Developing the Future Workforce: An Approach for Integrating Interpersonal Skills Into the MBA Classroom

TLDR

Interpersonal skills are essential for business success, yet post‑hiring training is often inadequate, so MBA students must develop these skills before entering the workforce. The study aims to guide MBA instructors in embedding interpersonal skills training into existing courses using a science‑based approach. The authors employ a literature‑derived interpersonal‑skills taxonomy to propose specific teaching techniques for MBA curricula.

Abstract

Interpersonal skills (IPS) are crucial in today's business environment. As collaboration is the foundation of business operations, executives consistently rank interpersonal skills as a critical competency for a successful workforce. Yet, relying on training and development efforts after hiring is not enough—especially when funding for "soft skills" training is being cut across work domains. Because organizations need to select interpersonally competent individuals who can successfully engage in interactions immediately upon hire, students must acquire effective interpersonal skills before entering the workforce. To help achieve this goal, we utilize a taxonomy of interpersonal skills derived from a comprehensive review of the literature to recommend educational techniques that instructors can use to add interpersonal skills training in their teaching. The overarching goal of our work here is to use the science of training as a stepping-stone to facilitate instructors' integration of interpersonal skills into existing MBA courses.