Constructive Developmental Framework

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The Constructive Developmental Framework (CDF) is a psychological development theory and the corresponding assessment tool that is based on empirical research.

The CDF methodology is based on the assumption that each individual actively constructs his own “world”, which is different from other world models and is in the making for a lifetime. The CDF methodology comprises three assessment instruments , one each for the socio-emotional and cognitive development of a person, and one for the psychological profile. CDF's empirical methodology is based on research that began 40 years ago at the Kohlberg School . This methodology has been expanded since 1998 by Otto Laske through the dialectical thinking of the Frankfurt School and Hegel's philosophy. This expansion is particularly evident in the fact that CDF strictly distinguishes between social-emotional and cognitive development and empirically relates the two to one another.

CDF at a glance

The assessment according to CDF shows three essential aspects of a person: The social-emotional development (SE), the cognitive development (KE) and the behavioral psychological profile, which shows the needs and stress factors of a person (BS). These three dimensions of CDF differ according to their degree of generality, i.e. their significance with regard to the uniqueness of a person. The social-emotional profile remains relatively general and abstract in CDF and is applicable to thousands of people at the same level. In contrast to this, the cognitive profile, which makes statements about a person's dialectical thinking, is more precisely tailored to a person. The behavioral psychological profile, which also takes into account the psychodynamic characteristics of a person, has the most individual character. In order to do justice to an individual person, all three dimensions of the person must be determined in a triangulation . In addition, the specific characteristics must be interpreted in the light of the more general characteristics.

Cognitive development

Epochs of thought development

According to Piaget , thinking in children develops in four stages, which he calls senso-motoric, pre-operational, concrete-operational and formal-operational. The development of formal-operational thinking lasts until around the age of 25. Research into the Piaget successor focuses on Kohlberg's now famous question : is there life after 25? According to the CDF, the development of thought in adults shows itself in the development of dialectical thinking .

Adult thinking progresses in phases from common sense to understanding, then to reason, and finally to practical wisdom. The first three epochs of thought development can be assigned to the thought systems of Locke , Kant and Hegel , each presuppose the previous thought system and find the provisional conclusion in a form of practical wisdom. The loop leads back to a higher level of common sense.

Four classes of dialectical modes of thought

The dialectic tradition of thought understands the world as a diverse whole that is constantly changing. This interplay of opposites in the real world cannot simply be grasped with static terms. If one differentiates between “world” and “thinking”, one can say that thinking follows reality and only rarely really reaches it. Following Bhaskar and Basseches, CDF distinguishes four quadrants of dialectic, or classes of dialectical forms of thought:

  • Process (P) - constant change: This form of thinking describes how things or systems arise and then disappear again.
  • Context (K) - stable structure: This form of thinking describes how a whole is structured or how a thing is embedded in a larger whole. This also includes different perspectives on the whole.
  • Relation (R) - unity in diversity: This form of thinking describes internal and external relationships of a system and their common basis.
  • Transformation (T) - balance and advancement. This way of thinking describes how a system remains in equilibrium and develops further, possibly through the collapse of the previous system.

CDF also distinguishes seven individual ways of thinking for each class, a total of 28 ways of thinking, which represent a new formulation of Basseches' schemes.

A person's cognitive profile

The cognitive profile shows how well the flexibility of thinking and thinking in context are developed. The cognitive profile of a person is recorded in CDF with the help of a one-hour interview. An interview is a semi-structured encounter between two people in which one of them takes on the task of in-depth understanding by asking questions. The cognitive interview explores how far someone has grown beyond purely logical thinking. So it presupposes logical thinking and tests how far this is applied dialectically by the speaker. The four quadrants of the dialectic are used as the basis for researching the cognitive profile.

According to CDF, "deep" thinking is characterized by the following characteristics:

  • a balanced use of thought forms of all four classes of dialectical thought forms (P, K, R; T),
  • a high index of systems thinking, d. H. for using transformative forms of thought (T) as well
  • a balanced relationship between critical and constructive ways of thinking: (P + R) vs. (K + T).

