Study goals
This study aims to carry out a systematic review of the literature on soft skills, seeking to identify their definitions, classifications and relationship with the concept of competencies, as well as to map the most cited skills.
Relevance / originality
This article is relevant because it addresses a gap identified in the literature: what are soft skills? Although soft skills are widely recognized as essential and required by organizations, there is no precise definition for this competency.
Methodology / approach
The procedure chosen for developing the research was the systematic literature review (SLR). The SLR followed the steps proposed by Tranfield, Denyer and Smart (2003) and the Prisma protocol.
Main results
The study revealed that the most frequently encountered soft skills in the literature and organizational practices analyzed are teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. These competencies were found to be associated with both individual and collective and organizational performance.
Theoretical / methodological contributions
Theoretically, this study contributes by bringing together all the concepts and skills most cited in the literature that best define Soft Skills. Regarding methodology, the study contributes by using a systematic literature review combined with qualitative content analysis.
Social / management contributions
Socially, this study contributes by reinforcing the importance of developing soft skills. For management, organizations can create people development programs, enabling managers to identify, encourage, and assess soft skills aligned with organizational strategies.