I believe that in a perfect world, the ratio of success between interpersonal skills and technical knowledge should favor technical knowledge, especially in the science/medical field. One reason as to why the success equation regarding emotional intelligence (EI) is perceived as controversial is because acquiring technical knowledge demands hard work and effort, which acquiring emotional intelligence is done more passively throughout one's lifetime and is not as demanding. When applying for an interview to become a cardiologist, the EI equation states that an individual who is less educated than other candidates is more likely to receive the position as long as they can socially draw more appeal to themselves. The concern with this lies in a patient who is in need of immediate open-heart surgery. Who will the patient prefer as their acting cardiologist, the candidate who talked their way to the top who graduated with a C average upon doing the bare minimum, or the quiet, antisocial individual who graduated closer to the top of their class? I personally believe that the EI equation (70% interpersonal, 30% technical) is a manifestation of a lack of ethics (such as favoritism) that is present in any field or organization. EI is also a value that is not as professionally acknowledged (like education, experience, work efficiency, etc), and instead is ignored despite the consequences that may ensue from establishing it as a priority.

The personal website of Daniel Goleman goes more in depth in Goleman's personal experiences regarding EI from the early 90s to modern day. In Goleman's perspective, EI went from being conceptualized solely in conversation to a subject being taught in schools all around the world, which were referred to as SEL courses (social and emotional learning). Is incorporating the topic of EI into an educational curriculum considered to be a productive, progressive move in the field of biotech or does it have more to do with educational institutes profiting with a value that is questionable in its ethics? Does anyone with experience or education in marketing or psychology share a different opinion as to whether or not EI is just a shortcut to success?

Reference:
(1) Daniel Goleman website, Emotional Intelligence under topics

While I do agree with the importance of interpersonal skills, I think the 70% ratio is too great (especially if applied to all job fields). For example, a BME scientist who's primary task is to create and run experiments in a lab setting will require more technical skill. While he/she may need to relay the results to a peer or committee, it will not suffice to be better at communicating the results than actually coming up with successful ones. For a BME consultant, however, the interpersonal skills will be weighed more as they work and communicate with a bigger pool of clients on a daily basis.

I don't feel the ratio is as literal as it seems. It's not that a certain individual is 30% competent technically, it's that that person's overall success is relying on their technical knowledge 30% overall. For example, person A is very skillful technically, however they insult everybody that they meet. That person will be less successful because no one will want to work with/help them. Person B, having the same technical aptitude as person A, will be more successful if they have better interpersonal skills. Realistically, the 70:30 ratio makes sense being that effective interpersonal skills allow teams to work more efficiently and with a higher morale.

In response to vcf3, ih37, and jl959, I feel there has been a misunderstanding of what the 70:30 ratio actually represents. When it is said that an individual’s success relies 70% on interpersonal skill and 30% technical knowledge, I do not think it necessarily means that the person has high interpersonal skills and consequentially has low technical skills. I think a successful person should have high levels of both interpersonal and technical skills, but one does not dictate the level of the other. A person’s level of interpersonal skill is independent of their level of technical ability. The success of the individual, however, will be determined by how well the individual can convey their knowledge to best serve their purpose in order to achieve their goal.

In addition, the statement ih37 made about favoritism in the work place I would have to agree that it does exist but I don't think that its existence is unethical, rather that it is a byproduct of an employee's work history as a reliable asset who has made an impression on their superior. Favoritism in my view is a strategic choice. I would consider incorporating emotional intelligence into the curriculum as a positive because the learned interpersonal skills can be applied to all aspects of a students life, and a student who is well versed in the technical aspects of the biotech field can only benefit from the doors that a well developed emotional intelligence can open.

I actually agree with the statement that interpersonal skills should be valued more than technical skills or book knowledge. My reasoning is that in my experience, people who are skilled at dealing with people and know how to work with others are the ones who end up with higher-paying jobs and have more achievement. I know that employers strive to have an ideal workforce, and having an employee who can't get along with others or is simply shy can have severe negative impact on the company, depending on that person's position. Another way to think about is that interpersonal skills cannot simply be taught or learned from reading a book, it involves actually practicing with other people in real-life situations, not simulations. Learning technical skills is something that anybody can do because there are resources for people to get in order to eventually master them. It's knowledge that can be taught from reading a book or taking a course. Dealing with people is something that happens constantly in a person's life, whether it's having dinner or speaking to someone on the phone or a job interview. Humans are, by nature, social animals and dealing with people is inevitable therefore it's worthwhile to focus more on interpersonal skills rather than technical skills because those are applicable in many different aspects of a person's life. I think the ration 70:30 is pretty accurate so I agree with the author.

I do believe that interpersonal skills are valued more heavily than that of technical skills. I say this because when I think of a person going for a job they first need to apply by sending out their list of technical skills, called a resume. Companies can receive thousands of applications for one position. Now let's say that out of the thousand, a company chooses two people, with similar resumes, to call in for an interview. Applicant A is the first to interview, and conveys his thoughts articulately. Applicant B goes in for the interview and cannot express what he is thinking very well, but assures the interviewee that they know everything about their field even though they may freeze up when asked questions. Even though they have similar resumes, it is more likely that Applicant A will get the job. Being able to communicate ideas to another person is crucial in order to build and prosper. I would agree with Goleman in saying that interpersonal skills are more valuable than technical skills. I believe the ratio is a bit off; perhaps more of a 60/40 ratio, but overall interpersonal skills are more important when working in a company. Communicating with others allows us to see our ideas from a different perspective; which allows our ideas to be strengthened. Even the smartest men in history such as Einstein and Oppenheimer knew that collaboration was key in achieving a great project, and it is for this reason that I agree with Goleman that interpersonal skills are more valuable than technical skills.

