Mastery fosters accomplishment, well-being, better interpersonal relationships, and other outcomes of digital thriving.
- Mastery in digital thriving is the feel-good process of getting good.
- In the Playbook, mastery includes the concepts of competency and proficiency.
- Creating digital spaces that support mastery can contribute to digital thriving.
- Competition should be a proof point of mastery, not the whole point.
What is mastery?
There seem to be two schools of thought about the meaning of mastery:
- School #1 — The general school of thought views mastery as getting increasingly good at something difficult.
- School #2 — The field of psychology views mastery as the sense of satisfaction a person gets when they’ve done something well that was initially difficult.
One school sees mastery in terms of getting good, while the other sees mastery in terms of feeling good. Each view points to feelings produced by digital thriving; namely accomplishment (getting good) and well-being (feeling good). Additionally both schools recognize that mastery is more of a process than a goal.
With this in mind, we propose a single definition that incorporates all the above concepts:
Mastery is the feel-good process of getting good.
What’s the difference between mastery, proficiency, competency, and fluency?
Mastery, proficiency, competency, fluency — their differences are arguably a matter of opinion. So, we believe it’s fair to offer our own opinion here.
Fluency may refer to a high-level of proficiency in speaking a language; the ease with which a person processes information; or the ability to generate ideas, associations, and connections — an important dimension of creativity. Because the term can mean very different things, we won’t use fluency often in the Playbook.
The remaining words — mastery, proficiency, and competency — can be thought of as a progression that roughly divides the path of mastery into phases:
- Competency — Working level of skill
- Proficiency — High level of skill
- Mastery — Highest level of skill
For convenience, we will mostly use the word “mastery” for all the above concepts.
Mastery vs. competition
Some argue that competition is the entire point of mastery. This is a conflicting perspective.
- Mastery rewards people intrinsically for sticking to the process.
- Competition rewards people extrinsically for beating another person or group.
Mastery and competition simply reward people differently. Though external rewards can offer some a short-term boost, mastery requires intrinsic motivation.
Furthermore, the extrinsic nature of competition can decrease people’s intrinsic desire for mastery. Being winning-oriented works against being mastery-oriented, though the reverse isn’t quite true. Testing your mastery, a natural part of the process, can lead to winning while still producing a sense of well-being.
How do we resolve this?
For the purpose of digital thriving, we propose that competition is a proof point of mastery, not the whole point. Competition should therefore be viewed as an opportunity to identify ways to improve.
What does mastery mean to developers?
If mastery is something you’re thinking about as a developer, consider the following:
- Mastery-oriented values — An environment that emphasizes learning for learning’s sake will dampen concerns about outperforming others and enhance intrinsic motivation.
- Practice spaces — Provide spaces where skills can be analyzed and honed. Give players data and feedback so they can gauge where they’re doing well and where they can improve.
- Mastery curves — Mastery needs variety. Strive to always give players something else to learn.
- Healthy competition — Create spaces that put their mastery to the test with the priority of doing well above winning. Celebrate personal improvement alongside competitive victories.
- Mentor systems — Consider either building or pointing towards systems that help veteran players connect with and guide newer players. Every master had a coach at some point!
- Carefully positioned progression and leaderboards — If not used carefully, progression systems and leaderboards can encourage negative behaviors by motivating players to improve their status more than their skill. Consider making these secondary feedback mechanisms.
What does good look like?
In order to gauge success, consider the following success and warning signs of mastery:
| Success signs | Warning signs | |
| Individual | Deliberate practice Obeys the rules Organized Courage Patience Persistence Gracefulness Curiosity Desire to improve | Quick-fix mentality Cheating Disorganized Fear Impatience Giving up early Clumsiness Apathy Requires bribes to improve |
| Group | Explores new ways Open communication Creates space for excellence | Resists new approaches Dominating or avoiding discussion Encourages cheating |
| Community | Views mastery as necessary, positive, and the result of effort Diverse network of experts, peers, and mentors Values growth and change | Views mastery as unnecessary, out of reach, too much work Shuns experts, belittles education and knowledge Values winning above all |
Now what?
Read more about other behaviors that are important to digital thriving in Introduction to Productive Behaviors.
References
- Stack Exchange. (2012). Difference between “mastery”, “proficiency” and “familiarity.”
- Green, R. (2012). Mastery.
- Henry, T. (2011). The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice.
- Kohn, A. (1992). No Contest: The Case Against Competition.
- Leonard, G. (1992). Mastery.
- Pink, D. (2011). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
