As the application of artificial intelligence, robotization and automatic processes in companies progress, it is essential to return to soft skills to manage and solve problems. Because, although technology solves many things, it still cannot replace empathy, intuition or the ability to read a complex situation. These skills, far from being a complement, today are a determining factor for collective performance, adaptation to change and sustainability of talent in organizations.
For years, the focus was put on individual talent. It was believed that attracting the “best and most brilliant” guaranteed success. However, investigations show that this approach, by itself, is no longer enough. Studies published by Harvard Business Review and consultants like Bain & Company They claim that performance does not depend solely on individual technical capabilities, but on how these capacities are integrated, enhanced and adapted to the environment.
“Talent is everything” has been a repeated mantra in conferences and recruitment processes. But what happens when that talent acts in an environment that does not enable it, that does not contain it or does not favor collaboration? The “effect of the place”, described by Boris Groysberg, showed that between 40% and 50% of the star leaders who changed the company saw their performance fall during the first years if the organizational culture did not align with its form of work.
Faced with this, the development of soft skills appears as a necessary bridge between individual talent and collective results. It is not enough to know: you have to know how to do, know how to be and know how to live together. Effective communication, empathy, critical thinking, adaptability, active listening and collaborative leadership are some of the capabilities most valued by companies that seek sustainable and resilient teams.
We believe that choosing talent is much more than evaluating technical skills. That is why we apply the ASSESMENT of the MDI to have an integral look of the profiles. This look implies evaluating the person as a whole: their potential, their interpersonal skills, their level of consciousness and adaptability, and, above all, their coherence with the organizational culture.
One of the most common mistakes is to confuse experience with capacity, or make decisions exclusively from the technical curriculum. The true differential is to detect the evolutionary potential of talent: how prepared it is to accompany the future transformation of the business and how much can build with others.
The power of the environments that enable. The concept of enabling context is key to understanding this synergy. A study by Bain & Company found that organizations with highly enabling environments – with clear leadership, shared vision and operational autonomy – multiply by 2.5 the productivity of their collaborators compared to those who lack these factors.
Faced with an economy based on collaboration, the notion of collective talent arises strongly. Research from MIT and Google, such as the Aristotle project, revealed that the most effective teams were not necessarily those with the most intelligent individuals, but those with higher levels of psychological security, equity in interpersonal participation and sensitivity.
Integrating soft skills into teams is not an option, it is a strategic need. It is not just about providing isolated training, but about building an organizational culture that values and promotes these competences at all levels. The first step is to diagnose the starting point, identifying strengths and development opportunities. Then, incorporate these criteria in the selection processes, prioritizing cultural coherence and evolutionary potential over the technical curriculum.
Talent blooms when there is coherence between:
● The internal world of the collaborator (his motivation, values, vision of life),
● Your technical and behavioral competences,
● The culture of the organization, and
● The processes and structures that facilitate its action.
From Integralis Consulting, they actively work on training people and equipment to raise their level of consciousness, their connection capacity and collaborative impact. Because the real competitive advantage is to create the system where the best of each can emerge.
The current challenge for organizations is not to find the most talented, but to create the environment where this talent can flourish together. The conditions to collaborate, trust and build as a team become as important as individual skills. Because sustained performance is not achieved by isolated genius, but by cultures that enable, connect and enhance people.
*Agostina Pastoriza is a human resources head.
*Ignacio Martínez Scale is Head of Integralis Consulting.
By Agostina Pastoriza and Ignacio Martínez Scale
