Book now: https://contextualconsulting.co.uk/live-training/building-better-teams
Collaboration and cooperation are the foundation of successful teams, but achieving them can often feel elusive. The Prosocial approach offers a cutting-edge, evidence-based framework that integrates the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), evolutionary science, and Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel prize-winning core design principles. This workshop will give you the tools to help teams pause, reflect, and reset their dynamics, aligning individual and team values to foster trust, improve communication, and create sustainable collaboration.
Background to the workshop
ACT practitioners are well-versed in helping individuals untangle from unhelpful narratives and behaviours, while clarifying their values and moving towards meaningful action. But when working with teams, the challenges multiply. Teams often grapple with entrenched patterns of behaviour, conflicting priorities, and unhelpful group narratives that undermine trust and cooperation. Without a clear framework, these dynamics can remain unspoken, leading to silo working, disengagement, and reduced effectiveness.
Prosocial is the first approach to change that elevates the processes of ACT to the team level. By combining contextual behavioural science with evolutionary science and Ostrom’s eight core design principles, Prosocial helps teams pause and honestly explore what’s happening within their system. The ACT matrix becomes a powerful tool in this process, offering a structured way for groups to disentangle from unworkable patterns, clarify shared values, and identify behaviours that take them ‘towards’ or ‘away’ from the kind of team they want to be.
The core design principles, such as collective decision-making, fairness, and effective conflict resolution, provide a roadmap for fostering trust, alignment, and accountability within teams. When paired with the ACT matrix, teams develop the psychological flexibility to reflect on their shared purpose, align individual and group interests, and reinforce cooperative behaviours while discouraging unhelpful or uncooperative actions.
This workshop addresses the growing demand for practical, ACT-based tools to help teams navigate the complexities of modern workplaces. By integrating well-established behavioural science with a focus on values and collaboration, it offers practitioners a unique and powerful framework to transform how teams work together.
What you will gain from this workshop
By attending this workshop, you will:
- Discover how to apply the three key components of Prosocial—evolutionary science, the core design principles, and the ACT matrix—in real-world settings.
- Learn step-by-step strategies for introducing the Prosocial approach to teams and organisations effectively.
- Develop skills to facilitate the Prosocial process, helping teams align individual and group goals into actionable, meaningful outcomes.
- Understand the use of Ostrom’s eight core design principles to build stronger collaboration and cooperation within teams.
- Gain practical insights from Ross’ hands-on experience with teams across the NHS and government agencies.
These tools and techniques will empower you to foster trust, build sustainability, and create alignment within teams, helping them flourish under pressure and in complex environments.
About this workshop
In this workshop, Ross McIntosh, an expert in contextual behavioural science and organisational psychology, will guide you through this transformative approach. Trained directly by the founders of Prosocial, David Sloan Wilson and Paul Atkins, Ross brings a wealth of experience working with diverse teams across sectors, including the NHS, global corporations, and government agencies. His evidence-based and practical methods empower teams to move beyond individual silos and function as cohesive, collaborative systems.
This workshop will combine theoretical teaching with practical, experiential learning. The format includes:
- Mini-lectures to introduce the foundational principles of the Prosocial approach.
- Experiential exercises to help participants engage with the ACT matrix and core design principles.
- Invitations for reflection to explore real-world applications of the framework.
- Case studies and examples from Ross’ extensive experience working with diverse organisations, illustrating how the Prosocial approach works in practice.
This interactive format ensures that participants leave with a clear understanding of the Prosocial approach and practical tools to apply in their work with teams and organisations.
Who will benefit from this workshop?
This workshop is ideal for:
- Psychologists,, and therapists aiming to enhance collaboration and cooperation within their own teams or client teams.
- HR professionals and organisational design specialists seeking an evidence-based framework to improve team dynamics.
- Organisational or occupational psychologists and business psychologists working to optimise team performance.
- ACT practitioners looking to expand their practice to work with teams and groups.
No prior experience with the Prosocial approach is required, but participants should have a foundational understanding of psychological or organisational dynamics and ACT. We have a free on-demand introduction to ACT workshop available to help you prepare.
It would also be useful have a background knowledge of the ACT Matrix. You can view our free refresher, or purchase our on-demand workshop The ACT matrix for beginners.
Feedback from previous attendees
“Thank you Ross I’ve found this so useful and really valued having time each week to step back from work and learnt so much!”
“I’ve really valued your wonderful facilitation, great modelling and so useful.”
“It’s been a great opportunity Ross, you have a calming and thought provoking delivery style.”