Measuring competences as relational affordances: A methodological proposal for assessing learning of adults in innovation contexts

Abstract

Competence is not an exclusive property of the person. Knowledge, skills and experience contribute to competent action, but their exercise depends above all on the relationships, resources, rules and timeframes of the operational context. The paper explores this perspective by introducing the Relational Potentials Matrix (RPM), a diagnostic framework that links desired impact, observable acts, contextual conditions, evidence, responsibilities and interventions. Its architecture comprises a level of abstraction, a Context Canvas, a matrix of relational potentials and an intervention plan, complemented by a Context Pact. The elementary unit of analysis is the relationship between a condition and a specific act, referred to defined subjects and time windows. Three real applications of the framework, two relating to professional assignments and one to a training programme, illustrate its use in different configurations and show how the same condition can have different effects depending on the act, the mandate and the moment considered. On this basis, the paper proposes that the role of the trainer and the innovator evolve into that of an architect of contexts, called upon to design and negotiate the conditions that allow competences to translate into actual impact.