Logical Levels

Do you love soft boiled eggs? Or does your preference lean towards hard boiled eggs?

Simple as it might be, I am constantly amazed at how we can change a potential soft boiled egg to hard boiled egg just by letting it boil longer. Very little needs to be done to create great changes in texture and taste.

Logical levels is a way to identify the underlying processes and phenomena in the relationships between ideas, things and organizations. It helps us make sense of things through hierarchies or levels of processes.

This concept of logical levels of learning and change was created by anthropologist Gregory Bateson, when he examined the work of Bertrand Russell in logic and mathematics.

These are the key questions for each of the levels –

1. Environment (Where? When?) –

This level is about context and issues.

It can be about a specific country or a particular association of people.

2. Behavior (What?)

This is about physical action. What you do and didn’t do.

A particular behavioral response in a particular environment.

3. Capability (How?)

This relates to ability, knowledge and skills.

Behaviors are adjusted due to an enhancement of internal representation.

4. Beliefs and values (Why?)

This is the rationale and the driving force for our actions.

The overall behaviour approach will shift if there is an reinterpretation of the context.

5. Identity (Who?)

This defines our sense of self.

It can be a personal identity or a group/corporate identity.

6. Spiritual (For what? For who?)

There is actually a higher level that relates to the ultimate purpose for some people. This involves getting out of the system into larger “system of systems”. It can be religion or the vision statement of corporations.

How can it help me?

Logical levels can help you –

• Trace the origins of an issue.

– Think of an instance for someone’s reaction for a simple challenge that came up seems way out of proportion.

• Interpret information by identity which level they came from.

– If someone says ‘I don’t think that it a good idea.’ Is it a environment, behaviour, belief or identity issue?

• Decide the best intervention approach.

– By identifying which level a problem came from can help you formulate a better solution rather than addressing it from a superficial level. – Consider an instance when you had the wrong understanding of a situation and as a result, unwittingly worsen the situation by applying an inappropriate solution.

• Adjust your interactions with others.

– If you have criticism to offer, try to vary it to apply on the level of environment or behaviour to reduce negative response. If you have compliments to offer, the best effect is probably to apply it on the level of identity to reinforce someone’s sense of self.

Just like the very little difference it takes to make soft boiled eggs versus hard boiled eggs, simply by taking note of which logical levels an issue/ a situation is at can make a world of difference in the desired outcomes.

~ Get your free Step 1 of Let’s Step! Goal Setting Program and my latest kick ass updates here. ~

Your Kick Ass Coach,

Joy