capability

Capability refers to the potential or power of an agent to perform actions, achieve goals, or produce outcomes given appropriate conditions and resources. It emphasizes what could be done, rather than necessarily what is currently being done, and it can apply to individuals, organizations, systems, or technologies. Realization of a capability depends on access to enabling factors such as information, skills, tools, and opportunities.

Etymology: capability comes from Latin capabilis “able to be seized or taken,” via Old French capability, from capere “to take.” In modern use, it covers both the capacity to act and the actual ability to act when conditions permit.

In philosophy and social theory, the capability approach, articulated by Amartya Sen and expanded by Martha Nussbaum, centers on the real freedoms people have to lead lives they have reason to value. It contrasts with resource- or utility-centered assessments by focusing on substantive opportunities.

In management, organizational capabilities are the routines, skills, and processes that enable a firm to perform activities and create value. Dynamic capabilities describe the ability to integrate, adapt, and reconfigure resources in changing environments.

In computing, capabilities are unforgeable tokens of authority that grant access to objects or operations, used in capability-based security. Historical uses include capability lists and capability-based addressing in operating systems.

Common distinctions include capability, capacity, ability, and competence. Capacity often denotes potential within a system; ability is skill or talent; competence combines knowledge, skill, and behavior in performing tasks.

Examples: a person’s capability to learn a language; a company’s capability to innovate; a software system’s capability to access restricted data with a valid token.