Are You Consciously Competent?

In the learning and development (L&D) space, there has been a lot of discussion on adult learning, or andragogy as Malcolm Knowles called it in 1968, and how it is different from how children learn. All this may or may not be worthy of debate. Even Knowles acknowledged that perhaps adults and children do not learn so differently. The motivations for learning, though, are often distinct between adults and children. How we go about teaching adults versus how we teach children is also often dramatically different. However, the primary goal of learning, whether as children or adults, is to increase competency.

In 1969, writing for his local church group, Martin Broadwell suggested there are four levels of learning competency. We can extend his model to fit almost anything we learn, especially when that learning includes some form of doing, as is often the case in the workplace. Broadwell teased out the levels of competency and distinguished between competencies we are aware of and those which come automatically. He named those at the various levels as

· unconscious incompetents

· conscious incompetents

· conscious competents

· unconscious competents.

We have all probably known people – including ourselves – who have been at each of these various levels.

At the base of Broadwell’s model are those who are blissfully unaware of how incompetent they are. These people muddle through their tasks and assignments thinking they are doing their work correctly. They see no need to improve their skills, as they are unaware of how poorly they are performing. These are the unconscious incompetents. Without some guidance and course correction, they will never improve.

The next level on the model contains those who are fully aware of their inabilities. These people have some kind of motivation to improve. They seek out learning opportunities. These people are easy to work with from an L&D standpoint because of their desire to learn. These are the conscious incompetents. As they seek out learning opportunities to build their skills, they continue to learn and grow, moving to the next level. Those who are constantly looking for learning opportunities, in spite of their skills become conscious competents. These people make good mentors and instructors and may help others gain and sharpen their skills.

At the final level of Broadwell’s model are those who plow through assignments and tasks without missing a beat. They are very good at what they do, but they are often unable to explain why they are so good. The skills they perform come easily, almost naturally to them, although these skills may have been built over a long period of experience. These people are not always the best to use as mentors or teachers because they have a difficult time explaining how they do things. These are the unconscious competents.

This model is not necessarily hierarchical. One may move from level to level or one may not, depending on the motivation to learn. Some people start in the middle. Most of us have many skills scattered among the different levels. The purpose of the levels of competence model is to help us better understand our skills and whether we are working our way toward competence. Where do your key work skills stand?