The Impact of Soft Skills Training on the Behavior of Multinational Technology Company Employees

Annie Wong Pooi Hang; Tarika Singh Sikarwar; Nor Alia Balqis Nordin; Norakma Irwany Rosley; Noureysha Mudzaffar; Nur Adriana Sofea Shokri; Neha Patel; Kee Daisy Mui Hung

doi:10.32535/apjme.v7i2.3278

The Impact of Soft Skills Training on the Behavior of Multinational Technology Company Employees

Annie Wong Pooi Hang, Tarika Singh Sikarwar, Nor Alia Balqis Nordin, Norakma Irwany Rosley, Noureysha Mudzaffar, Nur Adriana Sofea Shokri, Neha Patel, Kee Daisy Mui Hung

Abstract

This research aims to evaluate the impact of soft skills training on the behaviour of multinational technology company employees - Intel Corporation. A survey questionnaire was designed to gather quantitative data regarding the employees' experiences with soft skills training at Intel Corporation Malaysia, covering various dimensions of communication, leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution in the data collection. A sample of 150 employees of Intel Corporation in Malaysia responded to the study, providing diverse perspectives on how soft skills training can impact employees’ behavior. The data analysis employed both descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlational and regression analyses. The results indicated that soft skills training significantly enhances employee cooperation, leadership acumen, and communication proficiency. The findings have significant implications for Intel Corporation. Enhanced interpersonal skills from such training contribute to better conflict resolution, improved collaboration, and increased employee satisfaction, ultimately boosting productivity and reducing turnover rates. In conclusion, the study underscores the necessity for continuous investment in soft skills training to cultivate a resilient and adaptive workforce, thereby ensuring sustained organizational success and competitive advantage.

Keywords

Communication Skill; Employee Behavior; Leadership; Soft Skills Training; Teamwork

Full Text:

PDF

References

Agarwal, M., Nayak, T. K., & Gupta, V. P. (2008). Employees perception towards training in IT sector. Asia Pacific Business Review, 4(2), 34-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/097324700800400205

Arulsamy, A. S., Singh, I., Kumar, S., J. Panchal, J., & Bajaj, K. K. (2023). Employee training and development enhancing employee performance - A study. Samdarshi, 16(3), 406-416.

Bush, T. (2012). International perspectives on leadership development: Making a difference. Professional Development in Education, 38(4), 663-678. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.660701

Deshpande, S., & Munshi, M. M. (2020). The impact of soft skills training on the behavior and work performance of employees in service organizations. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 14(1).

Fadhil, S. S., Ismail, R., & Alnoor, A. (2021). The influence of soft skills on employability: a case study on technology industry sector in Malaysia. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management, 16, 255-283. https://doi.org/10.28945/4807

Farid, M. A. B. M., Kee, D. M. H., Mohamad, M. S. B., Hameem, M. S. U. B., & Zulkafli, A. Z. B. (2020). The role of leadership and leaders’ behavioral characteristic on employees: A study of Petronas Berhad. International Journal of Applied Business and International Management, 5(3), 63-68. https://dx.doi.org/10.32535/ijabim.v5i3.982

Farooq, M., & Khan, M. A. (2011). Impact of training and feedback on employee performance. Far East Journal of Psychology and Business, 5(1), 23-33.

Fickry, A., Kee, D. M. H., Sallehuddin, M., Nabila, N., & Nuraishah, S. (2020). Leadership and organizational success: A case study on AirAsia. Advances in Global Economy and Business Journal, 1(1), 12-25.

Guest, D. E. (1997). Human resource management and performance: a review and research agenda. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8(3), 263-276. https://doi.org/10.1080/095851997341630

Hendarman, A. F., & Tjakraatmadja, J. H. (2012). Relationship among soft skills, hard skills, and innovativeness of knowledge workers in the knowledge economy era. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 52, 35-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.439

Hodges, D., & Burchell, N. (2003). Business graduate competencies: Employers' views on importance and performance. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 4(2), 16.

Hussain, S., Onyema, E. M., Masood, A., & Nwoye, O. U. (2020). Influence of training and learning on employees’ productivity in service sector in Pakistan. American Journal of Business, 8(1), 11-17.

Ibrahim, R., Boerhannoeddin, A., & Bakare, K. K. (2017). The effect of soft skills and training methodology on employee performance. European Journal of Training and Development, 41(4), 388-406. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-08-2016-0066

Jankelová, N., & Joniaková, Z. (2021, March). Communication Skills and Transformational Leadership Style of First-Line Nurse Managers in Relation to Job Satisfaction of Nurses and Moderators of this Relationship. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 3, p. 346). MDPI.

