A Comparison of Generic Skills and Emotional Intelligence in Accounting Education

Abstract

Embedding generic skills such as communication and teamwork in the accounting curriculum continues to attract attention from stakeholders. In parallel, the business world and more recently some faculty, have recognized and explored the need to incorporate emotional intelligence (EI) in the curriculum. EI is viewed as a desirable quality as it allows accountants to excel in strategic decision making, teamwork, leadership, and client relations. We contend that in the quest to find the best employees, employers have focused on EI, whereas accounting faculty have placed less emphasis on EI skill development and a greater emphasis on generic skills. This paper addresses the need for accountants to have a combination of EI and generic skills. The commonalities and differences between an EI framework and a generic skills framework are identified when the two are juxtaposed. This provides guidance for faculty seeking to develop highly skilled graduates via the development of a range of curriculum resources designed to enhance EI.

The impact of emotional intelligence on auditor judgment

“…First, prior research has raised the question of whether EI impacts auditors' judgment and decision-making (Bhattacharjee et al, 2012). Recent accounting studies have argued that EI is a critical skill that allows accountants to have better job performance in decision-making, teamwork, and client relations (Daff, de Lange, & Jackling, 2012). This study provides empirical evidence supporting these assertions of the importance of EI for professional accountants.…”

“…Daff et al (2012) asserted that accounting employers should strongly value EI skills, as they promote high job performance in the areas of strategic decision-making, client relations, leadership, and teamwork. First, since EI has a positive influence on job performance, it is rational to conclude that there is a link between EI and auditor decision-making.…”

“…Second, EI-related programs could improve hiring and training processes in the accounting field. Daff et al (2012) asserted that accounting employers should strongly value EI skills, as they promote high job performance in the areas of strategic decision-making, client relations, leadership, and teamwork.…”

Teaching Accounting and Management through Business Simulation

“…Scofield (2005) advocates that selecting unstructured cases for a team approach can create pedagogical benefits, as students can improve their learning of accounting and their teamwork skills. Additionally, Daff, De Lange and Jackling (2012) recognized two types of generic skills: the cognitive that includes routine skills, analytic and design skills, appreciative skills; and the behavioral that includes personal and interpersonal skills. Besides these skills, the authors emphasize the need to incorporate emotional intelligence (personal and social competencies) in the accounting curriculum.…”

El Aprendizaje Orientado a Proyectos a través de la Elaboración de una Revista Profesional: Aplicación a la Asignatura de "Auditoría de Cuentas"

“…En los últimos años se ha incrementado notablemente el número de investigaciones dirigidas a profundizar en el estudio de las competencias profesionales requeridas en Contabilidad y Auditoría de cuentas. Existe evidencia empírica que sustenta que los empleadores que operan en el mercado laboral consideran que los titulados universitarios no están suficientemente preparados en algunas de las competencias profesionales requeridas (Kavanagh y Drennan, 2008;Frecka y Reckers, 2010;Hancock et al, 2010;Daff et al, 2012;Pan y Perera, 2012;Tempone et al;Lin et al, 2013;Senik et al, 2013). Para corregir esta brecha formativa, algunas de las estrategias sugeridas en la literatura incluyen la adquisición de experiencia profesional práctica durante el Grado (Paisey y Paisey, 2010) y la obtención y desarrollo de competencias genéricas y transversales para la mejora de la empleabilidad (Stoner y Milner, 2010).…”