My interest in how our potential evolves probably resulted from days as a young archaeologist when I was fascinated by our evolution, and particularly the evolution of our brain and our social structures. My first experience was when I first did a capability (or potential appreciation) I was truly hooked. Here someone could listen to me deeply, and then offer really solid good feedback on my Working journey to date and how it may change in the future and there was a science behind it, a logical theory with a great deal of research.
My first involvement with wasted potential goes back to a project in the mining world undertaken in the dying days of Apartheid in South Africa. The scramble was on to find management potential for development as the end of legislated discrimination loomed and affirmative action became a real possibility. My task was to find potential amongst the best of poorly educated manual workers, a project that was the first of its kind. With Union support we called for candidates who had managed to achieve a matriculation pass, an achievement in itself, given the poor standards due to the “non-white” schooling system with its poor facilities, undereducated teachers and chronic lack of resources. It was designed to turn out manual workers. I remember clearly the Grade 12 math teacher at one school had only passed Grade 10 himself, but there was no one else available.
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Figure I: Abuse of Capability
From the group of forty individuals invited, 95% were working as semi-skilled workers, the other as semi- skilled employees in the processing plant or in engineering. Figure I shows the outcome of the study with massive underutilization by one or more complete Work Levels. A number were high potential individuals. Figure I illustrates where they could theoretically operate (their current level of potential, marked by coloured circles) and where they were in effect working, marked with an X. What a waste of unrequited human potential. The plan was then to give them the capabilities to close that gap.[i] There was still hope here, they were young. For millions, maybe billions globally, who don’t receive intervention, their potential will never be actualized, especially at the higher levels.
Many years later I did the Working Journey analysis[1] of Professor Muhammad Yunus, Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and micro credit is a Visionary. In 2006 he was awarded the Noble Prize for his work in empowering people through micro credit. Yunus stood banking on its head by choosing a model that was in many ways the antithesis of globally accepted practices. Over time his experimentations reversed conventional banking practice by removing the need for collateral and bringing back human traits like mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity. His remarkable journey built up an institution that empowered and liberated the poor and which has been replicated around the world. Traditional banking is based on mistrust and essentially focuses on those who already have access to wealth. The preference is for lending large amounts to a few clients and contact is limited to annual reviews, debt servicing or marketing. Fighting poverty is not part of traditional bankings mission.
Muhammad Yunus wanted to know how we could use these tools and models to identify capability in micro entrepreneurs and among the poorest of the poor. He wanted to know how we could help micro-entrepreneurs to the next level of business development – a small enterprise.
I did the Working Journey of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Journey which intrigued me because it is about a girl born into one of the most disadvantaged societies in the world. Ayaan’s Journey is remarkable. Struggling against a prescribed role, dictated by the ancient values of the clan and the stifling subjugation of religious belief, she succeeded in breaking out of the mould, becoming an advocate for religious revival and a spokesperson for the emancipation and liberation of women. Here is a person whose potential not only drove her to overcome, but to encompass and then to provide transformational leadership. Ayaan’s central message like that of Nobel Laureate Winner Muhammad Yunus is that women hold the key to a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future. This is why the Grameen Bank under Yunus’ astute leadership focused its lending strategy on that most vulnerable part of society. As Ayaan said in her book “Infidel”. how many girls born at the Digfeer hospital in Mogadishu have survived, made it out, become a parliamentarian and took up the cause of oppressed women? She has also been ranked in the top 100 influential people in the world? Why? What drove Muhammad Yunus to create an alternative banking system for the poor of the world that is replicated in over seventy countries?
How could Nelson Mandela see what others could not and offer Leadership to the oppressors? Conversely how could Hitler, a corporal with no contacts and influential networks, rise up and rebuild a nation and then lead the world into a holocaust?
While the reasons are complex and many factors may have combined, one factor is common. Human Potential and specifically, that of High Potential.
Elliot Jaques- Models and Concepts
High-level human capability manifests itself regardless of culture, gender or race. Not much happens without a person having a vision or a passion about something. A vision/passion creates purpose and purpose can generate meaningful goal directed work. Humans create visions. Some people can turn them into reality and with varying degrees of success build structures, institutions, mobilise people into movements and sometimes revolutions to carry out that vision. Not everyone is able to create a vision that can be turned into reality. The reality is that only a small percentage can achieve this. Many of us dream of having our own business and many of us do, some of us may dream of leading a major corporation, fewer of us do and some of us may dream of a noble cause or righting a grievous wrong and changing the world in some better way, but even fewer do. So what is it about those that do?
It is perhaps surprising to find out that despite the bewildering array of human diversity and the multiplicity of work that takes place globally; in the east, the west, the south or in the north, paid or not, there are fundamental principles in place which govern the nature of all work and the ability to vision and carry that vision into reality. We know that relatively few people have the capability to become CEOs and a much smaller group become CEOs of major and international corporations. Similarly in all key leadership roles, whether in politics, academia, the military, organized crime, government bureaucrats, religions, authors, international consultants, artists, thought leaders – those who are successful at the top of the work pyramid are normally exceptional people.
Why are they exceptional and what lies at the root of it? The answer lies in a deep order, which manifests itself in our “horsepower” – our ability to synthesize information, to be able to identify issues with clarity, to consider the ramifications and how they may or may not change and the consequences of those changes. We are talking about our ability to deal with complexity and those exceptional people have it. This horsepower, which we will call cognitive capability or cognitive power (CP), is both measurable and predictive.
