It is believed by some that to be a successful employee, a person needs social skills besides subject knowledge. While I agree that requirement of social skills in jobs has increased considerably, I also believe in certain jobs a person can contribute effectively even if he lacks social skills.
The main reason why social skills are considered critical for most jobs today is that they make worker coordination easier and lower training cost. In other words, today, most tasks at the workplace require teamwork and employees with social skills are better able to interact, exchange information or even trade tasks at the workplace. Such employees are able to utilize each other’s strengths at job and this enables them to adapt more easily to changing circumstances as well.
In addition, social skills are gaining more relevance because non-social skill jobs are gradually getting automated. Even jobs based on mathematical and analytical reasoning are getting automated, but computers and machines still cannot simulate human interaction. Finally, in most cases, to be successful at one’s job one needs to be able to lead others effectively, delegate tasks and resolve any interpersonal conflicts that arise. This is only possible if the person possesses social skills like good communication, empathy and the ability to listen to others.
However, the growing importance of social skills does not mean a person cannot succeed without them. There are many jobs today that require little person to person contact, teamwork or collaboration. For example, software development, which involves writing code is much more about technical knowledge and reasoning. Similarly, there are data entry jobs, which are based on knowledge about database software like Oracle and MS Excel.
In summary, although it is easy to understand why social skills are given a lot of importance, certain professionals can thrive even without social interaction.