Validating the Contemporary Business Soft Skills Instrument

Recent workplace transformations have heightened the importance of soft skills, yet validated instruments for measuring these competencies remain limited. This study validates a comprehensive instrument measuring contemporary business soft skills using data from 294 participants representing 38 nationalities. Factor analysis revealed a robust 10-factor structure explaining 62.4% of the variance, with reliability coefficients ranging from .775 to .877. Results indicate the integration of traditionally distinct competencies and the emergence of new factorial combinations. The validated instrument provides a reliable tool for assessing soft skills in modern workplace contexts, particularly valuable for virtual and cross-cultural environments. The findings support more precise soft skills communication between employees, employers, educators, and students.

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Publication Details

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2025-02-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906251317717
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Higher Education and Employability
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
17.85
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article

Validating the Contemporary Business Soft Skills Instrument

Heidi Myyryläinen, Sami Heikkinen
2 citations
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Higher Education and Employability
17.85
article

Validating the Contemporary Business Soft Skills Instrument

Heidi Myyryläinen, Sami Heikkinen
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Recent workplace transformations have heightened the importance of soft skills, yet validated instruments for measuring these competencies remain limited. This study validates a comprehensive instrument measuring contemporary business soft skills using data from 294 participants representing 38 nationalities. Factor analysis revealed a robust 10-factor structure explaining 62.4% of the variance, with reliability coefficients ranging from .775 to .877. Results indicate the integration of traditionally distinct competencies and the emergence of new factorial combinations. The validated instrument provides a reliable tool for assessing soft skills in modern workplace contexts, particularly valuable for virtual and cross-cultural environments. The findings support more precise soft skills communication between employees, employers, educators, and students.

Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
LAB University of Applied Sciences (FI)
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Higher Education and Employability
17.85
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