This document discusses third-order change as a systems theory approach for community psychology. It defines three orders of change - first, second, and third order. First order change relies on established paradigms and makes incremental adjustments. Second order change alters social contexts and paradigms. Third order change represents a fundamental paradigm shift through developing critical consciousness, capacity building, and reflexivity. The goal of third order change is to create innovative, adaptive systems through ongoing questioning and evaluation.

1. Third-Order Change
As a Systems Theory
for Community Psychology
American Psychological Association
Christopher Beasley, PhD, MA
2016
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RESEARCH TEAM

2. • Objects & Environments
– Relationship between elements
• 3rd order change as systems theory
– Interaction between communities & paradigms in
which problems are embedded
Systems Theory
Von Bertalanffy, 1968

3. • Reducing stagnation
• Anticipation & reaction to changes
– Changing environment
– Uncertainty
• Stereotypes & biases
• Power disparities
Why 3rd Order Change
Bartunek & Moch, 1994

4. • Nature of schemas in organizational change
– Assumptions of cause & effect
• 1st Order
– Schematically Concordant
• 2nd Order
– Schematically Disconcordant
• 3rd Order
– Aschematic
– Paradigms
Orders of Change
Watzlawick et al., 1974

5. • Change that relies on established paradigms
– Usually centered on deficits and problems
– Often a reaction to immediate problems
– Leave social structures & cultures in place
• Incremental adjustments to individuals & settings
1st Order Change
Watzlawick, Weakland, & Fisch, 1974

6. • Crime
– People do not have control
• People must be controlled
– Greater enforcement/enforcers needed
1st Order Change Example

7. • Advantages
– Simple & familiar
• Address known problems in expected ways
• Limited in scope, thereby fostering efficiency
• Disadvantages
– Short-term solutions to symptoms
– May create problems in other parts of the system
Pros & Cons of 1st Order Change
Robinson, Brown, Beasley, & Jason, 2015

8. • Change that alters the social context/paradigms
• Valued in community psychology
• Longer-term distal problem focus
– Often prevention-focused
2nd Order Change
Watzlawick et al., 1974

9. • Crime
– People predisposed to good
– Maldevelopment leads to antisocial behavior
– Intervention can insure healthy development
• Thus reducing crime
2nd Order Change Example

10. • Advantages
– Alters systems & structural causes of problems.
• Change objectives, roles, and the general nature of power
• Can address problematic ideas, structures, & systems
– Opportunity for more comprehensive & longer-term solutions
• Potential for creative & innovative solutions to entrenched
system-level problems
• Can reduce stigma toward individuals not functioning well in
the system
Pros & Cons of 2nd Order Change
Seidman, 1988; Watzlawick et al., 1974

11. • Disadvantages
– May not offer immediate relief
– Often conflicts w/ accepted paradigms
• Stakeholder objections & confusion
• Limited support
– Empirical validation
– Operationalization, goals, & measurement
– Funding
• Typically lack manualized guides
– Complicates implementation, replication, and adaptation
– Ethical dilemmas
• Can weaken settings and their autonomy if not participatory
• New problems may surface with new systems
Pros & Cons of 2nd Order Change
Watzlawick et al., 1974

12. • Awareness & ability to change schemata
• Essential shift in the social fabric
– Alter fundamental culture in which people, systems, &
structures are embedded
– Challenges paradigms & practices, developing culture
• Continually questioning
• Constantly identifying problems & social precipitants
• Implementing solutions
• Ongoing process and outcome evaluations
• Ongoing critique of problems & ecological causes
3rd Order Change
Bartunek & Moch, 1987

13. • Crime
– Human tendencies may not be consistently good or
bad
• Some people may have greater self-control while others may
not
– Causes of crime are multi-faceted and may vary
based on context
• Situation will need to be assessed to develop appropriate
means of addressing problem
3rd Order Change Example

14. • Advantages
– 2nd order change advantages
– Setting flexibility
• Can become more flexible, adaptable, & innovative
– Autonomy
• Potentially greater autonomy through internal awareness,
problem-solving, and reflexive action
– Sustainability
• Autonomy, flexibility, and sustained questions
• Can identify and address future problems
Pros & Cons of 3rd Order Change
Robinson, Brown, Beasley, & Jason, 2015

