Soft Skills and Entrepreneurship: A Gender-Neutral Perspective from an Italian Narrative Study

This study explores the critical soft skills pertinent to entrepreneurial success among women, emphasizing the influence of gendered perception and barriers in the entrepreneurial landscape. This research argues for the emergent recognition of soft skills with such as limited access to resources, networks, and funding opportunities. Based on a narrative research methodology, specifically the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), the study engages with a diverse sample of male and female entrepreneurs to explore the nature and development of soft skills within a gendered context. Preliminary findings reveal collaboration, communication, adaptability, responsibility, and empathy as pivotal soft skills identified across genders, challenging traditional gender stereotypes in entrepreneurship. Moreover, the research elucidates three triggering paths by which these skills dynamically evolve, such as: organizational challenges, observational learning, and fostering individual skills. By framing soft skills as gender-neutral dynamic capabilities, the study contributes to advancing the discourse on gender in entrepreneurship, aiming to empower entrepreneurs through enhanced neutral-gendered skill dynamics.