Social-emotional development

Stages of adult development

According to Robert Kegan , human consciousness is determined by two main aspirations, namely wanting to be autonomous on the one hand and wanting to belong to a group on the other. As humans, we are “subject” to these tendencies in the sense that we do not have them under control but are determined by them. In addition, these two tendencies are at odds with each other, and their relationship changes over a lifetime.

  • Level 2: needs and desires rule. 'Two Worlds' Hypothesis.
  • Level 3: 'Common world' hypothesis based on expectations of others.
  • Level 4: autonomous decisions with respect for the diversity of others; 'My world' hypothesis.
  • Level 5: committed to no particular aspect of self, attentive to the flow of events.

In addition to the main social and emotional levels, CDF also distinguishes between intermediate levels. Intermediate levels are subject to the double influence of the lower and upper levels and are therefore conflictual or at least unbalanced.

Consciousness oscillates between the levels and no one lives on a single level. Rather, there is a focus of development to which the next lower and upper levels follow. The levels below the development focus are referred to as risk in CDF and the levels above as potential, which the "Risk-Clarity-Potential Index" (RKP) precisely represents and thus creates a basis for coaching plans.

Epistemic position

Social-emotional and cognitive development are internally linked. The link is what is known as the epistemic position. The epistemic position determines the idea that someone has of “knowledge” and “truth” and therefore shapes the ability to deal with vagueness and uncertainty in one's own knowledge. According to CDF, thinking comprises two essential components, on the one hand the attitude to the world and on the other hand the tools of thinking. Attitude encompasses the socio-emotional level and the epistemic position. The tools are forms of thought, be they logical or dialectical.

A person's socio-emotional profile

The social-emotional development profile shows what is emotionally important for a person in everyday life and at work. The social-emotional profile is the result of a social-emotional interview, which is also called the subject-object interview after Robert Kegan . The interview is a projective test, as the interviewee is given the opportunity to “project” himself into certain key words that make up the interview. Keywords such as success, change, control, limits, outsiders, frustration, risk, etc., which are selected as relevant by the interviewee themselves, are used. In the social-emotional interview, the interviewer behaves as a listener who focuses the interview partner's attention on himself. Epistemologically relevant excerpts are then selected from the interview transcript and analyzed with regard to the stages of development.

Psycho-dynamic development

Applied and potential work ability

The theory of work in CDF is based on the preliminary work of Elliott Jaques . According to Jacques, work is defined as reflective judgment in the pursuit of goals within certain time limits. This definition emphasizes the importance of mental processes at work and the time horizon for which a person has to make decisions. While this is a purely cognitive definition of work, CDF considers the socio-emotional aspects of work to be equivalent to the cognitive aspects.

Work ability is not the same as work capacity, but determines it. CDF distinguishes between applied and potential work ability. Potential work ability determines what a person IS, while applied work ability (capacity) determines what a person HAS. A person can at any time decide not to use their potential work ability, or circumstances can prevent them from developing them fully. In terms of potential work ability, CDF also differentiates between the currently available and the future work ability.

Adult human CDF model

The adult human CDF model brings together two giants of psychological research: Piaget and Freud. Jean Piaget 's theory is based on the cognitive and socio-emotional development models that were further developed by Lawrence Kohlberg , Robert Kegan , Michael Basseches, Elliott Jaques and Otto Laske. Sigmund Freud ’s theory is based on the psychological behavior profile, which is determined using a needs-stress analysis and was developed by Henry Murray and his student Morris Aderman. The need-stress analysis understands a person as an energy system in the Freudian sense. It assumes that a person has deep-seated, subjective needs and reacts to internal pressures from the superego and external pressures from the environment. This pressure creates psychological stress for the person.

