Capability can be Actualized but not Increased.

While competencies can be developed up to the level of a person’s capability (we refer to this as being actualised), a person’s capability cannot be increased. Not easily anyway. While the concept of Brain Plasticity has been well established – meaning that the human brain can develop new neurons and connections between those neurons thereby increasing its capability, this does not occur easily by any stretch of the imagination. It takes serious discipline to apply targeted interventions over an extended period for the brain to “increase its capability”.

Within an organisational setting it just does not seem practical to go this route. What is much more doable is to employ people with good capability and to actualize any of their untapped capability. We all have untapped capability and with motivation and development opportunities we can all make better use of our capabilities. No amount of intervention or application is going to turn the ordinary citizen into the next Bill Gates, Patrice Motsepe, or Jeff Bezos.

The critical thing is to place people in roles that are well matched to their capability, rather than to try and “increase” someone’s capability in order for them to able to deliver against a role’s requirements. It is equally important to ensure that sufficient capability is being recruited into an organisation so as to ensure an adequate talent or capability pool that can be drawn on to populate career pipelines in an organisation. If the capability is there, the required competencies can be developed.

Crystalized Capability produces predictable patterns of behaviours.

This feature of capability is best illustrated through a fable.

Once there was frog at the side of river. A scorpion approached him. “Frog, please put me on your back and take me across the river. I will give you a bag full of delicious worms.” “No” replied frog. “How do I know that once you are on my back you won’t sting me?” “It’s obvious Frog” said the scorpion. “If I sting you while crossing the river, then I will fall in and drown.” Made sense to Frog and so he told Scorpion to hop on his back. Off they went. Halfway across the river, Scorpion stung Frog. In his death throes Frog gasped ”But why Scorpion why did you sting me?” “Because it’s in my nature and that’s what Scorpions do.” replied Scorpion. A little while later, both Frog and Scorpion were dead.

Crystalized capability is much like this tale. Our brains are hardwired to potentially make us behave in certain ways. Through life experiences, while growing up, our genetic programming actualises into behaviours which are reinforced. These behaviours are repeated countless times until by early adulthood they populate a huge part of our neuro -circuitry and become the default ways in which when we pretty much deal with all aspects of life including work. If these behaviours are productive and well - matched to a job, then we can expect the individual to perform well. However, if they are counterproductive or not well - matched to a job, then we can expect difficulties with the individual's performance.

For example:

1. If someone is mostly introverted and likes to focus on tasks, work alone and tends to shy away from people, then we can also expect this default behaviour when this person is placed in a leadership or managerial role, where he has to lead and be closely involved with staff. This is likely to be counterproductive and it will take a lot of hard work and specialised interventions to change this well established trend in behaviour.

2. A particular role may require someone to be highly conscientious and attentive to detail. However, if a person personality shows him to dislike detail, be free - thinking and inclined to focus on broad trends, then this person will default to this behaviour, even when he knows that the role requires conscientiousness and close attention to detail.

Our default behaviours are likely to persist regardless of the demands made on us and this highlights the importance of matching employees' capability to jobs and career paths.