Task-Level Proximal Development

What is task-level proximal development?

Every task could just be something that needs to get done. Or, alternatively, each task could be viewed as a chance for one of your staff to advance their zone of proximal development. Which is it going to be?

You should give tasks to staff that are in their zone of proximal development. The good news is that you’ve already read about the tools you need to make this happen. If you squint at the diagram in the previous chapter, it looks a bit like the delegation diagram that we covered in the Interfacing with Humans chapter. Delegation can ensure that you give the responsibility for a task to one of your staff while you maintain accountability for it getting done to a high standard and in a timely manner.

By applying what you’ve learned about delegation and the zone of proximal development, you can delegate tasks in such a way that encourages collaboration, teaching, and learning, all the while improving your staff’s skills. Excellent teams have staff that are aware of their zone of proximal development and actively want to do work in it. Those same staff are also actively involved in teaching others that are less knowledgeable than them, thus reciprocating the effect.