Transcript groups - Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

Progress Report on PROSOCIAL:
A Practical Framework for Improving the Efficacy of Groups
David Sloan Wilson
President, Evolution Institute
SUNY Distinguished Professor
Binghamton University
Feb 20 2014
Theme of ACBS XII: Using Contextual Behavioral
Science for Large Scale Behavior Change
• Integrating CBS with evolutionary theory is a giant step in
this direction.
• This integration is in full swing.
• Entering a new phase through PROSOCIAL.
• PROSOCIAL is structured so that virtually any ACBS
member can become involved.
• Workshop on PROSOCIAL will be held on Friday in the
Grand Portage Ballroom (2:45-5:45).
Background
• Binghamton Neighborhood Project
(2006)
• Evolution Institute (2007)
• Expand evolutionary theory beyond
the biological sciences to
understand (basic science) and
improve (applied science) the
human condition.
Background (cont.)
Tony Biglan
Dennis Embry
Steve Hayes
We “discover” each other and start integrating Contextual Behavioral
Science with evolutionary theory among ourselves.
Background (cont.)
• Elinor Ostrom received Nobel prize
in economics in 2009 for showing
that groups are capable of
governing themselves—but only if
they possess certain design
principles.
• I work with Ostrom and Michael
Cox to generalize the design
principles approach from an
evolutionary perspective.
Academic Publications
• Wilson, D. S., & Gowdy, J. M.
(2013). Evolution as a general
theoretical framework for
economics and public policy.
Journal of Economic Behavior &
Organization, 90, S3–S10.
• Wilson, D. S., Ostrom, E., & Cox,
M. E. (2013). Generalizing the
core design principles for the
efficacy of groups. Journal of
Economic Behavior &
Organization, 90, S21–S32.
Academic Publications
• Wilson, D. S., Hayes, S. C., Biglan,
A., & Embry, D. (2014). Evolving
the Future: Toward a Science of
Intentional Change. Behavioral
and Brain Sciences, in press.
• Target article with 24 commentaries
and reply.
• #1 journal in the behavioral
sciences.
• Impact factor 18.57
Capturing the Intellectual High Ground
• For the first time, a unified
theoretical perspective exists
for attempting positive
change at all scales, from
individuals to the global
village.
• Contextual Behavioral Science
is central to the theoretical
framework.
CBS-ET Connections
• CBS focus on functional contextualismET focus
on adaptation to environment.
• ACT focus on increasing psychological flexibility
and committed action ET focus on variation and
selection.
• RFT focus on symbolic systems ET focus on
symbolic thought as an inheritance system.
Added value
• ACT and RFT help evolutionary theory become
less gene-centric.
• ET concepts such as Tinbergen’s four questions,
multilevel selection theory, and gene-culture coevolution relatively new to CBS.
Making Groups Work
All groups whose members are trying to work together to
achieve common goals are faced with a common set of
problems.
• Coordinate appropriate action for the task at hand.
• Suppress disruptive self-serving behaviors within the group.
• Avoid interference and cultivate appropriate relations with
other groups.
This is true for all social species, not just humans.
Core Design Principles Derived by Elinor
Ostrom for Common-Pool Resource Groups
1) Strong group identity and
purpose
2) Proportional equivalence of
costs and benefits
3) Consensus decision making
4) Monitoring
5) Graduated sanctions
6) Fast, fair conflict resolution
7) Local autonomy
8) Polycentric governance
among groups
Generalizing the Core Design Principles
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Strong group identity and
purpose
Proportional equivalence of
costs and benefits
Consensus decision making
Monitoring
Graduated sanctions
Fast, fair conflict resolution
Local autonomy
Polycentric governance
among groups
• Coordinate appropriate
action for the task at
hand (1,3).
• Suppress disruptive selfserving behaviors within
the group (2-6).
• Avoid interference and
cultivate appropriate
relations with other
groups (7-8).
Some observations
• The core design principles are intuitive.
• Some groups adopt them without requiring
coaching.
• Some change methods have converged upon them.
• Yet, they are sadly lacking from many groups and
change methods.
Why don’t more groups employ the design principles?
• Conflicts of interest within the group.
• Conflicts of interest in the multi-group environment.
• Competing narratives (especially the Homo
economicus narrative in business, economics, and
international affairs).
More observations
• The design principles are a bit like the organs of
your body. You need all of them and removing
any one results in death, or at least a severely
compromised group.
• Each design principle can be implemented in many
ways.
• The best implementation is highly contextual.
• The design principles cannot be implemented in a
cookie-cutter fashion.
Evidence for the Efficacy of the Design Principles Approach
• Expanding upon Ostrom’s method.
• Implementations.
Expanding Upon Ostrom’s Method
• Ostrom and her associates reviewed the literature on CPR
groups around the world.
• Highly diffuse and mostly qualitative literature.
• Still able to estimate the performance of the groups in relation
to the design principles.
• This can be repeated for other kinds of groups.
