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Action skills is the Sixth of the Seven Competences of the Sustainably Competent Professional: it's the 'A' in RESFIA+D.
> For the numbered notes, such as (1), see below.
> Download RESFIA+D, including this page, as a set of spreadsheets in English, German or Dutch: see RESFIA+D: The introduction.
Action skills: A sustainably competent professional is decisive and capable of taking action.
Level 3: Apply | Level 4: Integrate | Level 5: Improve | Level 6: Innovate |
A1. Weigh up the unweighable and take decisions
> You describe and deal with current situations in your professional activities in which interests have to be weighed against each other that cannot compared in an unambiguous or objective way. (1)
| > You discuss such dilemmas with the involved stakeholders or their representatives about decisions to make. Partly based on this you rationally weigh the pros and cons and take decisions. > You explain your decisions to the stakeholders or their representatives.
| > You investigate whether there are options to make the conflicting interests less so. > You investigate whether there are ways to compensate those who suffer from the negatives consequences of your decisions. (2) > Based on this, you modify, if possible, the decisions or goals, methods and implementation of your professional activities, and/or contribute to modified activities of others. > You thereby consistently apply the ‘Guideline for a Good Decision’ (3). | > You replace the methods, technologies or locations of your professional work by others, making the conflicts of interest disappear entirely of largely. If existing methods, technologies or locations are not sufficient, you develop and implement totally new ones. > Doing this, you anticipate on possible new conflicts of interest that might arise in this way.
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A2. Deal with uncertainties
> You make a careful estimate of the level of uncertainty of the information and the models en methods you use with your professional activities (4). | > You plan your professional activities such, that you take into consideration uncertainties, and if necessary you dispose of suitable actions. (5)
| > You choose your plans and methods in such a way that, wherever possible, uncertainties that are of crucial importance are minimized. > In doing so, you consistently apply the precautionary principle (6). | > You choose your goals and strategy in such a way that, wherever possible, uncertainties that are of crucial importance are minimized. > To the extent that this is not possible, you build in ample margins to cope with setbacks or even disasters. |
A3. Act when the time is right, not going against the current: act without action
> You estimate the resistances (7) that you might raise with your professional activities (or those of your organization). > You determine, how and when these resistances will be low (8), and you design the time schedule accordingly. | > You undertake activities (9) to stimulate that the time is right for the implementation of your professional activities. > You do this in consultation or cooperation with the stakeholders. | > If you discover that resistances will diminish too slow or not at all, or in order to increase support, you redesign your professional activities, aiming at a more acceptable process and result. > You involve the stakeholders with this. | > If you discover that even the redesign of your activities do not lead to a significant reduction of resistances, you reconsider the underlying goals of these activities. |
1. E.g. starting a company that is beneficial for the local economy, but damaging to the local environment. Giving extra care to pupils or patients, at the expense of other pupils or patients or of the own health. Developing a product that causes less CO2 emissions but takes more scarce or toxic materials. Perform activities for underprivileged youth that local inhabitants are not happy with.
2. E.g. planting trees as CO2 compensation or to compensate for lost nature. Pay financial compensation. Team expansion to be able to give sufficient attention to everybody. Build a sound-damping wall. Select alternative materials, e.g. biologically degradable ones.
3. Guideline for a good decision: taking into account its consequence scope and consequence period: see Competence R,
footnote 3. According to this Guideline, a decision can only be a good decision if its consequence scope has been determined; if the advantages and disadvantages for that entire scope have been determined and conscientiously weighed in consultation with all stakeholders; if its consequence period has been determined; and if at the end of that period, people can reasonably be expected to still think it was a good decision.
4. This may be about inaccuracy of measured values, which in many cases can be determined quantitatively. Or about the level of trustworthiness of witnesses or memories; the level to which applied hypotheses and theories are accepted scientifically; or the rate to which applied models simplify reality. But also: uncertainty about delivery periods, purchase price, markets, legal regulations, own production quality.
5. Think about the chance of setbacks or even disasters, but also of unexpected luck: in the field of finances, time, human power, deliveries, results. Suitable actions are e.g. building up stocks (of money, time, human power, etc.), taking out insurances, flexibility in the planning.
6. Precautionary principle: the principle that policy decisions are based (at least partially) on the prevention of certain negative consequences, even of the occurrence of these consequences without these decisions are not certain.
7. This could be resistances of persons or groups. But also resistances caused by the timing of systems, e.g. industrial processes, delivery times, biological or meteorological systems.
8. But without misusing the circumstances, like at moments when involved people are absent(e.g. on holidays) or are weakened (e.g. caused by illness, fatigue or distracted attention). Instead, for instance: wait till the support among the involved people has grown, or until they are in a suitable mood or situation to evaluate the activities in a balanced way.
9. E.g. render information. Eliminate sources of misunderstanding. Listen actively to objections. Search for alternatives together. Start preparatory activities (‘plow the land before you sow’), in such a way that resistances are not enlarged by instead diminished.