Social skills predict the development of creative strategies in college teachers during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

The development of social skills (SS) and creative potential is of great interest to researchers in educational and organizational contexts. The present study aimed to understand the relationship between SS and the use of creative strategies to solve problems in the work environment of college teachers. The study included 386 faculty members of Brazilian colleges who were teaching during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Participants answered an online survey including the Social Skills Questionnaire and the Strategies to Create at Work Scale. The results showed that the SS were predictors of the development of creative strategies in college teachers, with greater emphasis on the ability to maintain calm in the face of criticism, which significantly predicted all strategies to create at work. The development and search for solutions to problems in a creative way in the work environment can be a result of frequent interactions with students, teachers, managers, other employees of the institution. Such interactions can also help improve repertoire of SS.