• Businesses
• Charter Schools
• Neighborhoods
• Intentional communities
• Volunteer organizations
• Nations
Example: Analysis of Benefit Corporations
B Lab
• An organization that certifies corporations for their social
accountability.
• Conducts an extensive audit.
• Provides a database comparable to the one that Ostrom
compiled for CPR groups.
• We are studying the performance of B Corps with respect to
their internal social organization and the multi-group
ecosystem that they inhabit.
• The design principles are equally relevant at both levels.
Another Example: Intentional Communities
Comparison of Nations
States within the USA
Interventions: The School Social Environment
1) Strong group identity and
purpose
2) Proportional equivalence of
costs and benefits
3) Consensus decision making
4) Monitoring
5) Graduated sanctions
6) Fast, fair conflict resolution
7) Local autonomy
8) Polycentric governance
among groups
State Mandated Exams
The Neighborhood Social Environment
Neighborhood Park as Common-pool Resource
Richmond Ave Neighborhood, Buffalo NY
Roy Oakerson, trained under Ostrom
Richmond Ave Neighborhood, Buffalo NY
Cooperatively Owned Garden Center
Richmond Ave Neighborhood, Buffalo NY
Interim Summary
• Design Principles Approach provides a blueprint for
improving the efficacy of groups.
• Strong theoretical foundation.
• Accumulating empirical support.
• Relevant to nearly any group whose members must
work together to achieve common goals.
The Next Challenge
• To make the design principles approach available to
as many groups as possible worldwide.
• To create a scientific database from these groups to
further improve our knowledge of group efficacy.
• A practical framework for improving the efficacy of groups.
• A scientific database.
• An internet platform and network of facilitators that can
potentially reach an unlimited number of groups.
The Development Team
• Tony Biglan
• Joseph Ciarrochi
• Steve Hayes
• Alan Honick (documentary filmmaker)
• Jerry Miller (ED of the Evolution Institute)
• Kevin Polk
• David Sloan Wilson
Group Facilitators
• Each group is expected to work with a facilitator.
• Anyone experienced at working with groups can serve as
facilitator.
• We supply the specific training.
• ACT/RFT training especially useful as preparation.
• >6000 ACBS members could provide a worldwide network
of PROSOCIAL facilitators right away.
• A new source of clients in addition to individual clients.
Current Status of the Project
• Training manual and other training material
completed.
• IRB approval obtained.
• Assembling a cohort of facilitators, drawn largely
(but not entirely) from ACBS (N=28 and
counting).
• Website created for the development team and
coordinators to interact with each other, as the
start of a multi-group internet platform.
• Ready to begin working with groups.
How the design principles are
introduced to the groups
• Two sessions.
• First session devoted entirely to design principle 1
(strong group identity and understanding of
purpose).
• Second session devoted to the other core design
principles and auxiliary design principles.
• Why the imbalance? Because creating a strong
group identity, clarifying the purpose of the
group, and becoming mindful of things that get in
the way are paramount.
ACT and the first design principle
• Most groups have an explicit purpose (e.g., to
improve school performance, to create a park).
• Behind the explicit purpose is a set of more general
values and goals.
• Moving in a valued direction is not always easy
because of thoughts and emotions that get in the
way.
• The same techniques that increase psychological
flexibility and the selection of most valued
behaviors in individuals can be employed in
groups.
Kevin Polk
The ACT Matrix
The Other Core Design Principles…
…and Auxiliary Design Priciples.
Visualizing What Needs to be Done
Formulating Short Term Goals
• Short term goals should be feasible and quantifiable.
• Entire process repeated at periodic intervals.
The Rapid Results Method
A method for accelerating change that is highly consistent
with the design principle approach
Outputs for the Database
• Form 1: Group description and demographics.
• Form 2: Words and phrases invoked by discussion of the
Matrix.
• Form 3: Facilitator report on discussion of the Matrix.
• Form 4: Ratings by group members of the core and
auxiliary design principles.
• Form 5: Ratings by the facilitator of the core and auxiliary
design principles.
• Form 6: List of short-term actionable goals with outcomes
as measurable as possible.
• Form 7: Minutes of group meetings, including attendance.
• Form 8: Psychological flexibility survey.
Documentary Output
• For training purposes.
• Full-length documentary in
mind.
• To allow groups to chronicle
their progress in their own
words and images, in
addition to hard numbers.
Alan Honick
Becoming involved…
• Any ACBS member can become trained as a PROSOCIAL
Facilitator.
• Can join the cohort of facilitators test-driving the method
during its current phase.
• The same energy and growth that infuses ACBS can infuse
PROSOCIAL.
• Attend the workshop tomorrow at 2:45 in this room for
more.
Progress Report on PROSOCIAL:
A Practical Framework for Improving the Efficacy of Groups
David Sloan Wilson
President, Evolution Institute
SUNY Distinguished Professor
Binghamton University
Feb 20 2014