From a developmental point of view, the results of the need-stress analysis represent signs of the ego. The ego's task is to mediate between the claims of the id, the superego and the real world. CDF helps psychologists and coaches to clarify the situation in line with Freund's “Where it is, I shall become”.

The psychological behavior profile

The psychological behavior profile shows what ideas and attitudes a person currently has about their own work and whether they can use their psychological energy effectively at work. In CDF, the psychological profile is ascertained through the online questionnaire of the need-stress analysis (need-press analysis).

The questionnaire collects the values ​​for three groups of psychological variables: self-behavior, task behavior and interpersonal behavior. The organizational stress can either be ideal or current. Ideal stress shows a person's professional aspirations and organizational values, while current stress is determined by the person's current experiences in an organization or other cultural context. The needs-stress profile of the online questionnaire provides three values ​​for each variable: the individual needs-stress inventory, the ideal organizational climate for a person and the organizational climate actually experienced. From the results of the online test, two indices of psychological behavior can be calculated: the energy loss and the degree of frustration at work.

With the help of the needs-stress analysis, comparisons can be made between certain occupational groups such as managers. It can also be used to examine the cultural climate in a company.

Coaching as process consulting

Coaching as professional help requires theoretical foundations. All professional help is based on a model of the client, patient or student being “helped”. CDF is a diagnostic that is suitable for process consulting in the sense of Edgar Schein . The process advisor is not primarily responsible for the results, but rather to support a person effectively and sustainably in their intellectual process. In contrast to other forms of consulting, coaching as process consulting primarily affects the internal, not the external, workplace. The inner workplace is the place where one decides what work means for one's own life and how it is to be accomplished.

The three main questions customers ask are: How can I improve my current performance? What can i know and do? What should I do and for whom? From the CDF's perspective, a distinction can be made between behavioral and developmental coaching. Behavioral coaching is used to improve current performance, as an applied work ability. Development coaching, on the other hand, serves to illuminate and develop the available and expected potential in relation to a person's cognitive and socio-emotional development. In principle, self-knowledge has priority over performance, as this is ultimately the basis for performance.

Development of a prop organization

According to Elliott Jaques , human organizations are structured according to responsibilities. Each level of responsibility defines a certain size of the role. The size of a role is determined by the complexity of the work that a person has to master in this role. A person's size corresponds to their ability to work. A requisite organization is now defined by the fact that the size of the person corresponds to the size of the role for each position. Requisite organizations thus reconcile two architectures: the capability architecture and the responsibility architecture.

In a prop organization, the ability to work determines the level of responsibility. A person's ability to work is in turn shaped by their cognitive and social-emotional development. Adult development levels are a link between individuals and organizations. They also indirectly determine the organizational culture , at least insofar as it is shaped by upper management.

According to CDF, requisite organizations are structured according to the social, emotional and cognitive level of development of their employees. The higher the organizational responsibility of an employee, the more systemic-dialectical thinking and foresight are required. A person's level of development can be recorded in CDF through cognitive and social-emotional assessments. The assessments then serve as the basis for both individual and organizational development.

