Análise do grau de maturidade das soft skills nas atividades de gestão do gerente de atendimento e operações de agência de uma cooperativa de crédito

Abstract

This dissertation analyzed the maturity level of soft skills in the management activities of a branch customer service and operations manager at a credit cooperative, focusing on Sicredi Vanguarda PR/SP/RJ. The study assumes that, in a context of economic and technological transformations, behavioral competencies – such as communication, leadership, empathy, adaptability, and conflict resolution – are fundamental to managerial performance, complementing technical skills (hard skills). The research question proposed was: what is the maturity level of these behavioral skills (soft skills) in the performance of branch customer service and operations managers at a credit cooperative? To this end, the general objective defined was: to analyze the maturity level of soft skills in the management activities of a branch customer service and operations manager at a credit cooperative, and, specifically, to identify the competencies considered important in the literature, identify those required by the cooperative, analyze those effectively mobilized by the managers, and discuss the maturity level of the competencies. The justification for this study lies in the growing appreciation of soft skills in the job market, especially in cooperative organizations, whose principles of cooperation and humanized service demand managers with strong interpersonal skills. A lack of studies applied to credit cooperatives was observed, which lends theoretical and practical relevance to this investigation. Regarding methodology, the research was applied in nature, with a quantitative approach and descriptive character. A survey was conducted with 90 customer service and operations managers from the cooperative, using a structured questionnaire based on a 10-point scale, adapted from a validated instrument. The data were processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (PSPP) software, employing descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, standard deviation, variance, and range) to analyze the 20 selected soft skills. The analysis of the results revealed that, in general, the soft skills presented a medium to high level of maturity among the managers. The competencies Punctuality, Teamwork, Empathy, and Proactivity obtained the highest average scores, indicating good consolidation. In contrast, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Emotional Intelligence presented the lowest average scores and the greatest dispersion, signaling critical areas that require development. The comparative analysis by state showed that Rio de Janeiro obtained the best performance, followed by São Paulo, while Paraná presented the greatest gaps, especially in creative and emotional competencies. Factors such as time in the role and team size also influenced perceptions of mastery. Furthermore, the research reinforced how important soft skills are for managerial effectiveness in the cooperative credit context, but highlighted disparities in the degree of maturity between competencies and states. Therefore, the implementation of customized development programs is recommended, focusing on the skills identified as weak (especially Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Emotional Intelligence), and the adoption of competency-based management policies aligned with the organizational strategy. This study aims to contribute to the academic field by offering a specific empirical analysisof the sector and providing practical support for the training and continuous improvement of managers, aiming at improving individual and organizational performance.