Recommendations to Promote 21st-Century Competences with a Focus on Attitudes
A Study with Education Institutions and Development Organizations in the Swiss IC Sector
Who should read this?
• Lecturers and curriculum designers looking to integrate attitudes into courses.
• HR managers aiming to improve staff development.
• IC leaders/policymakers needing to align professional competences with global demands.
Why this study?
In an era of humanitarian crises, climate change, and overlapping geopolitical pressures, professionals in international cooperation (IC) must go beyond technical knowledge and skills. They increasingly require a broad range of attitudes to collaborate effectively across cultures and work towards sustainable solutions. Reflecting this shift, many higher education (HE) institutions and IC organizations now integrate “holistic competence frameworks,” which include knowledge, skills, and attitudes (the KSA model).
Despite this trend, how to foster these attitudes remains underexplored, and many institutions struggle to integrate soft skills aspects of learning into their programs. To address this gap, cinfo partnered with KSC Consultancy and an advisory scientific board on a study that asks:
• Which adult teaching and staff development practices (ASPs) effectively cultivate attitudes relevant to IC?
• How do Swiss HE institutions and IC organizations currently promote and assess such attitudes?
This study draws on a survey of 24 respondents1 from HE institutions and in-depth interviews with 13 key informants from both HE institutions and IC organizations. While not representative, the small but focused sample of experts in adult education and Human Resources (HR) management provides valuable and in-depth insights into the subject matter. Supported by a cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary review of competence frameworks and ASPs, the findings suggest room for improvement in current practices and offer actionable recommendations.
List of Acronyms:
ASPs Adult Teaching and Staff Development Practices
KSA Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes
HE(I) Higher Education (Institutions)
IC(O) International Cooperation (Organizations)
DAS/CAS/MAS Diploma, Certificate, Master of Advanced Studies
KII Key Informant Interview
IDG Inner Development Goals
Read the first study
Why focus on Attitudes?
Attitudes also often referred to non - cognitive factors, soft skills, or psychological dispositions—are increasingly recognized as vital for success in complex, multicultural contexts. Major frameworks (e.g., OECD, World Economic Forum) highlight that qualities like open-mindedness, emotional intelligence, and ethical awareness enable individuals to apply knowledge and skills more effectively.
• Navigating Complexity: Real-world IC work involves uncertainty, cultural differences, and ethical dilemmas. Attitudes help professionals handle ambiguity and adapt to changing conditions.
• Collaboration and Trust: Empathy and self-awareness foster inclusive teamwork and partnership. They build trust with local stakeholders and support the shift from “ideosyncratic” to “facilitator mentality.”
• Decolonial Perspectives: Mindsets that value diversity, question power imbalances, and encourage mutual respect are crucial for decolonial practice, i.e., addressing historical inequities and epistemic injustice in development work.
However, many Swiss HE programs and IC organizations do not systematically cultivate or measure these attitudes. Based on our first study on competences, see Future Trends and Competencies for the Swiss International Cooperation Sector, the following study focuses on uncovering where attitudes appear in formal competence frameworks and how adult teaching and HR practices can better nurture them.
Study Methods:
• Literature Review: with a focus on competence frameworks, emotional learning theories, and decoloniality debates.
• Survey: Gathered input from 24 representatives of Swiss higher education institutions (plus follow - up interviews).
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Conducted in - depth conversations with 7 ICO and 6 selected HEI representatives, exploring how they define competences, forster and assess attitudes.
1 The survey was completed by 24 respondents from at least 15 higher education institutions in Switzerland, including universities, universities of applied sciences, and other HE institutions. Respondents have an average of 11.6 years of teaching experience and are primarily involved in curriculum design and teaching in CAS, MAS, DAS, and other programmes. Their teaching qualifications range from formal degrees and CAS-level training to participation in short courses. Overall, they demonstrate strong expertise in teaching, curriculum design, and assessment, with a solid understanding of their institutional contexts.
Current Practice in the Swiss IC Sector
Competence Definitions
Most Swiss higher education institutions and international cooperation organizations formally acknowledge the KSA approach, yet many do not elaborate on specific attitudinal elements. In fact, over half of the respondents said that they lacked detailed frameworks or descriptors that capture these emotional and behavioral dimensions. Even so, about 90% emphasize going beyond basic knowledge transfer by structuring their lectures, trainings, and HR processes around “competence development". This pattern indicates widespread recognition that knowledge and skills alone are insufficient, while also highlighting a notable gap in concrete methods for embedding and assessing attitudes.
Which Attitudes Get Attention?
From a list of 17 attitudes identified by the study’s literature review, nine (see Table 1) emerged as at least partially addressed by Swiss HE institutions and IC organizations. Embracing diversity, demonstrating curiosity, and acknowledging the limits of one’s knowledge featured most prominently, although deeper emotional reflexivity, such as processing vulnerabilities or biases, remains rare. Where self-reflection and self-awareness is encouraged, it tends to prioritize intellectual capacities rather than more in-depth emotional or performance-centered approaches. This suggests a gap between the growing consensus on the importance of attitudes and the actual practices used to foster them.
