When organizational capability is made so simple...

Last weekend, I attended a lecture by Prof Lens Cairns from Monash University on organizational capability. I am glad I did listen to his short talk!

For years I have been hearing of organizational capability, but no where have I gotten anywhere near how I understand it to be now that I have heard from Prof Lens. His use of a simple model (developed in collaboration with Prof John Stephenson of Middlesex University) to illuminate the concept has never been easier for non-academics to understand this concept. And now that I find this model so meaningful and illuminating, I have started to use the same model to help me out when I do learning programs in my own organization. My audience found it meaningful and easy to understand too.

Prof Lens drew a 4-square diagram with 'problem' and 'situation' on each axis as I reproduce below:

The area indicated by 'Y' in the diagram defines the circumstances where familiar problems occur within familiar situations. The ability to operate well in the 'Y' zone, be it individually or as an organization, is not capability but merely competence. Explicit skills such as technical know-how are knowledge that enables one to operate within this 'Y' zone comfortably. The area indicated by 'Z' defines circumstances where unfamiliar problems occur within unfamiliar situations. The ability to operate well in the 'Z' zone is what capability is all about. The skills that enable one to operate within the 'Y' zone are not necessarily those that enable us to be operational in the 'Z' zone. The challenge to individuals and to organizations then is in determining what skills and knowledge are required to enable the kind of 'Z-ness' in order to operate within the context of unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar situations. With the significance of knowledge economy and globalization in full swing, change is arguably the only thing that we can be sure of. Under such changing environment, problems and situations are likely seen as unfamiliar ('Z' zone). In other words, individuals and organizations are sure to be confronted with more unfamiliar problems and unfamiliar situations. Therefore, organizations and individuals alike, we are not capable unless we exhibit qualities or have the right knowledge that enable us to operate in such ever changing environment. That is organizational capability, or 'Z-ness' as Prof Lens puts it. This, I thought, was so enlightening! It is not that I have never seen this model before, but to hear it from Prof Lens in layman terms makes it so meaningful and easy to understand.

However, my ever inquisitive mind never stop working in the midst of enlightment. How does the model account for the transitional states between 'Y' and 'Z'? Isn't 'Y' once 'Z' yesterday, and 'Z' becoming 'Y' tomorrow? When inquired, Prof Lens responded (as what I have understood) that this model is not intended to reflect such transitions because doing so would add complexity to the model and hence make it difficult to truly understand the difference between competence and capability.

For me, the ability to grasp the capability concept has significance in my professional and personal capacity. As my work is in corporate learning, I am now be able to position learning initiatives in a way that tunes in well to the changing organizational rythm. As a parent, I am more conscious of the kind of development that is essential for my children to prepare them to face the changing world.

Thanks, Prof Lens.