IC Thinking

IC Thinking (Cambridge) Ltd

Is a company licensed through Cambridge Enterprise, University of Cambridge.

IC Thinking (Cambridge) Ltd is a social enterprise that uses earned revenue to fulfil the company's social mission to further research into and development of IC-based intervention science.

IC Thinking researchers are based at the Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge.

Type of Organisation: Other

IC Thinking uses an evidence-based method of intervention science, based on the psychometric research of integrative complexity (IC). The aim is to equip people of all ages to work collaboratively with many types of differences — viewpoints, life stances, cultural norms — instead of moving into destructive polarisations and violence.

The IC ThinkingÒ method was developed by psychologists at the University of Cambridge. Their expertise is being implemented through IC Thinking (Cambridge) Ltd, a social enterprise company under license from Cambridge Enterprise, University of Cambridge.

IC measurement has two components: differentiation and integration. Differentiation refers to the perception of different perspectives or views on a topic or issue. Integration refers to the recognition of connections among several different perspectives (e.g. shared underlying values, mutual influence).

IC Thinking interventions engage the fundamental cognitive, emotional, and social processes active in all human beings as they interact with their social worlds.

Delivered by trained pairs of facilitators, IC Thinking interventions target these processes. They aim to grow participants' capacity to respect differences and recognise in other people the same underlying human processes at work in themselves. Participants experience an enhanced sense of their personal individuality and shared humanity.

Through role play and other forms of action learning using multimedia, participants develop increased meta-awareness, metacognition, critical thinking, empathy and resilience. The goal in IC interventions is not to resolve debates toward a specific predetermined outcome.

Rather, it is to empower participants to think for themselves and to learn experientially how to work collaboratively with different viewpoints, values, and identities, while maintaining their own values and social affiliations.

Courses are usually 16 contact hours, ethically approved for each context, and precisely targeted to reflect a specific linguistic, social and cultural context. They allow some flexibility in delivery while maintaining fidelity to the evidence-based model. Delivered over eight two-hour sessions, IC interventions create safe spaces for participants to engage with topics debated in their own communities. Delivery of IC interventions requires specialised professional training provided by IC Thinking trainers. All IC interventions and co-facilitator training is adapted for each context, to ensure effectiveness.

IC Thinking has developed a number of interventions for diverse target participants in a range of contexts, in partnership with international and national governmental bodies, local universities, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). These span the Balkans, England, Finland, Kenya, Pakistan, Scotland and Sweden. Projects in development include Lebanon and Northern Ireland.

In each context where invited, IC Thinking works collaboratively with a wide range of community researchers and leaders to develop IC interventions that reflect that social context. This initial research and development process ensures that the course sessions reflect the participants' social reality. As a result, participants are thoroughly engaged in the sessions, allowing maximum growth and development.

IC Thinking interventions and resources in conjunction with co-facilitator training specifically tailored to the intervention comprise two interdependent components:

1. a course script (manual) with activity guides, targeted audiovisual stimuli and accompanying resources;
2. training of a cohort of co-facilitators in intervention-appropriate group work and fundamentals of intervention science, along with safeguarding and reflective practices that conform with international ethical requirements.

IC Thinking partners are part of a professional network for ongoing updates based on the latest research and professional development, all as part of continued quality assurance.

Address

IC Thinking (Cambridge) Ltd
17, Sydenham Rd
London, SE26 5EX
United Kingdom

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