There is no formal means to identify and extract the sum total of the organization's information, knowledge and wisdom - to do so requires acute understanding of the people within the organization. One technique that has been used extensively in recent years to help accomplish this task is the use of teams. The use of teams is essentially an attempt by larger companies to replicate the ability of entrepreneurial ventures to capture the sum total of the organization's capabilities. Within the team context, the goal is adapted to the sum total of the team's capabilities. Yet, effective team management is another unique soft skill that managers must learn in order to be most effective in today's operating environment. The outcomes of effective teambuilding are evident. The members of the team are able to synthesize their combined information, knowledge and wisdom in order to achieve optimal results. For the manager in charge of the team, this requires the ability to do several things, the most important of which is to build trust among team members. Furthermore, the manager must facilitate effective team communication. In today's business environment, the team may be very diverse demographically. Thus, managers must have the soft skills required to foster communication across even the most diverse groups, no matter how different the communication styles and business cultures of the different members may be.

There is little doubt that in today's business environment, soft skills are just as important as hard skills. In a knowledge-based economy, a manager will be measured on his or her abilities to extract the knowledge and wisdom of the workforce. Shifting demographics demand strong interpersonal skills. The increased use of teams requires managers to foster communication and build trust amongst team members in order to build a truly entrepreneurial culture. Traditional bureaucratic authority is disappearing, in favor of management styles that allow corporations to be more competitive in the global business environment. Shifting dynamics require strong leadership. All of these factors have contributed to the rapid emergence of the importance of soft skills. A manager relying on hard skills and formal authority alone will have difficulty succeeding in today's environment; soft skills are essential.

Works Cited

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