Why are social competencies important today?

An individual design for life
In the wake of broadening professional, social and regional mobility, traditional milieus like family, neighbourhood, church, political parties or clubs lose more and more of their former meaning and significance. Accordingly, certain roles, orientations and values which had been valid up until a certain point in time, change too. On the one hand, this change permits new life perspectives and possibilities for living ones life. On the other hand, the design of an individual life path also requires a high measure of social and communicative competencies, whose acquisition no longer 'just happens' at home. Much of what simply turned out to be one way or another through the course of a person's lifetime in the past, nowadays requires a conscious decision - a decision moreover taken against a larger backdrop of possibilities and choices.

New requirements of the labour market
The changing demands of the labour market too, require the development of new competencies: flexibility, mobility, a constant readiness for learning new things and the ability to adapt are among the most important parameters for occupational success. The adjustment of production processes, the introduction of production groups and teams as well as the growing shift towards a service-based industry make communication and a team player mentality key qualifications. Rapid changes in knowledge and markets require flexibility and problem solving competencies.

A functioning community
Social sensibility, sympathy, tolerance and successful conflict resolution are basic prerequisites for successful cohabitation in ones private life and for functioning cooperation in ones professional life.

Social competence - what is it?
The term 'social competence' has its origins in traditional research and is often used interchangeably with the term 'social intelligence' - the ability to understand and interact with people and to act prudently and astutely in social relationships. The two terms were introduced in 1920 by American psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike for the purpose of delineating a distinction between social intelligence, academic intelligence and practical intelligence. Social competency permits the orchestration of all such personal abilities and attitudes which contribute to aligning actions and behaviour taken in the interest of the individual with the interest of the collective. To a large extent, this requires personal competencies. Social virtues and social learning encompasses dealing appropriately with learning about oneself and alongside others.

The Competency Model - By now very widespread is a competency model which distinguishes between four essential behavioural competencies, also known as key skills:
professional competence, methodical competence, social competence, personal competence.

In general, social competence encompasses the following skills and abilities:
empathy, ability to communicate, ability to be a team player and co-operate, ability to cope with conflict, tolerance.

Social Virtues encompass the following skills and abilities:
responsibility, orderliness, cleanliness, punctuality, politeness, appropriateness of expression, good behaviour, conformity to rules

In general, personal competence encompasses the following skills and abilities:
self-awareness, self-confident, personal responsibility, initiative, flexibility, stamina.

Personal Competencies are subdivided into:
self-awareness and self-confidence, valuing oneself and being proud of ones achievements, he ability to recognise ones strengths and weaknesses, emotions, needs, limits and potential, awareness of ones own behavioural patterns, the ability to be on ones own, overcoming fears, and trusting oneself.

The Personal competencies are further defined as:
Personal Responsibility and the ability to steer oneself
ability to formulate personal goals, be able to take responsibility for oneself and others, ability to take decisions, ability to act without instruction, ability to control oneself, to be at peace with oneself

Initiative
ability to motivate oneself, ability to show unforced and voluntary commitment, active participation, ability to seek out tasks for oneself, ability to implement an idea autonomously

Flexibility
ability to question and change habitual thought processes and behaviour, ability to adapt to changing requirements and conditions of ones environment, readiness to try new things, ability to manage unfamiliar frameworks and parameters

Resilience and stamina
ability to cope with stress, problems and frustration, ability to recognise difficulties as opportunities for learning, ability to simultaneously manage more than one task, development of a high tolerance for frustration upon failure, development tenacity and equanimity

The Social competencies are further defined as:

Empathy
ability to put oneself in someone else's position or a new situation, ability to discern other people's needs and react accordingly, to have respect for other people, ability to show understanding for other people's attitudes

Ability to communicate
ability to make contact, ability to talk comprehensibly, ability to express oneself, ability to actively listen, ability to give feedback and ask questions

Ability to be a team player and cooperate
ability to jointly plan and execute tasks, ability to be responsive to other's needs or wishes, ability to control oneself, ability to make constructive use of ones skills and abilities

Ability to cope with Conflict
ability to see various possibilities for conflict resolution, ability to solve problems constructively, ability to mediate others' conflicts or conciliate arguments, readiness to accept compromises

Tolerance
ability to recognise and dismantle ones own prejudices, ability to see and accept variety and difference as a gift

Clarifying Conversations
It's not always possible to achieve an objective, factual resolution of a conflict. Wishes, feelings, needs, interests and virtues are often the actual origins of..
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Conflict Resolution
In all the places where people encounter each other - family, work, sport - there is a potential for different attitudes, opinions, ideas and ideologies to conflict. Alone as a result..
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Conflict Competence
The purpose of conflict is to shake us free of our limited viewpoints and to develop more understanding for our own and others behaviour. Conflicts can stimulate us to question..
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Conflict Moderation
A standard dialogue moderation serves the purpose of coordinating a conversation and exchange information and opinions. Making use of various methodical techniques the moderator..
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Moderated Conflict Resolution
Should I withdraw when I don't understand the other person or when I feel offended? At least in this case there is a definitive answer: instead of letting an argument or fight erupt..
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