Abstract:

In modern times as society becomes more and more digitized, the demand for digitally experienced school leaders emerges, imposing new approaches to the integration of digital technologies into education. Moreover, in the twinkling of the 21st century, the working conditions in the environment of schools constantly transform and consequently, the requirements of school managers are still increasing. A clear need for school leaders to develop not only digital but soft skills as well has emerged since they are seen as competent to successfully manage human resources in school environments. Also, school administrators are seen to meet the demands of globalization, accountability, and competitiveness in educational settings. School leaders if equipped with such skills they are required to create a framework for the development of innovation, communication, and efficiency so that “new” schools can be brought into line with global education standards. The question arises is how well school leaders are equipped with such skills in order to drive their educational organizations to their full potentials.

This paper presents an overview of recent literature resources concerning the scientific field of soft and digital skills. The various dimensions of those skills, as “core skills” of the 21st century in educational settings are explored so that school managers can respond to the challenges of modern educational reality. The aim of the present literature review is to develop a conceptual framework that reflects the key aspects of soft and digital skills. Then, the most significant dimensions of soft skills for school leaders are discussed, with reference to complementary digital skills as they are extensively referenced in international studies.

The review of the literature lead the co-authors to end up in the categorization of the most important skills of the 21st century that are nowadays considered necessary for school managers; interpersonal/social skills, personal skills, organizational skills, psycho-emotional skills, and digital skills.

The findings of this study may have certain implications for those who decide to design and develop collaborative professional development courses or online training programs for school leadership. Additionally, this paper could be useful for educational administrators who may reflect and decide to concentrate on developing such skills not only for themselves but for the human resources in their school.

Keywords:

Soft skills, digital skills, competencies, professional development, school leaders, school leadership.