COMPETENCY
COMPETENCY:
Navigating Complexity Description:
This is the second
installment of a regular
short feature that aims to
dive more deeply into the AFA
Core Competencies. In each issue, this
feature is developed in collaboration with the
Supporting collegiate fraternal organizations involves multiple functional areas and complex issues that have multiple causes and contributors with no perfect or obvious solutions. Fraternity/ sorority professionals must be able to acknowledge, navigate, make quality decisions, and lead through these complex issues. This includes:
AFA Professional Development Committee to assist
association members in applying the Core Competencies
within their professional development. Each installment focuses
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Embracing complexity: Including seeing the big picture, recognizing multiple influences and their interdependencies, accepting conflicting information, avoiding over-simplifying situations, and acknowledging the limits of one’s knowledge and abilities. Note: This falls fourth in the top 10 self-rated competencies among AFA members.
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Thinking critically about situations: Including avoiding personal bias, collecting multiple perspectives, searching for conflicting evidence, considering multiple and counterintuitive strategies, consulting research, theory, and good practice, identifying sources of leverage, evaluating intended and unintended consequences, and realistically anticipating long-term impact of decisions. Note: This falls third in the top 10 self-rated competencies among AFA members.
•
Making decisions in complex situations: Including determining priorities for decision-making, identifying sources of leverage, implementing others’ ideas, eliminating lowimpact options, eliminating one’s own ideas, recognizing the limits of one’s influence, overcoming analysis paralysis, establishing support, acting with incomplete information, and relying on collaboration and interdependencies. Note: This falls tenth in the top 10 self-rated competencies among AFA members.
on one competency and provides specific and tangible examples of how to apply the competency to enhance one’s development.
NAVIGATING COMPLEXITY DURING UNCERTAIN TIMES This year (2020) has required fraternity/sorority professionals to navigate a
series of complex and uncertain situations. Fortunately, most AFA members are prepared for this: more than 74 percent rate themselves as Level 3 (practicing) or Level 4 (proficiency) in the three competencies that make up the area titled
“Navigating Complexity.”
Although AFA Core Competencies self-assessment data shows we maintain the skills to navigate complexity, how do we translate those skills into practice … especially in difficult moments when they’re needed most?
In response to this, Chris Jefferson, director for the Office of Fraternity
and Sorority Life at Pennsylvania State University, noted sorority/fraternity
professionals are well-versed in navigating complexity due to the regularity
of considering a broad constituency in decision making. Specifically he said,
“Compartmentalization, prioritization, and recognition of when other experts need to weigh in will be important tactics to aid professionals during these challenging times.”
Jess Turuc, director of fraternity and sorority life at the University of Utah, also weighed in on this question. Jess referenced the quote “If you stay ready, you never have to get prepared,” and spoke to how professionals in fraternity/
sorority affairs regularly address difficult conversations and topics, but rarely
when there is no end in sight. Despite this, Jess said, “I believe fraternity/sorority professionals are uniquely positioned to handle this current situation because we ‘stay ready’ through both professional development opportunities and the deep and supportive relationships we have with others in the industry. As a result, we are always ready to address complex situations.”
