The current paper defines the ELF communicative competence while considering the global use of English and the diversifi cation of its users. First, I will review the major defi nitions of ‘competence’ provided by infl uential scholars such as Chomsky, Hymes, and Canae & Swain, followed by an alternative view of L2 communicative ability that accommodates the relationship between language and society. Then, the conceptual map of ELF (English as a lingua franca) communicative competence will be presented by adapting ‘a view of language as a dynamic complex adaptive system’ (Larsen-Freeman, 2006, p.195) Finally, emphasizing the social nature of language learning, the paper challenges the norm-conformity authorized in the Japanese ELT context and argues for the necessity of conceptual reform rather than curriculum change.