WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to the April 2009 Wake-Up Call, Awake’s monthly newsletter for research and news about behaviour change for sustainability.
To view this newsletter as a webpage, click here
In this edition of Wake-up Call…
·
Feature Article – Consciousness and Competence
·
Upcoming Workshops – Cultivating Sustainability in
Australia
·
60 seconds with… Lisa from Macro Wholefoods
·
Interesting Article of the Month – Why Isn’t The
Brain Green?
·
Exercise of the Month – Becoming More Competent
Feature Article – Consciousness & Competence
Is there a skill involved in living sustainably? If we decide that that answer is “yes”, then
it might be useful to consider ways in which that skill is developed. One valuable model for examining skill
development is known as “The Four Stages of Competence” (although is referred
to by other names also. See Wikipedia for some background). The model illustrates that learning a new
skill can involve 4 distinct stages of consciousness and competence, as follows
1. Unconscious
Incompetence
– where we don’t know what we don’t know.
We are either not aware that we lack a certain skill, or we are deluded
about our lack of skill
2. Conscious
Incompetence
– where we are aware that we lack a skill.
This is where we know that we are incompetent at something. This can be a bit frustrating and
disillusioning, but is also the first stepping stone to learning a skill, as it
contains an acknowledgement that we need to improve.
3. Conscious
Competence
– where we have a skill, but we have to concentrate to perform it
effectively. At this level, we have developed
the ability to perform a task, but it takes a lot of our mental resources in
order to do it well.
4. Unconscious
Competence
– where we can do it without thinking.
This is where we have integrated a skill so well that we do not have to
dedicate many of our mental resources to performing it. We talk about it coming naturally, being
instinctual or “like riding a bike”.
How can we apply this model to educating people to act
more sustainably? Firstly, it should be
acknowledged that “incompetence” is probably not a constructive label for
behaviour which we would like to influence.
There is a good chance that people will react badly if we label their
transport choices, water use, or recycling behaviour as “incompetent”. However, in the interests of examining the
model, we will stick with the original labels, while acknowledging their
limitations.
Although the Four Stages model is usually applied to
conventional skill development, it also makes sense when we apply it to
behaviour related to sustainability. For
instance, in relation to recycling behaviour, we see the following levels
1. Unconscious
Incompetence
– We don’t know that things can be recycled, and continue to throw paper,
glass, plastics etc in the general waste bin.
2. Conscious
Incompetence
– We have found out that there are a lot of things which we are throwing in the
waste bin which could be recycled. But
we are choosing not to bother, or perhaps are not sure
which things are able to be recycled.
Maybe we are feeling a bit rebellious about it, or guilty, but our
behaviour has not changed.
3. Conscious
Competence
– We are now taking care to recycle as much as we can remember. Every time we go to put something in the
waste bin, a voice inside our heads reminds us to check if it can be
recycled. It is taking a bit of
effort, but we are doing an OK job.
4. Unconscious
Competence
– Recycling is now our default behaviour.
We automatically choose recyclable products, and our first instinct is to
use the recycling bin, rather than the waste bin – which is only there as a
last resort .
Knowing that these different levels exist can be useful
for any educators, including those who are trying to influence behaviour
related to sustainability. If we can
identify at which level our target audience is currently operating, we can more
effectively choose an intervention.
Moving from Level 1 to Level 2 can be achieved by simple
awareness raising.
Recognising that there is something different we could be doing is an
important step in behaviour change. If
we don’t know it’s broke, we can’t fix it.
Role modelling can also assist at this point. When people see something being done
differently, they often relate it to their own behaviour and recognise the gap.
The step from Level 2 to Level 3 involves skill
development or attitude change. This can
range from water saving tips around the home or education in composting skills,
through to providing incentives and outlining the benefits of acting sustainably.
Lastly, moving from Level 3 to Level 4 requires the
formation of habits. While some habits
are undesirable from a sustainability point of view, they can also work in our
favour. When something becomes habitual,
we no longer have to invest many mental resources in it, and we are likely to
be consistent in our behaviour. We can support the formation of habits by
providing stable, consistent conditions for that behaviour to be performed (eg.
a regular recycling service, reliable public transport) (Habits are discussed in more detail
in a previous Wake-Up Call).
