What is the difference between competence and capability? Yes, I know there are definitions of these terms in the Oxford Dictionary, but how do you use them in the real world when talking about yourself or colleagues in a workplace context? What is the difference between competence and capability? Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time, there was a mechanic. His name was Mike. He was an excellent mechanic and worked in the garage just around the corner from where you live. Mike has serviced your car for many years, and you trust him and his skills.
One day, not so long ago, you volunteered to take little Johnny to his football practice. Johnny loved football, and practice was one of the highlights of his week. As you leave your house, with little Johnny in the back seat, you notice again that strange noise under the bonnet of your car. Only this time it’s much louder. You have plenty of time, so with assurances to Johnny, you stop at the garage around the corner to find out if this is a serious fault.
Mike the Mechanic
Mike has a listen to your car. He comes back and tells you he knows what’s wrong and that it’s easy to fix. There is a small part which is cracked and rattling. This simply needs replacing. The job will take approximately two minutes. You breathe a sigh of relief and head for the waiting room. Johnny is a bit anxious about getting to football on time. However, you can reassure him that Mike says it is only a few minutes to fix the car. Once fixed, you will be on your way.
Mike returns with an apologetic look on his face and says that they do not have the spare part in stock. He explains that he has ordered the part, and it will arrive first thing the next morning. Also, he offers to come to your house and fix your car in your driveway for free. He then explains that you should not drive the car in the meantime. This is because if that cracked component breaks, you could do some serious engine damage. He tells you to drive the car straight home, and he will fix it first thing in the morning.
Competence or Capability?
As you drive home, I have a question for you: Was Mike capable of fixing your car? Yes or no? What if you turned around and asked little Johnny, sulking in the back seat, the same question? What would he say? Yes or no? Tell the story to a few colleagues and you will find that some will say ‘yes’ and some will say ‘no’. Interesting, isn’t it?
Given the story about Mike being a great mechanic, we can say that he is competent. That is, he has the skills and knowledge to do the job. However, at the time, when you, his customer, asked him to do the job, he was unable to do it. In effect, he was rendered incapable of performing the job due to the missing spare part, despite being competent.
In a work context, it is worth separating the ideas of competence and capability as illustrated by the story about Mike and his inability to fix your car.
Competence and Capability In The Workplace
When we discuss competence, we should focus on the individual’s attributes, including their knowledge, skills, attitude, and motivation.
When they are asked to do a job, many other factors come into play, including the environment that surrounds them and the job itself. At that moment, at the point of work, they are asked to perform, and we must remember that the stage on which they are performing will affect their performance.
For people to perform well, they must be competent, and the stage on which they are performing must also be ‘competent’. Only when both the performer and the stage are competent will the performer be capable of providing the desired performance.
When someone says ‘he is not capable’, what they normally mean is that he cannot do the job that has been delegated to him. We cannot automatically assume that the lack of capability is due to a lack of individual competence. How many times in the last week have you been unable to complete a task on time to your satisfaction? When you were unable to do something, was it because you were not competent, or was it because of a barrier in your environment?
Drilling down into performance
When we are talking about someone else not performing, it is seductively easy to ‘blame’ the individual for the lack of performance. This tends to produce a response which focuses on changing the individual. The change can be effected by offering them training or coaching. Alternatively, you might try to motivate them with a bigger stick or a bigger carrot. Alternatively, you could suggest swapping that individual for another who is deemed more competent.
Using a competency framework to visually review performance can be an effective way to find solutions. This approach involves assessing performance based on key competencies in an objective and clear manner, which helps decision-makers identify areas for improvement and develop targeted solutions to accurately and efficiently address performance gaps.
If the barrier to their performance was actually in their environment, then ‘fixing’ the individual is not the solution. Instead, we need to address the environmental issues.
When you are addressing a performance problem, think of Mike the mechanic. Think about where the true barriers to performance lie: in the performer or on the stage.
