Why soft competencies have become a socio-pedagogical necessity for university leaders: A multi-level analysis of corporate higher education in Uzbekistan
Abstract
Debates about soft competencies usually ask whether they matter for performance. This article asks a different question: why their development has become a necessity that education systems must address deliberately, and why the response must be pedagogical rather than only managerial. Using a conceptual analysis that combines an integrative review of research on skills, leadership and adult learning, an analysis of national policy documents, and baseline diagnostic data on 239 university managers in Uzbekistan, the article develops a multi-level account of this necessity. It shows that demand for soft competencies converges from five levels: global labour markets, national reform, the higher education system, the university as an organisation, and the mediated nature of managerial work itself. The baseline data indicate a substantial shortfall, with 40.2% of managers assessed at a low level and the weakest results in the motivational-value cluster.
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