The lingering question – is it getting better? Does a more inclusive, less draconian educational system and management style result in better work experiences?

The short answer seems to be – no.

Management styles have changed over the years. At one time management was about processes. Managers were expected to ensure that the work flowed efficiently and effectively. Employees were part of the process. If production was interrupted because of poor quality input the problems were resolved. Managers didn’t try to improve the quality of below standard material – they found a new supplier. And if employees were not up to snuff they were replaced.

Over time, for a variety of reasons, employees stopped being disposable. Managers are expected to be manage people first – and then the processes. Unfortunately, not everyone got the new playbook.

Managing people is easiest if they are of good quality to begin with. Just like you wouldn’t accept substandard material or expect to substitute a sow’s ear for a silk purse you cannot work with an employee who is not made of the “right stuff”. In today’s complex world the right stuff often includes specific technical knowledge.

Here’s where post-secondary education comes in.

Most often post-secondary education does a great job of ensuring the student, your soon to be employee, knows the nuts, bolts and wiring of their new career. There may be an expectation gap and there is an easy explanation for that.

Remind yourself of the truism that tells us that when a person graduated medical school fifty years ago, they knew everything they needed to know for the balance of their career. Now, the information is outdated before they can print their business cards. Industries are becoming increasingly specialized, unique in processes and outputs. It is impossible for broadly accessible education to meet these specific requirements.

More and more information gets crammed into college and university courses. Educational purists demand that education provide breadth – history, arts, philosophy – in addition to whatever the student was hoping to learn. A three year diploma is the entrance requirement that high school provided not so many years ago.

High schools are struggling to meet increasingly demanding expectations. Racing to outpace competitors, the focus has shifted to grade scores. Social pressures demand that no child fail, be held back, or otherwise be impeded in their race for the top. High school is often viewed as the qualifying round for university. It is about high marks, learning to retain information. This is not about blame – it is an acknowledgement that there are unresolved issues with the end product of our educational processes.

We can, I think, agree that the formal educational processes are constrained – striving to include all the content, meet ministry requirements and consumer expectations.

Still, employers are not worried about technical competencies. The “right stuff” includes technical competencies and what we often refer to as soft skills. Increasingly, feedback from employers, newspaper articles and academic papers note that these soft skills are hard to come by. Like common sense, emotional intelligence is becoming less common.

Everyone is busy. Families rush between jobs or school, sports and other extra curriculum activities. Churches are less well attended. Conversation over dinner is becoming a lost art. Play is structured. Meeting strangers is imbued with risk.

So, when can they learn these valued skills?