Dreyfus model of skill acquisition - Simplified

In theory, there are 5 stages of skill acquisition.

1. Novice

• "rigid adherence to taught rules or plans"
• no exercise of "discretionary judgment"

2. Advanced beginner

• limited "situational perception"
• all aspects of work treated separately with equal importance

3. Competent

• "coping with crowdedness" (multiple activities, accumulation of information)
• some perception of actions in relation to goals
• deliberate planning
• formulates routines

4. Proficient

• holistic view of situation
• prioritizes importance of aspects
• "perceives deviations from the normal pattern"
• employs maxims for guidance, with meanings that adapt to the situation at hand

5. Expert

• transcends reliance on rules, guidelines, and maxims
• "intuitive grasp of situations based on deep, tacit understanding"
• has "vision of what is possible"
• uses "analytical approaches" in new situations or in case of problems

 And this is how Seth Godin simplify these stages..

1. Novice
--wants to be given a manual, told what to do, with no decisions possible

2. Advanced beginner
--needs a bit of freedom, but is unable to quickly describe a hierarchy of which parts are more important than others

3. Competent
--wants the ability to make plans, create routines and choose among activities

4. Proficient
--the more freedom you offer, the more you expect, the more you'll get

5. Expert
--writes the manual, doesn't follow it.
If you treat an expert like a novice, you'll fail.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_model_of_skill_acquisition
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/10/getting-smart-about-the-hierarchy-of-smart.html