Table 1: Attitudes most mentioned by survey and KII respondents (darker color indicates greater overlap between ICO and HEI)
Adult Teaching and Staff Development
Practices (ASPs)
Coaching, mentoring, practical assignments, and problem-based methods stand out as the main strategies for developing competences in both educational and workplace settings. These approaches align with adult learning principles by allowing participants to apply theoretical knowledge to real-life scenarios. However, methods specifically aimed at influencing emotional dispositions—such as mindfulness exercises, presencing (Theory U), or body- centered techniques—remain relatively uncommon. When they do appear, they are typically championed by individual lecturers or HR managers rather than implemented in a structured, institution-wide manner.
Assessment Challenges
Although many institutions have begun shifting toward more competence - based curricula (see Table 2), few measure attitudinal changes in a systematic way. Traditional exams and performance reviews focus overwhelmingly on factual knowledge or observable skills, leaving deeper mental and emotional shifts unrecorded. More resources could be put into alternative ways of assessing attitudes development (e.g., standardized rubrics, psychometric tests) but also more qualitative tools. Which would make it easier to determine whether targeted interventions or pedagogies genuinely transform participants’ mindsets. As a result, the significance of attitudes in shaping professional practice remains recognized but not concretely evaluated.
Table 2: List of ASPs systematically applied in educational and professional development programs (darker color indicates greater overlap between ICO and HEI)
Employers consulted in this study consistently underscore the value of humility, adaptability, and collaborative mindsets. They note that graduates often excel in technical knowledge yet struggle in settings requiring cross-cultural understanding, self-awareness, or collective problem - solving. While some organizations deploy psychometric tests for senior leadership
roles, there is still minimal adoption of systematic, broad - based methods for cultivating and verifying these “softer” qualities. Overall, employers’ remarks reinforce the conclusion that attitudes are highly relevant for success in the IC sector but remain mostly inconsistent addressed through standard education and HR practices.
How to Advance Attitude Development: 14 Actionable Recommendations within 6 Focus Areas
How can we move from recognizing the importance of attitudes to actually promoting them in learning and professional development? This study explores this question by identifying six key areas where HE institutions and IC organizations can take meaningful action. Each area is accompanied by concrete, practical steps — 14 recommendations in total — derived from research findings, interviews and real-life examples.
Integrate Attitudes Explicitly
Why this matters: Attitudes are essential drivers of meaningful action and are currently underprioritized in competence development. Integrating them systematically into curricula enhances the impact of learning. Recommendations:
• Find and select attitudes: Drawing from existing frameworks (e.g., World Economic Forum, ETH Zurich, IDG, or this study), lecturers, trainers, and HR managers should incorporate attitudes relevant to 21 st -century challenges into their curricula and competence frameworks.
• Embed attitudes into courses, training, and competence frameworks: The KSA model provides useful guidance as it facilitates structuring courses and training programs, aligning educational outcomes with professional expectations and competence development in the IC labor market.
These recommendations are intended to serve as suggestions and guidelines. They can be adapted to different institutional circumstances, as cultural contexts, available resources and strategic priorities vary greatly. Nevertheless, they are intended to encourage a shared commitment to placing attitudes development at the center of the design of learning experiences and support for staff development.
Focus:
Encourage curriculum designers, lecturers, and HR professionals to pair each targeted attitude (e.g., “openness to other viewpoints”) with corresponding learning activities (case discussions, reflections, simulation exercises) or HR processes (mentoring, 360° reviews).
Why It’s Important:
Making attitudes an explicit part of learning objectives helps move beyond knowledge transfer, ensuring that emotional and behavioral dimensions receive attention.
Applying Effective Adult Teaching and Staff Development Practices (ASPs)
Why this matters: Many institutions still rely on knowledge-based or cognitive methods, while transformative attitude development requires emotional and experiential learning approaches.
Recommendations:
• Find and select effective ASPs to promote attitudes: Lecturers and trainers should integrate ASPs that foster specific attitudes drawing on existing sources (e.g. IDG, and this study).
Develop Professional Capacity
Why this matters: Emotionally transformative ASPs require trainers with advanced self-awareness and facilitation skills. Many lack the training to implement them effectively.
Recommendations:
• Enhance competence and/or receive time in assessing ASPs: Faculty and HR/ trainers need to strengthen their abilities. They should also take time to assess the effectiveness of ASPs through structured evaluations aligned with learning outcomes
• Build capacity for emotion-focused ASPs: Professional development should focus on equipping lecturers and trainers with the competences to implement emotionoriented learning, including (i.e., preconditioning) emotional self-awareness and resilience.
• Adopt emotion-oriented learning approaches (provocative didactics): In addition to ASPs from IDG and this study, ASPs should involve provocative didactics (e.g., reflective hot seat and paradoxical interventions) aiming at constructively handling of ‘emotional disruptions’.
