Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding are crucial here…
You start needing it, you end up supplying it… (maybe)
Stage 1
- Has a basic understanding and ability to do tasks in this sphere with some or no support in a relatively unpressured situation.
- If unable to achieve goals, will refer to mentor
- Able to explain the basics of an issue to a sympathetic but zero-prior-knowledge friend or work colleague
Stage 2
- Has a more advanced understanding of the issues
- Able to operate effectively under constraints of time, pressure, with minimal or no assistance.
- Implements tactics to achieve goals and can improvise
- If unable to achieve goals, will refer to mentor
- Able to explain the basics of an issue to a slightly skeptical friend, acquaintance or work colleague, countering common misapprehensions
Stage 3
- Able to operate in conditions of uncertainty and stress, directing the work of a small team
- Willing and able to improve the skills of level 1 people if they ask for help
- Able to implement new ideas proposed by level 4 practitioners
- Able to debate the issue with a skeptical friend, acquaintance or work colleague, countering sophisticated denialist talking points and arguments for inaction
Stage 4
- Able to perform complex tasks in conditions of high uncertainty, stress and conflict, in reduced time with minimal/zero mentorship (this does not exclude emotional support, using other people as sounding boards- no person is an island, after all)
- Able to effectively lead small teams of people using collaborative leadership tools
- Able to reflect on the successes and failures of individuals and groups and draw out broad principles rather than specific items, and explain them in appropriate ways at appropriate times.
- Able to bring new ways of acting/organising into a culture from other spheres of life, explain the benefits and teach those who want to be taught these new ways of acting. (There’s no point say successfully change a culture – nobody can guarantee to do that!)
- Able to innovate new tactics/ideas/etc [NB This is NOT to say people at 'levels 1 to 3' have no useful insights! They probably do, and those insights will be ignored until a person of Importance says it - either consciously or unconsciously stealing the idea]
Would not expect anyone to be more than level 2 in more than 2 or 3 dimensions at any time.
Level 4 would be v. hard to achieve indeed- more an aspiration than anything else. But some might get there…
