Abstract
Project management is both a science and an art. Project managers and engineers require both technical and soft skills to succeed in today's fiercely competitive global market and dynamic workplace. Additionally, they must be able to apprehend project objectives and effectively employ the resources at their disposal. Most businesses want a range of abilities from their staff members, including social skills, technical project management abilities, leadership traits and intellectual abilities, all of which are supported by project management education. Instead of merely focusing on degree-specific knowledge, companies want to make use of crucial soft skills that employees have learned via their studies and job experience.
Organisations now face new demands because of disruptive events like pandemics, economic upheaval, socio-demographic changes, and technological advancements. The competency of project managers is garnering growing attention. Although technical aspects of project management are important, according to project management experts, project managers' behavioural skills, or soft skills, are what will set them apart in the present and the future.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent to which soft skills training for project managers in roads design projects is adapting to respond to disruptive events. To accomplish the study's goals an inductive qualitative research approach and design was followed. To resolve the problem statement and answer the research question, a questionnaire was developed to validate what the literature is saying about soft skills for project managers during disruptive events. Project managers, project support staff, engineering managers, and engineers comprised the study's participants. The participant data was examined utilising exploratory data analysis to produce the findings.
The results obtained showed that to a greater extend, the literature and research findings are all in sync that soft skills training for project managers in roads design project is adapting to respond to disruptive events. The researcher suggests the following to improve the study's findings: 1) Replication of the study in other South African regions, particularly the cities; 2) Replication of the study with different occupations; 3) Getting quantitative and qualitative information from university and college staff members who teach or develop curricula which includes soft skills to better understand the role higher education places the significance of soft skills for the working environment as it was discovered that soft skill should be imparted way before a person can be employed because senior personnel are reluctant to change their behavioural attributes.