I think that overall interpersonal skills are just as valuable as technical skills. I do not think that anyone is capable of doing everything on their own. By default this means that everyone needs help at one point or the other, and this is especially true in the workforce. Without interpersonal skills it is harder to network and be able to have more resources to complete a job. Additionally, we live in a world with 7 billion people on it. The probability of there being someone with your same level, or perhaps better level of technical skills is quite high. Therefore, developing your interpersonal skills and making sure these are outstanding is crucial. However, without a certain level of technical skills there is no chance of getting the interview, job, recommendation, etc. This is why I believe that at the end of the day there has to be a symbiotic relationship between technical and interpersonal skills.

In response to the debate of whether or not there is a 70:30 ratio of importance of interpersonal skills over technical skills, jl959 makes a good point. Stating that this is not true in all cases due to different work environments is 100% true. Interpersonal skills are incredibly valuable in so many ways from presenting well in an interview, getting your point across clearly while working on a project, or simply getting along with co-workers. So it is clear that interpersonal skills are very important. However, many jobs may not entail working largely with others. In a situation where you are working on a project alone, and for the most part don't have co-workers or supervisors to work alongside with, then yes technical knowledge becomes much more important than interpersonal skills. But in real-world situations, I think it is far more common to have a project not solely resting on the shoulders of one person, and more often than not handled by a team at least in part. For that reason it makes sense to claim that there is a 70:30 ratio of importance between interpersonal skills and technical knowledge.

I'm not a fan of giving either percentages of importance. It may differ from situation to situation. Of course, both are important. You need a have a good handle on both in order to be effective. Knowing what needs doing isn't helpful if you can't convey it. Then you might as well have no technical knowledge at all. Interpersonal skills are great, but knowing how to talk to people is useless if there's nothing to talk about. It really depends on what the job requires. It would be a safer bet to be better with interpersonal skills though, seeing as that's what engineers have trouble with.

I believe that the 70/30 for success is completely justified. If anything, 70% interpersonal skills is too low. The most important thing in life is the relationships you foster. Your relationships define your network and the opportunities that are opened to you. A persons social growth translates directly over to their professional growth. If you can carry yourself with a high-level charisma and convey your thoughts effectively, people will listen to you. However, one cannot successful communicate their thoughts without a strong technical background. This technical background is still massively outweighed by a successful person's interpersonal ability. Top level positions in an organization requires a wide social scope from understand the interactions of their organization and staying away of external factors that influences corporate interest. Having these abilities are driven by a person's interpersonal capabilities. It is important to acknowledge how our education system focuses primarily on developing technical skills. These technical skills are applied to enhances the ability to communicate details to people. Many students excel academically through their technical abilities, but are fearful of social settings. While this person certainly has plenty of knowledge that can contribute enormously to a project, that knowledge isn't particularly useful if the person cannot work effectively in applying that knowledge and working with the other team members in a project.

I think both interpersonal skills and technical skills are important in the biomedical field. For instance, If a engineer makes a medical device gradually he would be having more technical knowledge of that medical device. Now that engineer is planing to gain profit from that medical device. Here technical skills plays a major role in FDA approval. If that medical device gets FDA approval. Now that engineer will think of making profit.Here interpersonal skill plays a crucial role. He represent himself as a salesperson in order to convince device to buy and gain profit.

Hi Everyone,

Growing up it was always emphasized the importance of doing well in school and personally not much was said on developing interpersonal skills. So i'm inclined to initially say that technical skills deserve a higher percentage in how successful you can be. However, it's your interpersonal skills, the contacts you create and how well you interview and network that opens doors for you. It's a way for employers to notice all the technical skills you do have and all the unique qualities you can contribute to the success of the company. Strong communication skills will lead to more effective group dynamics which will move forward projects and help expedite solutions to problems. I do think that 70% interpersonal and 30% technical is too much and would more support 60% interpersonal and 40% technical because though interpersonal skills are more important in showing your skills, technical skills are crucial in making sure you're not just all talk. Confidence in your technical abilities should improve interpersonal skills as you are not afraid to show your true worth as an employee.

I think the ratio should be 60% interpersonal and 40% technical. The reason being is that technical is taught in school. Students are trained how to solve problems and how to do research for their project. However, when it comes to presenting, some students freeze. Interpersonal as most said cannot be taught, there are mental block which the student must over come. To get a job, people must have 60:40 ratio because they must be able to interact with other, create connections, if there is a product involve they should be able draw customers by having strong communication skills. I am not saying technical is not important, everyone should be an expert in the area they applied for but in order to climb the ranks they must able to show off their skills.

I feel that when considering this 70% interpersonal skills and 30% technical knowledge ratio, you need to consider the job that it is being applied to. While yes, a recent grad straight out of college will be armed with more technical knowledge than interpersonal skills, they will most likely be starting in an engineering role, not necessarily a management role. And if that college grad were to go straight into project management, then I'm sure their coursework would have taught them enough interpersonal skills to land their first job. But I feel that a project manager is not just an engineer anymore and needs to have more interpersonal skills to communicate with employees and manage everyones schedules.