Interpersonal skills are at the core of human social interaction. Yet, defining them is elusive. For example, in work settings, hundreds of interpersonal skills have been identified. Despite the definitional ambiguity, interpersonal skills contribute to workforce productivity; management effectiveness; and educators embrace interpersonal skills as critical both for learning and pedagogy. During COVID, social distancing restrictions highlighted the importance of interpersonal skills in everyday life, while also drawing attention to individual differences in the need for interpersonal exchanges. While many individuals languished from lack of face-to-face interpersonal contact, others welcomed the solitude, while still others struck a newfound balance between both extremes. As we attempt to reenter a “new normal” with many countries transitioning from pandemic to endemic management of our social interactions, research on interpersonal skills is more important than ever.
The goals of this special issue are to clarify the nature of interpersonal skills and enhance our understanding of the antecedents, consequences, and potential boundary conditions of interpersonal skills across theoretical orientations. We also encourage an exploration of interpersonal skills across domains and contexts, including virtual settings. A sample of potential questions to consider include but are not limited to:
• What are interpersonal skills? How should they be defined and operationalized?
• How might interpersonal skills vary across a variety of domains including leadership, management, education, healthcare, and human development, among others?
• How might interpersonal skills vary across particular theoretical frameworks and orientations? For instance, does social identity theory warrant a conceptualization of interpersonal skills that is distinct from self-determination theory?
• What role do interpersonal skills play in decision-making and the prediction of human behavior?
• How has the social isolation of the pandemic impacted perceptions of the importance of interpersonal skills?
• How do interpersonal skills converge or diverge in face-to-face versus virtual settings?
We encourage potential contributions of any of the following types:
• Original Research
• Empirical Study
• Methods
• Systematic Review
• Mini Review
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
Interpersonal skills are at the core of human social interaction. Yet, defining them is elusive. For example, in work settings, hundreds of interpersonal skills have been identified. Despite the definitional ambiguity, interpersonal skills contribute to workforce productivity; management effectiveness; and educators embrace interpersonal skills as critical both for learning and pedagogy. During COVID, social distancing restrictions highlighted the importance of interpersonal skills in everyday life, while also drawing attention to individual differences in the need for interpersonal exchanges. While many individuals languished from lack of face-to-face interpersonal contact, others welcomed the solitude, while still others struck a newfound balance between both extremes. As we attempt to reenter a “new normal” with many countries transitioning from pandemic to endemic management of our social interactions, research on interpersonal skills is more important than ever.
The goals of this special issue are to clarify the nature of interpersonal skills and enhance our understanding of the antecedents, consequences, and potential boundary conditions of interpersonal skills across theoretical orientations. We also encourage an exploration of interpersonal skills across domains and contexts, including virtual settings. A sample of potential questions to consider include but are not limited to:
• What are interpersonal skills? How should they be defined and operationalized?
• How might interpersonal skills vary across a variety of domains including leadership, management, education, healthcare, and human development, among others?
• How might interpersonal skills vary across particular theoretical frameworks and orientations? For instance, does social identity theory warrant a conceptualization of interpersonal skills that is distinct from self-determination theory?
• What role do interpersonal skills play in decision-making and the prediction of human behavior?
• How has the social isolation of the pandemic impacted perceptions of the importance of interpersonal skills?
• How do interpersonal skills converge or diverge in face-to-face versus virtual settings?
We encourage potential contributions of any of the following types:
• Original Research
• Empirical Study
• Methods
• Systematic Review
• Mini Review
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