John-Eke, E. C., & Akintokunbo, O. O. (2020). Conflict management as a tool for increasing organizational effectiveness: A review of literature. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(5), 299-311. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i5/7198

Khan, N. A., Bharadwaj, S., Khatoon, A., & Jamal, M. T. (2021). Assessing the nexus between employer branding and employee retention: Moderating role of organizational identification. Management and Labour Studies, 46(4), 379–398. https://doi.org/10.1177/0258042x211005330

Kee, D. M. H., Rahman, N. A., & Tan, A. W. (2020). The impact of transformational leadership and team innovation on team performance: Empirical evidence from Malaysia. Journal of Management & Marketing Review, 5(2), 99–106. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2020.5.2(2)

Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D. L., Marlow, S. L., Joseph, D. L., & Salas, E. (2018). Leadership training design, delivery, and implementation: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(2), 168-197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000241

Lahope, R. R., Worang, F. G., & Gunawan, E. (2020). The importance of soft skills training on company performance at BNI Tolitoli Branch Office. Jurnal EMBA: Jurnal Riset Ekonomi, Manajemen, Bisnis dan Akuntansi, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.35794/emba.v8i1.27784

Maniscalco, R.S. (2010), “La competenza interlinguistica e interculturale per la cittadinanza globale”,

Label Lingue Europeo: Dialogare Premia, I quaderni LLP, Agenzia Nazionale Scuola, Vol. 5,

pp. 9-13.

Maniscalco, R.S. (2010), “La competenza interlinguistica e interculturale per la cittadinanza globale”,

Label Lingue Europeo: Dialogare Premia, I quaderni LLP, Agenzia Nazionale Scuola, Vol. 5,

pp. 9-13.

Maniscalco, R. S. (2010). La competenza interlinguistica e interculturale per la cittadinanza globale [Interlinguistic and intercultural competence for global citizenship]. Label Lingue Europeo: dialogare premia, I quaderni LLP, 5, 9-13.

Musembi, A. K. K., Guyo, W., Kyalo, D. N., & Mbuthia, A. (2018). Effect of employees’ soft skills on performance of public energy sector projects in Kenya. International Academic Journal of Human Resource and Business Administration, 3(2), 1-13.

Permadi, I. K. O., Bagiana, I. K., & Rasminingsih, N. K. N. (2022). How work motivation mediates the relationship between leadership and employee morale. Journal of International Conference Proceedings, 5(2), 222-228. https://doi.org/10.32535/jicp.v5i2.1687

Purnaman, S., Yusuf, F. A., & Nuryanto, U. W. (2022). The effect of leadership skills and training on employee performance by mediation of innovation capacity in glass manufacturing companies. International Journal of Economy, Education and Entrepreneurship, 2(3), 632–643. https://doi.org/10.53067/ije3.v2i3.104

Schulz, B. (2008). The importance of soft skills: Education beyond academic knowledge. Journal of Language and Communication, 146-154.

Seetha, N. (2014). Are soft skills important in the workplace?-A preliminary investigation in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 4(4), 44. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v4-i4/751

Sultana, A., Irum, S., Ahmed, K., & Mehmood, N. (2012). Impact of training on employee performance: A study of telecommunication sector in Pakistan. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 4(6), 646-661.

Sutanto, H., Utami, Y., & Diantoro, A. K. (2022). The influence of transformational leadership on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and Human Resource performance in Islamic boarding schools. International Journal of Applied Business and International Management, 7(1), 124-136. https://doi.org/10.32535/ijabim.v7i1.1446

Teoh, K. B., Cordova, M., Hor, S. N., Lim, C. H., Yeoh, L. K., Madhu, A., ... & Chuah, Y. J. (2021). The factors of employee performance: A study of SearchNEasy. Asia Pacific Journal of Management and Education, 4(1), 82-96. https://doi.org/10.32535/apjme.v4i1.1053

Urbancová, H., Vrabcová, P., Hudáková, M., & Petr?, GJ (2021). Effective training evaluation: The role of factors influencing the evaluation of employee training and development effectiveness. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(5), 1–14.https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052721

Zeevi, A., & Cre?u, C. M. (2020). Narratives shaping teachers' professional identity and influencing career development. Educatia 21, (18), 6-20. https://doi.org/10.24193/ed21.2020.18.01

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32535/apjme.v7i2.3278