According to Elliott Jaques (1917 -2003)[ii] and the years of research, people mature cognitively at different rates and that some people may find satisfaction with one type of work for very long periods of life while others may be on a more rapid track and want different and greater work challenges at fairly regular and predictable intervals. Jaques identified that this CP has a strong biological link and that it grows at a predictable rate over time along eight Growth Modes.
CP has evolved over millions of years. Each person’s cognitive power governs and frames their personal Working Journey. CP, which is more commonly referred to as “potential” has an order, similar to any large complex adaptive system and which appears to rest upon a few key guiding principles. CP is measurable and it allows us to predict, often with great accuracy, how an individual’s Working Journey may broadly develop over time. CP is defined as “the potential strength of cognitive processes in a person and is therefore the maximum level of task complexity that someone can handle at any give point in his or her development“. CP is dynamic and increases at different rates with maturity. CP allows us to be able to get our head around the complexities of work and to use our judgment to find solutions or pathways. CP is how we make sense of ambiguity, uncertainty and the unknown. CP unfolds for us individually along one of eight+ Growth Modes.
However, and this is the big HOWEVER, if we don’t acquire the knowledge, skills, and experience we can’t actualize our potential. This is the big problem. We need education, we need relevant education, we need mentors, we need development and we need opportunity. Micro-entrepreneurs will struggle to ratchet their business to a next level. I have approached traditional banking and development agencies who have thumbed their noses at this project to focus on identified capability. Muhammad Yunus spoke correctly when he said;
“I believe terrorism cannot be won over by military action. Terrorism must be condemned in the strongest language. We must stand solidly against it, and find all the means to end it. We must address the root causes of terrorism to end it for all time to come. I believe that putting resources into improving the lives of the poor people is a better strategy than spending it on guns.”[2]
If we could identify the potential that is being wasted, or channelled to other less productive forces, we could create a targeted intervention for broad based wealth creation, and if we do it well, we don’t need to invest in new generations of environmentally unfriendly consumers. We could use a fraction of the costs of war to improve lives and living conditions through empowering potential in developing regions.
As I write this article I am feeling excited. A registered learning centre in Melbourne has come across these concepts and we are entering into a joint project to identify capability in at risk young adults and offer them supported development plans, including trainee placements. These ideas were not initially aimed at first world cities; but the project has received direct support from a number of large organisations, whose CEOs and senior executives have had first hand experience of how effectively these ideas can be deployed.
I am also heading to South America where I will have an opportunity to address a global conference of like-minded practitioners and to urge them to use their skills and start up similar projects in their part of the world. If you have the interest and the resources (and this is small scale) – to start a similar project, please do contact me. If you would like a copy of the information sheet, please click here www.workcomplexity.com/8.html
About the Author
Andrew Olivier has a strong belief in educating people and society about their capability. Over the years Andrew has blended together a number of practical approaches to Organisational Development and Leadership or the management of your Working Journey.
Based firmly on the models of Requisite Organisation he has created a very unique approach to organisational and individual development. Andrew also has a strong need to ensure people who are entrusted in electing senior leaders understand capability and what this means for the future of the business and the broader context. Andrew is currently busy with a project on identifying capability in micro-entrepreneurs. Website is www.workcomplexity.com
[1] To obtain a copy of the Working Journey analysis of Prof Muhammad Yunus, it can be downloaded from the following websites – Global Organisation Design – http://globalro.org/ or www.workcomplexity.com
[2] Nobel Lecture, Oslo, December 10, 2006. Retrieved from http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2006/yunus-lecture-en.html
[i] Three high potentials identified in this study were arrested five years later as ring leaders in the biggest illicit diamond dealing operation discovered as of 1995. All three had turned down offers of accelerated development. This information was conveyed to the author by the Security Division of the Resource Group.
[ii] The late Dr Elliott Jaques is the author of more than 20 books, including The Life and Behavior of Living Organisms (2002), Social Power and the CEO (2002), Requisite Organization (1996), Human Capability (1994) with Kathryn Cason, and General Theory of Bureaucracy (1976). Dr. Jaques is recognized throughout the world for the discoveries he made in the social sciences, contributing in a significant way to our understanding of human nature and social institutions. Noteworthy awards include the Joint Staff Certificate of Appreciation presented by General Colin Powell on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces for “outstanding contributions in the field of military leadership theory and instruction to all of the service departments of the United States” and the Harry Levinson Award of the Consulting Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association for “a distinguished career and impressive accomplishments.”
Dr. Jaques’ contributions are multi-disciplinary and include fundamental developments in our understanding of the meaning of work and in the evaluation and development of individuals engaged in work, as well a method for objectively measuring the complexity of work roles. Further, his contribution to the social sciences include an objective understanding of the nature of human potential capability and of its maturation throughout life from infancy through old age.
Nearly 60 theses have been developed based on the work of Dr.Jaques and more continue to be developed and written around the world. His work has changed and advanced family and business relationships dramatically over the past half century. From: http://www.requisite.org/biography.html. This site is not up-to-date, if you require current global information, go to www.globalro.org
Copyright 2009, Andrew Olivier. All rights reserved. All material in this article is the Intellectual Property of Andrew Olivier and cannot be reproduced, copied, published, quoted or disseminated without the prior permission of Andrew Olivier.
Tags: social ventures