Category: Articles by Otto Laske

In this short article I am pointing to some deficiencies of the present notion of DDO, "deliberately developmental organizations". In contrast, I present a short apercu on the benefits of CDF, the Constructive Developmental Framework which I see as a more comprehensive approach to understanding the nature of work and a set of tools for designing new work environments. Seeing WORK As A Medium of Adult Development Read More...

Solving real world problems tests professionals’ present level of cognitive development. A good training ground for working on hard problems in teams is the Case Study Cohort Method (CSCM) developed at the Interdevelopmental Institute. The method consists of a having members of a team assessing an individual’s or team’s level of cognitive maturity debate the empirical evidence that speaks in favor of one or the other level of subjects’ cognitive flexibility. Although the material for the debate is “academic”, consisting of a transcription of a 1-hr cognitive interview, the opportunities for sharpening one’s use of dialectical thought forms is the same as in a real-world situation in which an individual or team is looking for solutions. In this paper, I describe both the method and show what it entails to learn to use dialectical thought forms, envisioning that such use could become a social practice with major benefits for solving global economic and political problems. (A reprint from Integral Review 11, no. 3, 2015). DTF as a Tool for Creating Integral Collaborations Read More...

This article proposes a new way of thinking about engaging in commercial enterprises meant to safeguard Planet Earth.DIALECTIC INTERPRETED IN THE LOGIC OF COMMERCE Read More...

In this article, I highlight the resources of the Constructive Developmental Framework (CDF) for finding and retaining organizational talent and designing a work environment that supports shared leadership. CDF as a Talent Finder and Work Design Methodology Read More...

This article describes a constructivist approach to coaching based on the Constructive Developmental Framework (CDF). Such coaching is evidence based, i.e., based on empirical assessments of coachees prior to actual coaching. Coaching plans are based on empirical findings about coachees' present frame of reference (the way they see the world), meant to guide them toward a more lucid understanding of themselves and their work, and toward more complex thinking. The article appeared in the International Review of Coaching Psychology, London, UK, in 2007, and is here reprinted because it helps behavioral coaches understand the limitations of their professional work. Contributions of Evidence Based Coaching 2007   Read More...

In this paper co-authored with Barbara Maynes,we outline a developmental view of OD. We show that Argyris "theory in use" points to different levels of mental growth, both social-emotional and cognitive. These levels are seen as the program from which theories of action arise in contributors to an organization. An early version of CDF called DSPT (developmental structure/process tool) is used to substantiate this claim. In the article, we explain the differences between two executives’ theory of action and analyze the dynamic of a six-member team on developmental grounds. By way of close analysis, we show that theories of action are developmentally grounded, and are thus open both to maturation over the life span and to interventions like developmental coaching. We come to the conclusion that developmental assessment of executives and teams should become a vital part of in-house development and of OD intervention. Source: Journal of Management Development, vol. 21.9, 702-729, 2002. Laske-Maynes_Growing_Top_Management_Team Read More...