If more people can be supported to increase their
“competence” around sustainability, to the point where it is no longer a
difficult choice, but rather a natural way of living, then we can not only
invest our time and resources in the next group of people to influence, but we
also have a new set of allies and role models at our side.
WANT TO USE THIS
ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with
it:
Awake provides
psychology-based services to support the development of sustainable behaviour
in individuals, groups and organisations.
Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
Upcoming Workshops – Cultivating
Sustainability in Australia
Cultivating Sustainability workshops have been scheduled for
the following Australian locations and dates.
·
·
·
These are public workshops with all welcome to
attend.
Cost: For-profits
$250pp
Not-for-profit/Government $200pp
Individuals/Community Groups $120pp
More information, including online registration details,
can be found at
www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Cultivating
Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which provides sustainability advocates with
insights, models and practical tools to support their behaviour change
efforts. Anybody who has taken on the
challenge of influencing others to live and work more sustainably will find
this workshop a valuable addition to their skills.
In-house Workshops
Space has been left in the schedule for groups requesting
an inhouse workshop in any of the locations above, which is a great option if
you have a number of people wishing to attend.
If you are part of an organisation, green team, or community network
that would benefit from an in-house workshop, contact timc@awake.com.au to discuss.
For more information about the Cultivating Sustainability
workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
60 Seconds with… Lisa from Macro Wholefoods
What first got you focused on sustainability?
Nothing specific, but I have
been vegetarian since the age of 13. I
didn’t like the idea of eating animals.
What is the sustainable choice you have recently made of which you are most proud?
Buying locally
and organically. I don’t
have a garden to grow my own vege’s, but I make sure I don’t waste anything.
What is a less sustainable choice that you are not so proud of?
Long
showers. I try to be
mindful of it, but it doesn’t always work.
Interesting
Article of the Month –
“Why Isn’t The Brain Green?”
Where?
Why Isn’t The Brain Green?
By Jon Gertner
What is it about?
This article looks at the growing body of research into
our decision-making processes when we are considering green choices.
What did they find?
In a fairly wide-ranging discussion, one of the most
interesting points concerns the difference between individual decision-making and
group decision-making. When asked to
make a decision with regard to environmental matters, groups are more likely to
undertake more inclusive deliberations, and come up with more long-term
decisions, compared to decisions which are made as individuals.
What can we take from this?
The finding above demonstrates the importance of engaging
groups when long-term decisions are being made about natural resources and
sustainability. By connecting people to
others and fostering a sense of community, research such as this indicates that
we are more likely to think like a community and engage the pro-social values
which are critical to rising above the short-term self-interest which drives
much unsustainable behaviour.
This months
exercise is an opportunity to explore the consciousness and competence model in
the feature article above, to get a sense for where our own skill level lies on
various aspects of living sustainably.
1. What is one aspect of
living sustainably where you are Unconsciously
Competent? A pro-environment behaviour or skill which you undertake without
even thinking about it.
2. What is one aspect of
living sustainably where you are Consciously
Competent? A pro-environment
behaviour or skill which you undertake which requires a lot of thought, perhaps
something that you need to constantly remind yourself about.
3. What is one aspect of
living sustainably where you are Consciously
Incompetent? A behaviour or skill which undertake which you know is not great for the
environment.
4. What is one aspect of
living sustainably where you have been Unconsciously
Incompetent? This category is
slightly different, because you may not be aware of
current areas of unconscious incompetence (otherwise it would not be called
“unconscious”!). Instead, think about one behaviour which you recently discovered was not
environmentally friendly.
Once you have recognised your
behaviours at each of these levels, you can then consider what it would take to
move them further up the scale towards unconscious competence, so that living
sustainably becomes an automatic choice.
The exercise of the month provides a tool to help you get engaged, inspired, aware and in action around sustainability. Feel free to use it on your own, with a friend, or in your work. If you do use it with others, please tell them where you got it!
About Awake
Awake provides psychology-based services to support the development of sustainable behaviour in individuals, groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au for more info
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