Realizing Collective Capacities to Navigate Complexity

In describing one experimental approach to building organisational capacity for navigating complexities, an evocative testimony about the shift to discovering a collective capability is embedded in a report on a sensitive research inquiry – into how sensing and perceptionsshape unfolding patterns of behaviour and prescribe or circumscribe action potential. The commentary discusses sensing as a tool and the potential role of action research as scientific inquiry into sensing.

Development and Initial Validation of an Acute Readiness Monitoring Scale in Military Personnel

Personnel in many professions must remain “ready” to perform diverse activities. Managing individual and collective capability is a common concern for leadership and decision makers. Typical existing approaches for monitoring readiness involve keeping detailed records of training, health and equipment maintenance, or – less commonly – data from wearable devices that can be difficult to interpret as well as raising privacy concerns. A widely applicable, simple psychometric measure of perceived readiness would be invaluable in generating rapid evaluations of current capability directly from personnel. To develop this measure, we conducted exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 770 Australian military personnel. The 32-item Acute Readiness Monitoring Scale (ARMS) demonstrated good model fit, and comprised nine factors: overall readiness; physical readiness; physical fatigue; cognitive readiness; cognitive fatigue; threat-challenge (i.e., emotional/coping) readiness; skills-and-training readiness; group-team readiness, and equipment readiness. Readiness factors were negatively correlated with recent stress, current negative affect and distress, and positively correlated with resilience, wellbeing, current positive affect and a supervisor’s rating of solider readiness. The development of the ARMS facilitates a range of new research opportunities: enabling quick, simple and easily interpreted assessment of individual and group readiness.

Defining collective capability in Australian evaluations that are conducted by, for and with Indigenous peoples for health programmes, policies and services: a concept analysis protocol

IntroductionIndigenist evaluation is emergent in Australia; the premise of which is that evaluations are undertaken for Indigenous, by Indigenous and with Indigenous people. This provides opportunities to develop new models and approaches. Exploring a collective capability approach could be one way to inform an Indigenist evaluation methodology. Collective capability suggests that a base of skills and knowledges exist, and when these assets come together, empowerment and agency emerge. However, collective capability requires defining as it is not common terminology in population health or evaluation. Our aim is to define the concept of collective capability in Indigenist evaluation in Australia from an Australian Indigenous standpoint.Methods and analysisA modified Rodgers’ evolutionary concept analysis will be used to define collective capability in an Australian Indigenous evaluation context, and to systematically review and synthesise the literature. Approximately 20 qualitative interviews with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge holders will clarify the meaning of collective capability and inform appropriate search strategy terms with a consensus process then used to code the literature. We will then systematically collate, synthesise and analyse the literature to identify exemplars or models of collective capability from the literature.Ethics and disseminationThe protocol has approval from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Ethics Committee, approval no. EO239-20210114. All knowledge holders will provide written consent to participate in the research. This protocol provides a process to developing a concept, and will form the basis of a new framework and assessment tool for Indigenist evaluation practice. The concept analysis will establish definitions, characteristics and attributes of collective capability. Findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal, conference presentations, the project advisory group, the Thiitu Tharrmay reference group and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community partners supporting the project.

Talent Development

The chapter provides an overview of talent development in organizations, including why it is important, whom to invest in materially, and how to identify best practices in the field. We first review literature on talent development in young people. Then elaborate on how nature in the form of emergenic traits and nurture regarding epigenetic experiences interact to shape development. This perspective is applied in understanding focal issues on building organizational capability through talent. State-of-the-art talent development focuses on developing collective capability through the creation of systems, processes, practices, and culture required to achieve strategic objectives sustainably. Talented individuals are integral architects of these types of collective phenomena, responsible for executing, stewarding, and improving them. A comprehensive approach to building organizational capability does not rely on any one—or a few—extraordinarily talented people. It involves development of broad-based organizational capacity for leadership.