Resumen

This doctoral thesis explores mechanisms that facilitate the transition from collective efficacy to collective effectiveness in social interventions aimed at improving well-being in Colombia. Collective effectiveness is defined here as a community's capacity not only to act under ideal conditions (efficacy) but to implement and sustain these actions in complex, real-world settings, responding effectively to local needs and challenges. This distinction between efficacy and effectiveness underscores the gap between theory and practical application in social well-being interventions, a challenge this research addresses through an interdisciplinary framework of Complex Systems Theory. The methodology of this thesis follows a step-by-step approach to operationalize collective efficacy and transform it into collective effectiveness. First, it examines the interdependence of trust, cooperation, and cohesion as key elements of collective efficacy. Then, it identifies mechanisms required to consolidate this efficacy into effective practices. Through case studies integrating these approaches, it identifies and evaluates the factors that drive collective effectiveness, resulting in a model that could enable communities to sustain structural and functional changes over time. In this thesis, each methodology supports the transition from collective efficacy to collective effectiveness within communities. Social Network Analysis (SNA) allows for mapping relational dynamics, uncovering the flow of social capital, and identifying influential actors and potential bridging points, thus informing targeted interventions to strengthen cohesion and mobilize resources. Then, the Our Voice approach in Citizen Science includes community members as active agents and observers within the system, fostering a sense of ownership and agency essential for understanding empirically the potential mechanisms for moving from theoretical potential to realized, community-led action. Finally, Organizational Cybernetics introduces a systems-level framework by positioning researchers as second-order observers who analyze not only the community dynamics but also how participants interact with the system itself. Through principles of feedback, recursion levels, and adaptability, Organizational Cybernetics creates a viable system model where the identified mechanisms relate making the whole system work cohesively to foster collective effectiveness. The research findings are based on three case studies: a physical activity program among children in Bogotá, a support network among breast cancer survivors, and the Our Voice project in Santa Ana (composed of two subprojects). Each case reveals unique mechanisms that promote collective effectiveness. For example, the physical activity program among children in Bogotá suggests that ICT-supported interventions can enhance social bonds and cohesion within communities. In the breast cancer survivor study, strengthened support networks illustrate how brokerage roles can facilitate community resilience, and how a support cohesive network can emerge from an intervention. Finally, in the Our Voice study, adolescent participation in advocating for community improvement demonstrated how citizen science fosters social engagement and cohesion, which are essential elements for sustaining collective effectiveness. The thesis culminates in a proposed model linking collective efficacy (ideal conditions) with collective effectiveness (real-world contexts), promoting sustainable, community-driven development strategies tailored to the needs of vulnerable communities. With implications for policy/intervention development and community practices, this thesis contributes to create community-based strategies for fostering trust, cooperation, cohesion, and collective effectiveness essential for long-term social development in Colombia and similar socioeconomic contexts.