| Abstract: This panel will discuss the design of constructional interventions and management strategies informed by a nonlinear contingency analysis (NCA). Typically, organizational issues are addressed without considering the contingencies that are responsible for them. Emphasis is often on pinpointing the behaviors and arranging work conditions and resources, antecedents, consequences, or all such that desired performance is increased or undesired performance decreased. Several models have been demonstrated at least temporally effective. Often overlooked, however, is that the disturbing or otherwise undesirable behavior targeted for change may make perfect sense given the available alternative contingencies. Superimposing other contingencies on unanalyzed, and unchanged contingencies may result in the reversion to previous patterns when performance improvement interventions are removed. At other times new programs need to be introduced and innovation encouraged where contingencies supporting that effort may be absent. Constructional approaches ask, “What needs to be established, the absence of which is the problem?” The panelists will answer questions posed by the chair and audience, and discuss how they have been able to change organizational behavior across cultures and continents, and achieve meaningful behavior change within their organizations through the use of NCA and the constructional approach. Panelist have experience in large scale autism service delivery systems, international educational partnerships, and zoos. |