Change Laboratory

  Strategies for the sustainability of expansive learning in a Change Laboratory by Marco Antonio Pereira Querol mapquero@gmail.com An interventionist who intends to apply the Change Laboratory (CL) method wonders, before or during (or sometimes unfortunately only after) the intervention: Will the learning generated in the CL continue? What can I do to increase the chances that participants will learn and continue the process after the intervention is over? I argue here that the adoption of certain strategies can increase and strengthen the sustainability of expansive learning after the intervention is completed. This preparation is important because the expansive learning process is by nature long and usually develops over several years. It refers to the expansion of the object of an activity, that is, to the qualitative increase of the purpose that guides that activity. This is a phenomenon that occurs naturally in the daily routine of activities, and is not exclusiv...

  Generalizations in Activity Theory: origins, process, typology and methodological implications by Marco Antonio Pereira Querol mapquero@gmail.com Understanding the process of generalization has both practical and methodological implications. From a practical point of view, knowing what a generalization is and how it is produced is essential to be able to foster it. From a methodological and scientific point of view, it is important to understand the different types of generalizations that exist and the process by which they are generated, in order to align them with data and analytical methods that ensure scientific validity. This post seeks to answer the following questions: What is the origin of knowledge in Activity Theory (AT)? How are generalizations stored and transmitted? How are they produced? What types of generalizations are there? What kind of generalization does a Change Lab (CL) seek to produce? And, finally, what are the methodological implications...

  Potential outcomes and learning from a Change Laboratory by Marco Antonio Pereira Querol  mapquero@gmail.com Some of the first questions a person might ask when encountering the Change Lab (CL) method for the first time—whether during the planning stage or when considering participation in an intervention—are: Why implement or take part in a CL? What outcomes can we expect? What can we learn from it? The purpose of this post is to discuss what can be gained and learned from a Change Lab intervention. To answer this question, I draw on my own experiences in conducting, supervising and/or monitoring more than two dozen formative interventions at workplaces, both in Brazil and in Finland. Obviously, there are personal reasons that can lead a person to conduct or participate in an CL, such as curiosity, career advancement, social pressure, need for research, among others. However, here we are interested in the collective and social motivations of the intervention. Th...