Prosocial: an innovative method to create collaborative and productive groups

People are inherently helpful, cooperative, and friendly. For thousands of years, they found ways to work together in small groups and communities for the common good. We care for our loved ones, and we cooperate with people with whom we can jointly create value. The need to belong is a healthy and natural tendency. However, we also have individual needs and interests we want to satisfy. This causes us to be constantly confronted with the human dilemma of acting in the interest of what’s best for me versus acting in the interest of what’s best for others or for the group.

 For example, we might find ourselves asking “Should I spend more time with my family?”, “Should I work a little bit more to become more successful?”, or “Should I donate money to people in need versus buy another pair of jeans for myself?” These are some of the basic choices we are forced to make in our daily lives. It doesn’t mean that one choice is better than the other, or that serving one would not serve the other. In other words, acting in one’s own interest can also benefit the interests of others and vice versa.

 Evolutionary science, specifically multi-selection theory, provides a framework to better make sense of this dilemma. According to this theory, we can be selfish under some conditions and more cooperative in others. In recent years, a group of scientists developed an innovative and effective method of working with small groups based on evolutionary and behavioural science called the Prosocial Model. The founders of this method are Dr. Paul Atkins, an organisational psychologist; Dr. David Sloan Wilson, an evolutionary biologist; and Dr. Steven Hayes, a clinical psychologist. Prosocial is a comprehensive method that helps us create effective and socially equitable groups of all sizes. It enables groups to function more cooperatively and constructively and increases the quality of communication, decision-making, conflict management, trust, and cohesion. By creating groups driven by shared values, Prosocial helps groups achieve increased productivity and satisfaction.

I recently had the privilege of training to become a certified Prosocial Facilitator. As Prosocial facilitators, we work with groups in a variety of areas, including business, social justice and international organisations. Groups that need assistance with conflict management, seamlessly onboarding new members, finding a shared purpose, or effectively applying the agile principles can benefit from Prosocial to a great extent.

 Let me briefly explain how the Prosocial process functions and how your group or team can benefit from the Prosocial method.

The Prosocial Process

The Prosocial process begins by giving people space to discuss and reflect on their individual interests in relation to a group or project. The goal is to answer the questions “What matters to me about this group/team?” and “What do I care most about here?” Prosocial uses powerful tools adapted from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT) to clarify individual interests, values, and goals. This also helps group members learn how to be more accepting of themselves, both the things they love about themselves and the things that cause them pain.    

 After mapping the group members’ individual interests, Prosocial moves to more collective work focusing on a shared purpose and identity. Group members try to find answers to questions such as “What matters to us about this group/team? and “What is our shared purpose?” The aim is to create better communication and interpersonal relationships by learning how to take others’ perspectives, noticing common interests, and moving toward harmony and cohesion.

 Prosocial makes use of eight core design principles derived from the work of Nobel prize-winning economist Elinor Ostrom. These principles were first generalised by David Sloan Wilson, and then refined and adapted to form the Prosocial model. I won’t talk about each and every core design principle in detail here, but in general, these principles attempt to answer the following questions:

·      What is our shared purpose? To what extent do group members feel a sense of belonging?    

·      How can we ensure a win-win situation for all group members around issues such as workload, recognition, or benefits?

·      How can we make decisions so that each group member feels like they have autonomy?

·      How can we increase transparency in order to nourish trust?

·      How can we give more effective feedback to others and increase helpful behaviours?

·      How can we resolve conflicts effectively?

·      How can we give the group a degree of authority to manage its own affairs?

·      How can we make sure the group establishes good relations with other groups?

 Prosocial is an excellent way of helping groups improve in one or more of these areas and balance individual and collective interests. In fact, change in one area clearly affects one or more of the other areas, so working on one core design principle doesn’t necessarily mean that change will be experienced only on that aspect. By using these core principles, the model facilitates effective and collective goal setting and enables group members to take action that moves them towards these goals. Group members learn to support themselves and each other in work to work together in a way that satisfies their individual interests, the interests of the group, and the interests of the larger system of which the group is a part.

Although the Prosocial method is principle-based, it’s also highly flexible, and thus can be modified depending on the needs of a given group. For example, in some groups, trust might be quite low or relationships might be superficial. In such cases, a more extensive focus on identifying individual interests in relation to the group might be more effective. In other cases, group members might lack psychological flexibility, meaning that focusing on principles that are less personal and more task-focused might be more appropriate.

 Prosocial also uses comprehensive tools to assess both how well individuals are doing and the collective functioning of the group. For example, areas such as psychological flexibility, individual wellbeing, trust, commitment, values, goals, and satisfaction can be measured prior to the intervention and then after the intervention to assess changes and effects. The assessment can also give group members insight into their evaluations of themselves and the group with respect to different aspects.

Towards More Prosocial Groups

The world would be a better place if all groups and communities were able to induce joy, meaning, and satisfaction, and if their members could work toward a common purpose in a collaborative way. Many groups dream of better communication, relationships, commitment, cohesion, and trust. Prosocial holds the potential to build such groups and create cultural change based on psychological processes facilitating open communication and engagement. By identifying and clarifying individual and group values and facilitating a move towards these values, Prosocial can assess what is working, what is not working, and how to work out what needs to be done next.

 If you’re interested in learning more about how a Prosocial training can help your group or team, give me a shout. I also highly recommend the book Prosocial* for people who work with small groups and want to help them become more productive and collaborative.

 *Atkins, P. W.B., Wilson, D. S., and Hayes, S.C. (2019). Prosocial: Using evolutionary science to build productive, equitable, and collaborative groups. Context Press.

To learn more about Prosocial, you can visit https://prosocialinstitute.org/ and https://www.prosocial.world