Roundtable Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Positive Psychology Learning And The Development Of Interpersonal/Soft Skills For The Workplace   (#367)

Karen S Whelan-Berry 1
  1. Wholebeing Institute, Hardwick, MA, USA

A potentially important benefit of positive psychology training not often discussed in the literature is the development of workplace soft/interpersonal skills. While technical skills are important in the workplace, a global gap is seen in soft skills, which are perceived as essential in today’s workplace, especially for leaders and later career stages. Evidence of this benefit is from a post survey (N=153) and a pre-/post-survey (N=44, 70% response) of alumni in a nine-month positive psychology certificate course. In addition to several existing measures (e.g., subjective happiness, mindfulness awareness, meaning in life), we asked alumni about their positive psychology learning and development of soft skills. Using existing research to identify the soft skills most desired in the workplace, we asked respondents whether they felt they had further developed these skills, and then whether their development of these skills was a result of their positive psychology course learning. Examples of these skills include: “I have developed leadership skills”, or “I am more adaptable to changing situations”.  Eighty percent of respondents felt they had further developed these skills, and, seventy-five percent of those felt their positive psychology learning contributed to the improvement. We discuss implications for individual and organizational effectiveness and related learning.