Developing Complexity of Thinking Through Skill Maps Series - Collaborative Capacity by Becky Andree, PhD.

Adult development theories have largely been focused on identifying stages or levels through various frameworks (ego, constructive, morality, etc.). There was little done to identify how best to support development or movement. In 1980 Dr. Fischer introduced the dynamic skill theory that described the mechanisms of development, providing the foundation to explore the differences in capacities to act in a certain way in a certain context. This enabled adult development theorists to begin identifying skill capacity at different stages or levels and how best to support that development.

Dr. Theo Dawson took up that charge and used Fischer’s model to translate clear structures into scoring rules that produce accurate and reliable developmental scores. Creating a formative assessment that identifies the skill capabilities of a test taker: collaborative capacity, perspective coordination, clarity, contextual thinking, and decision-making.

To develop curriculum and support virtuous cycles of learnings (VCoLs), Lectica developed skill maps to make it possible to describe broad categories of skills that broke down into skills that are small enough to be practiced in real time. These open-source skill maps provide conditions for us to explore our complexity of thinking and challenge ourselves to build capabilities.

In this series, Dr. Becky Andree will use five dynamic skills to explore our current and emerging capabilities.

• Collaborative Capacity is essential to working cooperatively with others in a variety of contexts, including collaborative learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. These skills support human interactions by fostering mutual respect, building trust, expanding our minds, regulating emotions, combatting bias, and supporting understanding.

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Dr. Becky Andree specializes in developing leaders complexity of thinking and architecting high-quality connections at work.  She works with executives in medium-sized companies through executive coaching and group interventions to develop the cognitive capacity required for the complexity they are facing.  She also serves as faculty for both the U.S. Government Federal Executive Institute and the University of Wisconsin teaching leadership and organizational development courses. 

Connect with Becky Andree, PhD