Role of Psychological Predisposition on Employability of Management Students: Moderation Analysis through Soft Skills Training

Abstract

Purpose- The present study purports to probe into the nature of psychological predispositions like- leadership, initiative taking, critical thinking, self motivated outlook, risk taking ability and team skills of the aspirants of management programmes who opt for either MBA or PGDM courses and their relation with employability skills. The study attempted to understand the role of psychological predispositions on employability of management students and see whether the training on soft skills received during the management programmes moderates the impact on employability of those students. Design/methodology/approach – The study comprises of 330 postgraduate management students from across the four metro cities in India. The data has been collected from the respondents from various management colleges by group administration as well as through Google forms. Overall probabilistic sampling technique was used to collect the samples. Data was collected in three phases. The age group of the participants ranged between 22-27years. Findings – Findings suggest that other than leadership ability, all factors- initiative taking, critical thinking, self motivated outlook, risk taking ability and team skills are significant predictors of employability; intensity of soft skills training given by the institute has been found to moderate the relation between psychological predispositions and employability of the students; and among the two categories of educational background covered, management education significantly differentiates the levels of psychological predisposition among management students. Practical implications – The practical implication of this paper is that it is highly focusing on the need and indispensability of soft skills training among budding managers who are receiving the technical training in management. The study has clearly demonstrated that intensive soft skills training, in terms of time duration, variety and coverage, moderates the role of psychological predisposition on employability of management students. Originality/value- This original elementary study gives insight into the role of psychological predispositions and importance of soft skills training in employability of management graduates.