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Interpersonal skills in the management of libraries and information organisations are increasingly important, as is the need for adequate training in this area. Training methods are discussed which might be used to improve the interpersonal skills of librarians and information workers. Factors which might inhibit or encourage individuals from transferring their learning from training to work are also outlined.

This research explores the training experiences of Australian apprentices in the workplace with a focus on workplace relationships and their link to interpersonal attributes and people-related generic skills among apprentices.

Qualitative research is conducted, and the authors analysed interview data from 20 apprentices (17 men, three women; average age 25 years) who came from a range of industries and trade sectors.

These findings revealed common themes around the importance of communication, emotional direct cognition, self-awareness and teamwork during training on the job. This suggests that interpersonal attributes are central to apprentices' practices within their training experiences.

The findings indicate a need for greater emphasis on the development of interpersonal attributes in training both on the job and within training packages.

The paper extends the literature on the role of interpersonal skills in the apprentice experience, presents information about young people's challenges in training and points to further investigations needed to explore this phenomenon.

An authentic detailed account is presented of apprentices' interpersonal attributes and people-related generic skills in their training experiences.

Some organizations invest a great deal of time and effort in elaborate training programmes designed to improve the so‐called “soft” skills of managing. Yet assessing the effectiveness of such initiatives has been rare. Indeed, some trainers have argued that such assessments are misleading. Recent developments in the use of survey feedback have provided a technique for pre‐ and post‐training assessments. A study, at a leading business school, was designed to assess the impact of interpersonal skills training on top managers. The evaluation of the training was based on subordinate feedback of 252 executives from 48 organizations, conducted before, and six months after, the training programme took place. The results indicate significant impact on some, but not all, of the competencies and skills under study.

Presents a study that examined the effects of cross‐cultural instruction on the interpersonal job skills of students in secondary vocational programs. The population consisted of a treatment and a control group, with 65 students in each group. A pretest and posttest was administered. The experimental group received the intervention during a six‐week period. The dependent variable was generalizable interpersonal relations skills as measured by the generalizable interpersonal relations skills performance assessment. The independent variables included a cross‐cultural instructional intervention, gender, ethnicity, and school. The findings indicated that students receiving the cross‐cultural instructional intervention had significantly higher generalizable interpersonal relations skills achievement than students not receiving the intervention. Recommends that cross‐cultural instruction be integrated into vocational and industrial training curricula, including instructor preservice and inservice training. Also, trainers should closely link the benefits of cultural awareness to learners’ experiences at home and the work place; and to their personal and professional success.

This paper presents an experimental study that examined the effects of cross‐cultural instruction on the interpersonal job skills of students in secondary vocational programs. The findings indicated that students receiving the cross‐cultural instruction had significantly higher generalizable interpersonal relations skills achievement than students not receiving the instruction. It was recommended that cross‐cultural instruction be integrated into vocational and industrial training curriculum, including instructor training. Trainers should assist trainees in associating cultural awareness to their personal and professional success. A model is offered as a guide for developing generalizable interpersonal skills training materials for a diverse workplace. The model defines culture broadly, including gender and age. Examination of cultures within which the trainees are most familiar may assist in the understanding of more diverse differences between ethnic groups.

Managerial interpersonal skills (MIPS) are widely considered important for management development, yet the nature of MIPS has eluded researchers. The purpose of this paper is to propose five MIPS core skills, giving attention to the role of context, the relationship of MIPS to traits, and implications for training design, assessment and evaluation.

The authors interweave a discussion forum of domain experts (Hillary Anger-Elfenbein, Timothy Baldwin, Paulo Lopes, Bronston T. Mayes, Ronald Riggio, Robert Rubin and David Whetten) with research commentary and implications for management development. The discussion focussed on: first, how do we define MIPS? Second, how important is context for defining, assessing or developing MIPS? Third, are MIPS traits, or skills that can be developed?

The authors propose MIPS include five core skills that sequentially build upon one another: managing-self, communicating, supporting, motivating and managing conflict. Although context may impact the importance of each skill across cultures, situations and jobs, the authors offer these skills as a useful starting point for MIPS assessment, training design and evaluation.

The proposed five core skill model for MIPS needs further research and psychometric validation.

By proposing MIPS include five specific trainable skills that are relevant across contexts, this paper advances MIPS research, assessment and development.

One factor which may limit the growth of interpersonal skills training is a shortage of skilled tutors to provide the feedback and guidance which trainees require to improve their performance. Effective tutoring requires both the diagnostic skills to establish what trainees should be doing differently to improve their performance and the interactive skills to put this over in such a way that trainees will accept and act on it. This article describes a model of the processes involved in interactions between people, which is designed to help tutors to identify the key “intervention points” where action can most effectively be taken to improve trainees' skills. This model is then used to show how, by means of role‐played tutoring practice, tutors' interactive skills can be improved in such areas as selection of an appropriate approach, structuring analysis and feedback sessions, verbal and non‐verbal behaviour and achievement of objectives.

Reports a study of over 600 soldiers enrolled in Junior Units of the British Army. Investigates their perceptions of leadership skills in general and their own leadership qualities both before and after experiencing a leadership course. Leadership skills and qualities are classified as innate personal qualities, personal leadership skills, interpersonal skills and managerial skills. While such courses are seen to improve the self‐perception of personal leadership skills and qualities of all types, the courses fail to emphasize the overall importance of interpersonal skills and managerial skills.

A review of the relevant literature and case study analysis draws the conclusion that a skills approach to leadership makes it possible to describe and provide training in the core skills required in a wide variety of managerial situations. Such skills are most effectively acquired through practice, with feedback and guidance provided by skilled interpersonal skilled tutors. The latter skills are also best learned via feedback and guidance; unless there is a growth in effective interpersonal skills training there will ultimately be a shortage of tutors to pass on the skills learned.

People begin to recognise and develop interpersonal skills from the day they are born — some claim it starts even before that — and they go on learning, or failing to learn, how to use them until the day they die — some say it goes on long after that. When trainees come into training situations at work, as more or less mature adults, they already have a considerable range of interpersonal skills that they have acquired throughout their lives in a variety of contexts.