Soft Skills for the 21st Century Defining a Framework for Navigating Human-Centered Development in an AI-Driven World

In this open access book, the authors embark on a ground breaking exploration of the often-elusive realm of soft skills, addressing the challenges posed by technology and the evolving workplace. With well-founded research, the book navigates the complex landscape of academic and non-academic perceptions, offering a critical analysis of the evolving definitions and classifications of soft skills. The heart of the book lies in the Delphi research methodology that helps uncover 30 key soft skills for the 21st century. The subsequent chapters redefine, categorize, and model these skills, introducing rubrics and a tree model that showcases their interconnected nature. This structured approach provides educators, trainers, and professionals with a comprehensive framework for understanding and developing soft skills tailored to the demands of the modern world. As the book concludes, it emphasizes the enduring importance of soft skills in the face of technological advances, offering a vital resource for educators, trainers, professionals, and policymakers seeking to foster ethical decision-making and effective relationships in today's dynamic landscape.

1. Introduction. Why Soft Skills Again?.- 2. Soft Skills in the Academic Literature.- 3. Soft Skills in Non-academic Sources.- 4. Comparison of the Most Important Soft Skills in Academic and Non-academic Sources.- 5. Soft Skills for the 21^st century: Delphi Research.- 6. Soft Skills for the 21^st Century: Definitions, Rubrics, Categories, and Model.- 7. The Final 21^st Century Soft Skills Definitions and Rubrics, Categories, and Tree Model.- 8. Conclusion.- 9. Summary.

Jaroslava Kubátová is an associate professor at Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. Her expertise lies in human capital management and its impact on socially responsible entrepreneurship.

Michal Müller is an assistant professor at Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. His research spans management and organization theory, social entrepreneurship, and the epistemology of risk and uncertainty. Having completed his dissertations on the philosophy of economics and managers' resilience, Michal is a dedicated scholar and, since 2023, an associate editor at the Journal of Management Development.

David Kosina, an assistant professor at Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic, specializes in intercultural communication, virtual teamwork, global management, and leadership. With prior experience in leading educational projects and a dissertation focused on the intercultural aspects of global virtual team management, David brings practical knowledge to academia.

Ondrej Krocil heads the Department of Economic and Managerial Studies at Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. His research focuses on sustainable entrepreneurship, particularly social entrepreneurship. Ondrej has authored articles in esteemed journals and contributed significantly to various research projects.

Pavla Slavícková has been integral to Palacký University's Department of Economic and Managerial Studies since 2008. Her work centers on the development of accounting and economic theories. With numerous scientific articles and books to her credit, including the 2020 publication "History of Credit Market in Central Europe," Pavla has played a key role in European Social Fund-supported projects.