• Use/test ICT, immersive technology: and AIbased coaching to learn emotionally.
Focus:
Provide systematic professional development that includes reflective practice, emotional intelligence training, and peer coaching. Emphasize how to handle sensitive topics—such as racism, inequity, or colonial legacies—constructively.
Why It’s Important:
If educators, trainers, and HR staff lack emotional selfawareness, even well-designed learning experiences can falter, as their unexamined behaviours, emotional blind spots and unconscious patterns (the so-called ‘hidden curriculum’) may undermine efforts to foster empathy, respect and genuine collaboration, especially when designing and applying emotion-focused ASPs.
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Enhance Existing Practices
Promote Decoloniality
Why this matters: Decolonial approaches challenge systemic injustice and enrich learning by incorporating diverse worldviews. Yet they remain sidelined in most competence models and ASPs.
Recommendations:
• Use ASPs and resources to foster decolonial attitudes: Facilitate self-critical reflection on positionality, privilege, and knowledge systems through structured dialogues and participatory methods. Including descriptors for decolonial attitudes (e.g., humility and openness to unlearning).
• Decolonize competence frameworks: Ensure competence models explicitly include attitudes that challenge systemic bias, such as humility, critical self-awareness, and the ability to recognise and counter white saviorism. Avoid language and assumptions that reinforce the ‘white gaze’ and rather promote the mindset of a facilitator rather than an expert.
• Nurture decolonial environments: Building awareness of epistemic injustice and power dynamics in IC work. Revisit reading lists, materials, and institutional partnerships to uncover and counteract bias, ensuring a plurality of worldviews and experiences are represented.
Focus:
Revisit reading lists, partnership models, and hiring practices to ensure non Western and local voices are genuinely valued. Offer anti-racism and related unlearning processes that encourage critical self reflection on colonial mindsets.
Why It’s Important:
Superficial approaches risk perpetuating paternalistic attitudes, undermining the trust and collaborative spirit essential for meaningful IC work. Embedding decoloniality fosters authenticity, equity, and reciprocity.
Why this matters: Often ‘standard’ ASPs like mentoring or problem-based learning are inconsistently applied. Strengthening these can improve their impact on attitude development.
Recommendations:
• Enhance/prioritize long-term on-the-job learning opportunities (HEI/ICO): Avoid short, fragmented courses, instead offer long-term on-the-job placements and regular problemor project-based learning for deeper engagement. Reduce rushed IC topics and compliance-focused requirements to prioritize meaningful learning.
• Integrate structured reflection by mentors and coaches into learning assignments (HEI / ICO): Instead of relying solely on on-the-job, project-, or problem-based learning, it might be more effective to incorporate structured reflection processes, such as coaching or mentoring, to enhance the development of IC competences. Therefore, mentors and coaches should be trained (HEI / ICO).
Assess Attitudes
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Why this matters: Attitudes are difficult to measure, yet essential for learning, accountability and progress tracking. Most institutions rely on informal or ad-hoc methods.
Recommendations:
• Developing fit-for-purpose, low-threshold assessment tools: Develop and apply simple tools for attitude measurement (e.g., reflection diaries, 360° feedback, psychometric tools), balancing rigour with feasibility.
• Build on existing assessment tools: Include attitudinal indicators in staff reviews, programme evaluations, and course assessments to send a clear message about their relevance. Track progress over time to ensure that the development of attitudes is tangible and valued, and adjust strategies based on ongoing feedback and learning.
Looking Ahead
This study shows that attitudes, from empathy to self-awareness, are increasingly viewed as central to competence in the Swiss IC sector. Yet, translating that belief into everyday teaching and HR practice is still a work in progress. Most institutions have some notion of “competences,” but often lack detail on which attitudes matter or how to foster and assess them. Meanwhile, IC employers continue calling for more emotionally adaptable professionals—people who can collaborate across cultures, share control with local actors, and challenge personal biases.
Putting these recommendations into action requires leadership support, better training for educators and HR staff, and a willingness to experiment with new methods. It may also demand rethinking budget allocations and success metrics so that emotional growth is recognized as a legitimate outcome. If Swiss HE institutions and IC organizations can incorporate these changes, they stand to enhance both graduate employability and staff performance, while contributing to more equitable and effective development collaborations.
Ultimately, attitudinal competence is not just an academic add-on; it’s a foundational element of navigating one’s inner self as well as ethical, intercultural, and systemic challenges in 21st-century international cooperation. Addressing such systemic challenges requires promoting decolonial approaches that confront structural injustices and enrich learning through the integration of diverse worldviews. This reflection places such inclusive and critical perspectives at its core. By giving attitudes their rightful place alongside knowledge and skills, the sector can cultivate professionals who are better equipped, both intellectually and emotionally, to address the world’s most pressing issues.
A study conducted in collaboration with KSC Consultancy (Kimon Schneider)