literature

  • Michael Basseches: Dialectical thinking and adult development . Ablex Publishing, Norwood, NJ 1984, ISBN 0-89391-017-1 .
  • Roy Bhaskar: Dialectic. The pulse of freedom . Verso, London / New York 1993, ISBN 0-86091-368-6 .
  • August Hager: Personality development becomes measurable: discovering and measuring hidden dimensions of human work. In: Business Psychology. No. 1/2010, ISSN  1615-7729 , pp. 17-23.
  • Elliott Jaques: Requisite organization: the CEO's guide to creative structure and leadership . Cason Hall, Arlington, VA 1989, ISBN 0-9621070-0-X .
  • Elliott Jaques: The life and behavior of living organisms. A general theory. Praeger, London 2002, ISBN 0-275-97501-0 .
  • Robert Kegan: The evolving self: problem and process in human development . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 1982, ISBN 0-674-27231-5 .
  • Robert Kegan: In over our heads: the mental demands of modern life . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 1994, ISBN 0-674-44588-0 .
  • Patricia M. King, Karen S. Kitchener: Developing reflective judgment . Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA 1994, ISBN 1-55542-629-8 .
  • Otto E. Laske: Transformative effects of coaching on executives' professional agenda. PsyD dissertation. Bell & Howell Company, Boston, MI 1999.
  • Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. The art and science of fully engaging adults . Volume 1, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2006, ISBN 0-9776800-0-2 .
  • Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization . Volume 2, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 .
  • Otto E. Laske: Recognize, awaken and measure human potential. Handbook of development-oriented advice . Volume 1, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2010, ISBN 978-0-9826238-0-0 .
  • Otto E. Laske (Ed.): The Constructive Developmental Framework - Work Ability and Adult Development. In: Business Psychology. No. 1/2010, ISSN  1615-7729 .
  • Otto E. Laske: À la découverte du potentiel humain: Les processus de développement naturel de l'adulte. Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Gloucester, MA 2012.
  • Pia Neiwert: Executive development in school management with the approach of the Constructive Developmental Framework. In: Business Psychology. No. 1/2010, ISSN  1615-7729 , pp. 51-56.
  • Jean Ogilvie: Cognitive Development: A New Focus in Working with Leaders. In: Business Psychology. No. 1/2010, ISSN  1615-7729 , pp. 70-75.
  • Edgar H. Schein: Process Consultation Revisited . Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA 1999, ISBN 0-201-34596-X .
  • Simone Schweikert: CDF as an educational tool for people in the age of the knowledge economy. In: Business Psychology. No. 1/2010, ISSN  1615-7729 , pp. 90-95.
  • Nick Shannon: CDF: Towards a Decision Science for Organizational Human Resources? A Practitioner's View. In: Business Psychology. No. 1/2010, ISSN  1615-7729 , pp. 34-38.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization . Volume 2. Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 , p. 164.
  2. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization. Volume 2, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 , p. 120.
  3. ^ Roy Bhaskar: Dialectic. The pulse of freedom. Verso, London / New York 1993, ISBN 0-86091-368-6 .
  4. ^ Michael Basseches: Dialectical thinking and adult development. Ablex Publishing, Norwood, NJ 1984, ISBN 0-89391-017-1 .
  5. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization. Volume 2, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 , p. 224.
  6. ^ Michael Basseches: Dialectical thinking and adult development. Ablex Publishing, Norwood, NJ 1984, ISBN 0-89391-017-1 .
  7. ^ Robert Kegan: The evolving self: problem and process in human development. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 1982, ISBN 0-674-27231-5 .
  8. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. The art and science of fully engaging adults. Volume 1, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2006, ISBN 0-9776800-0-2 , p. 31.
  9. ↑ Otto Laske: Editorial: The Constructive Developmental Framework - Work Ability and Adult Development. In: Business Psychology. No. 1, 2010, pp. 3-16. (PDF; 794 kB)
  10. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization. Volume 2, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 , p. 138.
  11. ^ Robert Kegan: The evolving self: problem and process in human development. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 1982, ISBN 0-674-27231-5 .
  12. ^ Elliott Jaques: Requisite organization: the CEO's guide to creative structure and leadership. Cason Hall, Arlington, VA 1989, ISBN 0-9621070-0-X .
  13. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization. Volume 2, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 , p. 57.
  14. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization. Volume 2, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 , p. 419.
  15. ^ Edgar H. Schein: Process Consultation Revisited. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA 1999, ISBN 0-201-34596-X .
  16. ^ Elliott Jaques: Requisite organization: the CEO's guide to creative structure and leadership. Cason Hall, Arlington, VA 1989, ISBN 0-9621070-0-X .
  17. ^ Otto E. Laske: Measuring hidden dimensions. Foundations of requisite organization. Volume 2, Interdevelopmental Institute Press, Medford, MA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9776800-6-1 , p. 84.

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