How to Coach Yourself and Others Essential Knowledge For Coaching | Page 252

matches the definitions within what we know as the conscious
competence model, although it refers to the stages as 'skilled and
unskilled', rather than 'competence and incompetence'.
Interestingly many people prefer the words skilled/unskilled
terms because they are less likely to offend people. Gordon
Training have confirmed to me that they did use the terminology
competent/incompetent prior to redefining the terminology, but
they did not develop the matrix presentation of the concept, and
it remains unclear where the 'competence' originally term came
from, and whether it pre-dated the Gordon model, or was a
subsequent interpretation. The California-based Gordon
Training organisation, founded by Dr Thomas Thomas Gordon,
states that their Learning Stages model (called 'The Four Stages
for Learning Any New Skill') was developed by former GTI
employee, Noel Burch over 30 years ago. To what extent GTI and
Noel Burch based their Learning Stages concept on earlier ideas
is not clear - perhaps none, perhaps a little. Whatever, Gordon
Training International certainly seem today to be the most
commonly referenced source in connection with the conscious
competence ('skilled/unskilled learning stages') theory.
Here are some other suggestions and comments about the
conscious competence model's origins.
Many people compare the Conscious Competence model with
Ingham and Luft's Johari Window, which is a similarly elegant
2x2 matrix. Johari deals with self-awareness; Conscious
Competence with learning stages. The models are different, and
Ingham and Luft most certainly were not responsible for the
Conscious Competence concept.
Some know the conscious competence matrix better as the
'conscious competence learning ladder', and I've received a
specific suggestion (ack Sue Turner) that the learning model was
originated in this 'ladder' form by someone called Kogg;

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