15. • Disadvantages
– 2nd order change disadvantages
– Cognitive dissonance
• Discomfort expected as paradigms continually questioned
– Uncertainty
• May make outcomes less certain
• Stakeholders may feel uncomfortable
• May be less attractive to external funding
Pros & Cons of 3rd Order Change
Bartunek & Moch, 1994; Robinson, Brown, Beasley, & Jason, 2015

16. • Series of 2nd order changes
– Use differences in perspectives as a starting point
– Build informal structures to enable operation from
diverse perspectives
– Expose members to experiences in various cultural
settings
• Diffusion of key stakeholder experiences to
others
3rd Order Organization Change
Bartunek & Moch, 1994; Bartunek et al., 1983; Cox, 1991; Mirvis, 1990

17. • Community psychology & other fields have not
framed community intervention as 3rd order
change
– Critical consciousness
• Can promote questioning of existing structures and schemas
– Capacity building for self-sustained action & change
• May broaden perspectives on community problems &
solutions
• May broaden resources available to address problems
– Reflexivity
• Opportunity for continual examination of factors
– Processes of change
– Emerging ecological shifts
3rd Order Community Change
Robinson, Brown, Beasley, & Jason, 2015

18. • Critical Consciousness
– Awareness of problem-related systems, structures, &
beliefs
– Watts’ stages of sociopolitical development
• Unaware of system inconsistencies & dysfunction
• See inconsistencies but feel powerless to change structures
• Question value of adapting to dysfunctional system
– Learning more about the system
– Learning more about what maintains dysfunctions
• Act on critical awareness to change the system
– Building capacity for collective action
3rd Order Community Change
Watts, Griffith, & Abdul-Adil, 1999; Watts, Williams, & Jagers, 2003

19. • Critical Consciousness
– Communities may collectively
• Gain awareness
• Process feelings of powerlessness
• Question importance of adapting
• Learn about systems constraining them
• Act to change systems
3rd Order Community Change
Watts, Griffith, & Abdul-Adil, 1999; Watts, Williams, & Jagers, 2003

20. • Grounded Theory
– Post-modern
– Interactionist
– Localized/contexualized
– Democratized knowledge
• Situational Analysis
– Analysis of elements in the situation
– Relationship b/t elements in the situation
– Analysis of elements of the social world in which situation
is taking place
– Commitments, views, & actions of elements in social world
– Positions on discursive issues
3rd Order Community Change
Clarke, 2005

21. • Capacity Building
– Communities that Care (CTC)
• Developing prevention interventions
• Providing resources
• Promoting local stakeholder support & ownership
– Five-phase process
• Assessing community readiness
• Forming local coalition
• Conducting needs assessment
• Selecting evidence-based interventions
• Implementing & evaluating intervention
3rd Order Community Change
Hawkins & Catalano, 1992

22. • Reflexivity
– Encourage ongoing dialogue
• Actions, progress, & outcomes
• Potential need to change structures again
– If intended outcomes are not achieved
– If ecology changes such that structure is no longer appropriate
– Grounded theory w/ situational analysis
3rd Order Community Change
Robinson, Brown, Beasley, & Jason, 2015

23. • 3rd Order Goal
– Innovative & adaptive systems & structures that are
sustainable through self-renewal
• 3rd Order Objectives
– Fundamental paradigm shift toward social awareness,
evaluation, & action
– Culture of continual questioning
Summary
Robinson, Brown, Beasley, & Jason, 2015

24. • 3rd Order Processes
– Critical consciousness
– Capacity building
– Reflexivity
• 3rd Order Methods
– Sociopolitical development
– Grounded theory w/ situational analysis
– Capacity building
Summary
Robinson, Brown, Beasley, & Jason, 2015

25. • Development
– Theory
• 3rd order community change
• 3rd order community design
– Logic Model
– Evaluation Methods
– Instruments
– Intervention
• Evaluation
– When Best
Moving Forward

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References