Consciously competent

Many experienced diversity and inclusion practitioners say that, in learning to be inclusive, people need to go from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence to conscious competence to unconscious competence (Howell, 1982 Tung, 1993). This process parallels similar models used regarding results and method of achievement, challenge and support, tasks and relationships, information known to self and known to others, and so on. From a practical standpoint, this means practitioners must... 

Conscious competence You are able to function safely and effectively. 

Turning safe self-directed behavior (when the person is consciously competent) into a safe habit (unconscious competence). 

An instructional intervention is typically an activator or antecedent event used to get new behavior started or to move behavior from the automatic (habit) stage to the self-directed stage. Or it is used to improve behavior already in the self-directed stage. The aim is to get the performer s attention and instruct him or her to transition from unconscious incompetence to conscious competence. You assume that the person wants to improve, so external motivation is not needed—only external and extrinsic direction. 

We usually take calculated risks or shortcuts because we perceive the positive consequences of the at-risk behavior to be more powerful than the negative consequences. This is because the positive consequences of comfort, convenience, and efficiency are immediate and certain, while the negative consequences of at-risk behavior (such as an injury) are improbable and seem remote. Furthermore, the safe alternative is relatively inconvenient, uncomfortable, or inefficient—negative consequences that are both immediate and certain. As a result, we often need to add both activators and consequences to the situation to move people from conscious incompetence to conscious competence. 

Motivational intervention is clearly the most challenging, requiring enough external influence to get the target behavior started without triggering a desire to assert personal freedom. Remember the objective is to motivate a transition from conscious incompetence to a self-directed state of conscious competence. Powerful external consequences might improve behavior only temporarily, as long as the behavioral intervention is in place. Hence the individual is consciously competent, but the excessive outside control makes the behavior entirely other-directed. Excessive control on the outside of people can limit the amount of control or self-direction they develop on the inside. 

Figure 5.1 reviews this intervention information by depicting relationships between four competency states (unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence) and four intervention approaches (instructional intervention, motivational intervention, supportive intervention, and self-management). When people are tmaware of the safe work practice (i.e., they are unconsciously incompetent), they need repeated instructional intervention until they understand what to do. Then, as depicted at the far left of Figure 5.1, the critical question is whether they perform the desired behavior. If they do, the question of behavioral fluency is relevant. A fluent response becomes a habit or part of a regular routine, and thus the individual is unconsciously competent. 

Most employees need supportive intervention for their safe behavior. In other words, most experienced workers know what to do in order to prevent injury on their jobs, and they have performed their jobs safely one or more times. But the safe way might not be habitual. The individual is consciously competent but needs supportive recogrution or feedback for response maintenance and increased fluency. 

Figure 5.1 illustrates a distinction between conscious competence/other-directed and conscious competence/self-directed. If a safe work practice is self-directed, the employee is considered responsible and self-management intervention is relevant. As detailed elsewhere (Watson and Tharp 1997), the methods and tools of effective self-management are derived from behavioral science research and are perfectly consistent with the principles of behavior-based safety. 

At what stage of habit formation are you when you get in the back seat of someone else s vehicle, like a taxi cab It is possible to be "unconsciously competent" in some situations but be "consciously competent" or "consciously incompetent" in another situation for the same behavior. For example, wearing safety glasses, ear plugs, and steel-toed shoes might be a safe habit on the job, but which of these safe behaviors are followed when mowing the lawn in your backyard ... 

Motivational intervention is clearly the most challenging, requiring enough external influence to get the target behavior started without triggering a desire to assert personal freedom. Remember the objective is to motivate a transition from conscious incompetence to a self-directed state of conscious competence. 

The individual is consciously competent but needs supportive recognition or feedback for response maintenance and increased fluency. 

As discussed in Chapter 9, there is also "conscious competence." Sometimes poor judgment is used to intentionally take a risk. I often make judgment errors and take calculated risks on the tennis court. Sometimes, I rush the net when I should not or stroke the ball long... 

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