Four stages of competence

 

Four Stages of Competence

 

 UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE

A process or technique is unfamiliar, you don’t understand it, nor know how to do it or how to use it, you may have never seen it before.

–this stage is: you don’t know how much you don’t know. Once you recognize your incompetence, you may then move to the next stage.

 

CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE

You now have some experience with the process or technique, you may have seen it, taken a class on it, you recognize your incompetence and begin to learn from it.

–this stage is: you now know how much you do not know.

 

 

CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

You now understand and know how to do something. You must concentrate to succeed at this skill.

–this stage is: you know what you know if you focus on it.

 

 

UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

  The process or procedure has become ‘second nature’ to you or is part of you on an unconscious level. It is easy to accomplish now.

–this stage is: you know what you know, and you don’t have to think about it.