The first category that was identified can be coined as social interaction and is further differentiated into conversational ability, empathy, and collaboration. Humans are individuals, and equally social beings. As individuals, they are always in (potential or actual) relation to communities and societies.
All dependent skills need some form of relational content and therefore human interactions.
Interpersonal skills are central to socially appropriate behaviour in situations where the ability to interact socially is needed. They cover a wide range of skills that involve observing and correctly recognising and interpreting clues in social situations. Humans then respond effectively and appropriately to them and to the demands of the situation.
“In an interrelation situation, there are so many things to read, like individual elements, facial expressions and gestures, as well as body language or maybe intercultural differences and language barriers. There are so many small elements that we need to describe in a social situation and that makes us just very human” (3#10).
Therefore, (social) interaction is characterized by the experts as uniquely human.
52 “What makes us human for me is that there is this kind of social
interaction” (1#18).
Some of the experts see a generational discrepancy, because millennials would face the problem of direct confrontation and communication. The younger generation prefers writing an email, messaging or other written communication over a direct conversation with a person. In addition, inter-personal skills turned out to be slightly in danger because people are increasingly interacting online (1#18). Although this is in line with the underlining ability to interact socially, it could prevent the emergence of certain soft skills required for the interaction in the physical world.
Central in the debate about interpersonal relationships is therefore the human touch, which has a positive effect on the human body.
“I think the human touch is the ultimately uniquely human ability. The human touch is about creating this interpersonal relationship, both physically and mentally” (2#11).
Interaction in the relational sense is mentioned in almost all groups as uniquely human, except in the technological industry – not a surprising finding given the importance of social media for this group.
Conversation
Conversational ability is the prerequisite for humans to build relationships, for being aware of leading a meaningful dialogue and having a face-to-face conversation. According to the expert groups, it is hard to automate this ability.
Moreover, communication with body language, including interaction through facial expressions, voice tones and different communication styles, as well as being able to use the voice is important.
In the business world, conversational abilities are essential to ensure good customer relations. One HR expert notes:
“The more automated the processes are getting, the more [the customers]
want to talk to someone, to a real human being. It would be great to have
more time for example with customers” (2#14).
53 E-mails and chat programs have long been an integral part of the daily exchange at work. However, depending on the situation, other means of communication are better suited. For example, important conversations should not be conducted in writing, but in person (1#18). Chat programs, on the other hand, are suitable for spontaneous questions or notices, such as reminders from a work colleague who still awaits a reply. For the organisation of appointments or the distribution of (sustainable) information, e-mails are recommended. Nevertheless, an expert from the industry sector prefers a face-to-face communication over writing time-consuming e-mails (1#18).
Empathy
Empathy as the ability to read emotions, empathize with motives, thoughts, feelings, and personality traits of other people was mentioned by many experts as hard to automate.
“It’s very hard to automate empathy because it’s an emotional ability”
(2#16).
Furthermore, empathy includes understanding the counterpart, its needs and the ability to recognize his or her potential. Empathy also comprises the ability to react appropriately in a social situation, which is important for building relationships.
Empathy seems to be more important for the experts from group 2 and 4 than from group 1.
Therefore, empathy appears less important in the manufacturing and technology industries.
Empathy can be identified as a prerequisite for social interaction, as it is important for interrelation situations and interactions between humans. The fact that group 1 has only mentioned empathy once makes clear that for the technology industry, empathic behaviour is less relevant, whereas it is essential for the HR or general management.
Collaboration
The ability to work collaboratively in an entity can be seen as a necessary prerequisite for any form
of teamwork. Through the introduction of new technologies, teamwork is perceived as increasingly
important, no matter whether online or offline collaboration is supported. The power of human
collaboration is indisputable, because the human factor is becoming more and more decisive when
it comes to interaction, as experts note:
54
“The ability to work in a team is very important, being part of the whole, to take responsibility and to contribute to the project and having a meaningful work” (#12).
Collaboration in form of face-to-face interaction and communication is essential. The success factors are direct communication, open structures and close cooperation. For the workplace, face-to-face collaboration and exchange of ideas can be helpful for further success.
“One of my standard phrases is that the work today is way too complex
and complicated that the issues can be solved by a single individual. It’s
all about teamwork and collaboration. You must be open-minded,
otherwise you cannot create new ideas. I always tell my folks if you want
to go on a shore, go on a shore, I don’t care. You need to get your work
done. But there are some activities where you must collaborate well and
you must see other people, and this is something you cannot do if you
