IT Has a Soft Skills Problem

According to a recent report from West Monroe Partners, 67 percent of HR professionals say that at one point in their career they have held a talented potential IT candidate back due to a lack of soft skills, and 43 percent of full-time employees said issues related to soft skills have negatively affected their working relationship with their IT department. Clearly this skills gap is holding tech professionals back, and despite the importance of these skills, few organizations are doing anything to develop them. "Technologists and full-time employees are collaborating more than ever, and it's evident this will continue in the coming years," says Greg Layok, senior director of West Monroe's technology practice. "However, communication barriers can still silo these groups and stifle productivity. Businesses must take a two-pronged approach to training—one that not only develops technologists' soft skills to effectively collaborate with the line of business, but also teaches business leaders a level of fluency to understand the technology side." As technology overtakes more aspects of work life, it’s going to be important for the IT department to be able to work well with their counterparts in other departments.