practice · all tools
Second-order effects questioning
To build the habit of considering not just direct effects but downstream consequences. When discussing proposed actions, regularly ask: 'And then what?' If we do this, what happens next? And after that? A more structured version: • What are the direct effects (first-order)? • What effects might… An ongoing team scaffold (decision practice), run at decisions, not as a one-off session.
Practical
- Time
- 5-15 min
- Group
- 3–20 · small-group
- Settings
- in-person, online
- Materials
- None beyond ordinary meeting/work settings
- Mechanisms
- life-embedding, systems-sensing
- Change scope
- state → skill · recurring-practice (At decisions)
Origin & where it lives
Thomas Jordan & Claude [AI] (IDG for Teams handbook — team scaffold) — IDG practice (idg.thomasjordan.se)
Instructions: open online
In this directory via Thomas Jordan's IDG Resource Library
Team leader role (Jordan): Ask the question regularly until it becomes a team habit. When second-order effects are identified, take them seriously—adjust plans or monitor for them.
status: checked · added 2026-08-25