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The concept of collective competence came under my radar this week (click here if the video by Dr. Lorelei Lingard doesn’t play)

While the slide below probably dumbs down the theory it is a very good introduction to the concept (and is used by Dr. Lorelie Lingard herself):

Competence is an education buzzword which goes in and out of vogue. It is almost always used in respect of the individual, a mindset that Dr. Lingard is trying to change. Consider the child with a severe head injury, non-withstanding the need to have recognised they are seriously unwell, a number of individuals need skill sets (competencies) to ensure the child gets the best possible care. Observations need to be recorded reliably, medications need to be given precisely, intubation needs to occur safety and leadership of the team needs to occur robustly. Not all of these things are performed by an individual; so the outcome of the child is dependant on the collective competence of the professionals in attendance.

Being a big fan of the conscious competency model (or more precisely 2×2 matrices generally) I couldn’t help thinking there are insights needed to ensure the group as a whole doesn’t go off track.

Groupthink, the plague of many teams, committees and organisations perhaps a consequence of collective incompetency? Are you as an individual aware of the mistakes your group might be making?

What have you learnt this week? #WILTW

For some further thoughts by Dr. Lingard please click here

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