Apply this “human nature” explanation to whatever situation you are struggling with… whether you are a leader of career personnel, volunteer forces or just trying to change the public’s behaviors, consider this from Wikipedia.org
Unconscious incompetence
The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognize their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage. The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.
Conscious incompetence
Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.
Conscious competence
The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.
Unconscious competence
The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.
Behavioral change in one’s self is the easiest to do, followed by changing the behavior of a small group, followed by a larger group, and so forth. Changing the culture of an organization or modifying behaviors of people is not easy. If you are charged with getting people ready for a disaster, it will be an uphill battle but don’t give up. Small changes are occurring even if they are not immediately visable.
