Why I love heirarchies of competence

TL;DR; Competence-based hierarchies improve decision-making by prioritising expertise over authority, encouraging teams to defer to those with proven knowledge. This approach leads to more effective solutions and a more engaged team. Development managers should consider shifting their leadership style to focus on recognising and leveraging competence within their teams.

Published on 3 May 2023

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

2 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/WVNiLx3QHLg

Why I love heirarchies of competence

Competence-Based Hierarchies

Competence-based hierarchies are undeniably compelling and draw my respect and admiration. What makes these hierarchies stand out for me is their foundation, which is built not on control or directives but on recognised competence and the abilities of individuals contributing to the work. 💪

Deferring to Competence

In such setups, it feels natural, even instinctive, to defer to those individuals who have demonstrated their expertise in a given space.

Their knowledge and the value they bring to the table influence our decisions and actions. They’ve proven they can enrich our understanding, thus making them the go-to resource for insights.

Holistic Perspective

Importantly, these competency-based colleagues often possess a more holistic view of the problem at hand. They can weigh all the different facets of the problem at hand, allowing them to make well-informed, effective decisions. Their broad perspective, coupled with their proven expertise, makes them invaluable within their respective fields. 🚀

Embracing competence-based hierarchies is about recognising expertise, not authority. It’s about deferring to knowledge, not power.

It’s a refreshing and empowering approach to leadership and decision-making that I genuinely love and respect! 🙌

Ready to redefine leadership in your organisation?

Let’s shift the focus from control to competence and build a more engaged, effective team.

Reach out to me for a chat, or join my training sessions to learn more. 🚀

Keywords: Competence-Based Hierarchies, Leadership, Decision Making ,

Hashtags: #CompetenceOverPower, #LeadershipEvolution, #InformedDecisionMaking,

General

#Agile, #AgileCoach, # Scrum , #ScrumMaster, #AgileCentre, #ProductOwner, #BusinessAnalyst, #AgileProjectManagement, #BusinessAgility, #ScrumTraining, #AgileProductDevelopment.

I love hierarchies of competence because they’re based on respect. Right, they’re not based on control, they’re not based on telling people what to do. They’re based on recognised competence and capability of the people that are doing the work.

And you, you, you, we naturally defer sometimes to those people or want more information from those folks to help convince us to do things because they’ve demonstrated that knowledge, that they are an expert in that space, that they can add value to the conversation and that perhaps they have a more holistic view of all of the facets of the problem and are better able to make that decision.

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