Statistics
Model R
Square R Square the Estimate R Square Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change
1 .993a .986 .985 .35778 .986 641.801 10 90 .000
a. Predictors: (Constant), ethic, integrity, leadership, teamwork, flexibility, problem solving, positive attitude,
responsibility, communication, interpersonal skills

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5.3 Multiple Regression Analysis

From the multiple regression formula, we can represent the function according to the performance
data where the dependent variable is the success of the organizations and the independent variables
are: communication, interpersonal skills, flexibility, integrity, positive attitude, leadership,
responsibility, problem solving, teamwork and work ethic.
𝒀 𝟎. 𝟑𝟏𝟎 𝟎. 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝐗𝟏 𝟎. 𝟐𝟗𝟐𝐗𝟐 𝟎. 𝟏𝟏𝟐𝐗𝟑 𝟎. 𝟐𝟖𝟒𝐗𝟒 𝟎. 𝟐𝟗𝟕𝐗𝟓 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝐗𝟔
𝟎. 𝟎𝟒𝟖𝐗𝟕 𝟎. 𝟐𝟖𝟗𝐗𝟖 𝟎. 𝟑𝟓𝟐𝐗𝟗 𝟎. 𝟎𝟖𝟔𝐮
Keeping all other factors constant if Communication increases by one unit then the success of
organizations will increase by 0.150. Keeping all other factors constant, if Interpersonal Skills increase
by one unit then the success of organizations will increase by 0.295.
Keeping all other factors constant if Flexibility increases by one unit then the success of
organizations will increase by 0.112. Keeping all other factors constant if Integrity increases by one unit
then the success of organizations will increase by 0.284.
Keeping all other factors constant if the Positive Attitude increases by one unit then the success
of the organizations will increase by 0.297. Keeping all other factors constant if Leadership grows per
unit then the success of organizations will increase by 0.201.
Keeping all other factors constant if the Responsibility increases for one unit then the success of
the organizations will increase by 0.048. Keeping all other factors constant if Problem Solving increases
by one unit then the success of organizations will increase by 0.289. Keeping all other factors constant
if Teamwork increases by one unit then the success of organizations will increase by 0.352. Keeping all
other factors constant if work ethic increases for one unit then the success of organizations will increase
by 0.086.
So, the result of this analysis shows that the basic hypothesis is rejected and the alternative
hypothesis is accepted because the value of sig. is less than 0.05, where in our case sig. is 0.00. i.e. Soft
skills influence the success of organizations.

Tab. 2: Multiple linear regression

Coefficientsa
Unstandardized Standardized 95.0% Confidence
Correlations
Coefficients Coefficients Interval for B
Model t Sig.
Lower Upper
B Std. Error Beta Zero-order Partial Part
Bound Bound
(Constant) .310 .311 3.423 .000 .128 .392
communication .150 .515 .096 1.067 .010 .273 .474 .863 -.112 -.013
interpersonal skills .290 .322 .469 2.004 .000 .230 .250 .963 -.389 -.050
flexibility .112 .328 .638 1.435 .000 .160 .364 .923 .561 .080
integrity .284 .126 .194 2.827 .000 .334 .234 .800 .636 .097
1 Positive attitude .297 .153 .105 1.943 .055 .007 .201 .931 .201 .024
leadership .201 .145 .166 2.138 .000 .113 .390 .846 .400 .051
Responsibility .048 .161 .334 3.021 .000 .128 .368 .948 .390 .050
Problem solving .289 .118 .105 2.445 .010 .054 .224 .945 .250 .030
teamwork .352 .094 .184 3.731 .000 .164 .239 .738 .366 .046
ethics .086 .394 .015 1.217 .010 .069 .198 .867 -.023 -.003
a. Dependent Variable: organization success

5.4 Correlation Analysis

Correlation measures the strength or degree of linear association between two variables. The
correlation coefficient takes values from −1 to +1. The correlation or relationship between the
dependent variable that is the success of organizations and the independent variables are:

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communication, interpersonal skills, flexibility, integrity, positive attitude, leadership, responsibility,

problem solving, teamwork, work ethic. It is seen that there is a strong correlation in all cases which is
very close to 1, where as we know the degree of correlation determination ranges from 0-1. Whereas the
correlation between the independent variables between them gives us the impression that this model
is accepted, since the relation between them is less than 0.05 based on what the links below 0.05
consider the model acceptable.

Tab. 3: Correlation analysis

Correlations

communication

responsabillity
interpersonal

integritety

leadership
flexibility

Problem
attitude
Positive

solving

ethics
Team
skills

work
Organisations success

Organisations success 1.000 .863 .963 .923 .800 .931 .846 .948 .945 .738 .867
communication .863 1.000 .836 .868 .577 .781 .607 .816 .751 .904 .980
interpersonal skills .963 .836 1.000 .959 .777 .892 .820 .916 .914 .710 .839
flexibility .923 .868 .959 1.000 .671 .807 .679 .844 .860 .714 .869
integritety .800 .577 .777 .671 1.000 .695 .693 .695 .781 .571 .574
Pearson Correlation Positive attitude .931 .781 .892 .807 .695 1.000 .897 .967 .888 .636 .797
leadership .846 .607 .820 .679 .693 .897 1.000 .891 .838 .462 .619
responsabillity .948 .816 .916 .844 .695 .967 .891 1.000 .912 .635 .832
Problem solving .945 .751 .914 .860 .781 .888 .838 .912 1.000 .626 .754
teamwork .738 .904 .710 .714 .571 .636 .462 .635 .626 1.000 .871
Ethics .867 .980 .839 .869 .574 .797 .619 .832 .754 .871 1.000
Organisations success . .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
communication .000 . .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
interpersonal skills .000 .000 . .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
flexibility .000 .000 .000 . .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
integritety .000 .000 .000 .000 . .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
Sig. (1-tailed) Positive attitude .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 . .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
leadership .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 . .000 .000 .000 .000
responsabillity .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 . .000 .000 .000
Problem solving .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 . .000 .000
teamwork .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 . .000
Ethics .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .
Organisations success 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
communication 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
interpersonal skills 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
flexibility 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
integritety 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
N Positive attitude 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
leadership 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
responsabillity 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
Problem solving 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
teamwork 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
Ethics 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101

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5.5 Limitation of the study

This paper is accompanied by a number of limitations and some of the most important are:
1. Limited working time compared to the study sample,
2. Reluctance of managers and owners to complete the questionnaire, in certain cases refusal to
complete the questionnaire
3. Another limitation is that there is little or no research in Kosovo and Albania on this topic to
base and make a difference at the same time.

6. Conclusions and Recommendations

Businesses in Kosovo and Albania look for and apply soft skills and give relative importance to them
because soft skills are one of the keys to an organisation's success. This confirms the alternative H1
hypothesis. The organizations success is most influenced by teamwork 0.352, then positive 0.297,
interpersonal skills 0.295, problem solving 0.289, integrity 0.284, leadership 0.284, leadership 0.201,
communication 0.150, flexibility 0.112 and work ethic has least impact 0.086 and responsibility 0.048.
We can conclude that the most important soft skills in Kosovo and Albania are: teamwork, positive
attitude and interpersonal skills.
Some of our recommendations are:
• To do more research on soft skills in both countries;
• To provide more general training in soft skills,
• To give even more importance to skills like responsibility, work ethic and
• communication, because we think they are very important for further development and
• To develop more debates about soft skills because these kinds of debates are missing in both
Kosovo and Albania.

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