Marcial Losada
Encyclopedia
Marcial Losada is the founder and executive director of Meta Learning, a consulting organization that develops high performance teams. As director of the Center for Advanced Research (CFAR) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he developed a novel approach to study working teams. At CFAR's team work laboratories, time series that showed the interaction patterns of hundreds of business teams were generated that allowed him to develop a nonlinear dynamics model, the meta learning
model, which shows the dynamical patterns achieved by high, medium and low performing teams. Performance was defined by three criteria: profitability, customer satisfaction and 360-degree evaluations. The state variables or dimensions of the meta learning model are positivity-negativity, inquiry-advocacy and other-self (external-internal focus). The control parameter of the model is connectivity which reflects the level of attunement and responsiveness that team members have to one another.
Marcial Losada's findings can be summarized as follows: If a team is highly connected, it will tend to maintain an equilibrium between internal and external focus as well as between inquiry and advocacy. It will also keep a positivity/negativity ratio
above 2.9 (see Losada line
) but not higher than 11.6 (see Losada Zone
). If connectivity is low, the team will be more internally focused, it will advocate strongly and its positivity/negativity ratio will be below 2.9. Losada found that high levels of connectivity, a P/N ratio within the Losada Zone
, and a balance between internal and external orientation as well as between inquiry and advocacy lead to sustainable high performance in business teams (Losada, 1999; Losada & Heaphy, 2004; Fredrickson & Losada, 2005; Fredrickson, 2009, chapter 7).
Marcial Losada has worked in developing high performing teams at several major corporations in the United States, as well as Europe and Latin America. He is currently developing high performance teams at BHP Billiton and ENDESA-Brasil.
He received a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan.
Meta learning
-Metalearning in education:Originally described by Donald B. Maudsley as "the process by which learners become aware of and increasingly in control of habits of perception, inquiry, learning, and growth that they have internalized". Maudsely sets the conceptual basis of his theory as synthesized...
model, which shows the dynamical patterns achieved by high, medium and low performing teams. Performance was defined by three criteria: profitability, customer satisfaction and 360-degree evaluations. The state variables or dimensions of the meta learning model are positivity-negativity, inquiry-advocacy and other-self (external-internal focus). The control parameter of the model is connectivity which reflects the level of attunement and responsiveness that team members have to one another.
Marcial Losada's findings can be summarized as follows: If a team is highly connected, it will tend to maintain an equilibrium between internal and external focus as well as between inquiry and advocacy. It will also keep a positivity/negativity ratio
Positivity/negativity ratio
Positivity and negativity are powerful feedback processes in human behavior. Positive feedback encourages us to continue doing what we have done so far. Negative feedback, on the contrary, generally acts as a warning signal that tells us to moderate or stop what we are doing and to redress the...
above 2.9 (see Losada line
Losada line
The Losada Line, also known as the "Losada ratio," was found by psychologist Marcial Losada while researching the differences in positivity/negativity between high and low performance teams . The Losada Line has a positivity/negativity ratio of 2.9013 and it represents the lower bound of the Losada...
) but not higher than 11.6 (see Losada Zone
Losada Zone
The Losada Zone refers to a range of positivity/negativity ratio in human interaction defined by a lower limit of 2.9013 and an upper limit of 11.6345. These limits define the boundary conditions for complex dynamics in human interaction. Complex dynamics occur at or above the Losada Line and...
). If connectivity is low, the team will be more internally focused, it will advocate strongly and its positivity/negativity ratio will be below 2.9. Losada found that high levels of connectivity, a P/N ratio within the Losada Zone
Losada Zone
The Losada Zone refers to a range of positivity/negativity ratio in human interaction defined by a lower limit of 2.9013 and an upper limit of 11.6345. These limits define the boundary conditions for complex dynamics in human interaction. Complex dynamics occur at or above the Losada Line and...
, and a balance between internal and external orientation as well as between inquiry and advocacy lead to sustainable high performance in business teams (Losada, 1999; Losada & Heaphy, 2004; Fredrickson & Losada, 2005; Fredrickson, 2009, chapter 7).
Marcial Losada has worked in developing high performing teams at several major corporations in the United States, as well as Europe and Latin America. He is currently developing high performance teams at BHP Billiton and ENDESA-Brasil.
He received a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan.
External links
- http://losada.socialpsychology.org
- http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2009/11/01/marcial-losada-explains-his-research-for-our-blog-readers/
- http://www.tenfacesofinnovation.com/stories/archives/12
- http://www.leadingwithlift.com/blog/2010/02/22/increasing-profit-how-far-should-an-executive-go/comment-page-1/#comment-1080
- http://PositivePsychologyNews.com/news/guest-author/200812081289
- http://PositivePsychologyNews.com/news/guest-author/200812091298
- http://www.utne.com/Spirituality/Finding-Happiness-Cultivating-Positive-Emotions-Psychology.aspx
- http://endlessknots.netage.com/endlessknots/2009/04/the-algorithm-for-happiness31.html