Four Categories of Skills

Q. In an example AVI Report you sent me my Skills Profile is like this:

• 13% Instrumental, 17% Interpersonal, 39% Imaginal, 31% System.

I was taught that the fist 2 clusters required Instrumental skills, the next 2 Interpersonal etc. Is that correct? If so, the figures on My Skills Profile are not equal to the sums of the 2 clusters in each skill set as shown on my values map (0 + 2 = 2) (0 + 12 = 12) (16 + 39 = 55) ( 29 + 2 = 31) OR have I been mistaken in my application of this relationship?

A. It's more complex than that. Some values require more than one type of skill:

• Values such as care/nurture, empathy, admin/management, synergy, collaborative/individualist, etc. require interpersonal skills
• Values such as safety/survival, admin/management, design/pattern/order, technology/science, convivial technology, etc. require instrumental skills
• Values such as design/pattern/order, synergy, collaborative/individualist, convivial technology, etc require system skills  
• Values such as creative ideation, convivial technology, pioneerism/progress, etc require imaginal skills

As you can see from these examples there can be no linear link between the cluster scores and the skills scores.

As for the 13 + 17 + 39 + 31 = 100% score in the example. The score just gives you a relative idea of what skills you require in the different categories if you are living your values to the full.

Progressing through the world-views

Q. Is it reasonable to correlate the ‘progression’ of world views from Self-Preservation through Security, Belonging, Organisation, etc to a perceived increase in personal control and personal influence?

It would appear that this progression represents an increasingly outward focus from self to family to organisation to broader community, and ultimately to a global focus on systems generally – is this a reasonable observation?

A. I like to call it an unfolding of world-views rather than progress. Rather than perceived influence, I would say desired influence. It's not everyone's "cup of tea" to operate from a particular set of values -- brain-preference has a lot to do with it:

1. The S-FT's prefer to operate in a world of certainly and thus structure and "things" so they are more likely to place a priority on the values of the first four clusters.
   
2. The F-SNs also like a world of certainty and structure but are more "people" focussed than "things". They prefer to belong to like-minded associations/organisations/institutions and to care for people, so they too prefer values associated with the first four clusters but the ones more people focussed.
3. The T-SNs prefer to invent a new technological world -- i.e. they are motivated by the desire to invent, so they will place a priority on many values from the last four clusters, though not so much the people values.
4. The N-FTs are the social architects. They want to create a better society. They too place a priority on many values found in the last four clusters, though mainly those which are people oriented.

As for the concept of progress, check this out:  http://www.minessence.net/progress/ One can progress, in terms of increased complexity, with any set of values -- "it's not the values we have, rather it's how we live them that matters".