The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures: Simple Rules to Unleash A Culture of Innovation (12 page)

Donia had no authority or resources; she was a market research analyst in a small department consisting of six analysts and a manager. After attending a Liberating Structures workshop, she suggested using Troika Consulting at the beginning of her departmental meeting. Her manager agreed. The Troika session was a smashing success and became the first step toward transforming the working dynamics and relationships in the department
.

Vanessa was a public relations manager. She and a product manager colleague got an acute case of Liberating Structures fever while attending a Liberating Structures workshop. They decided on the spot to revamp an upcoming customer symposium. They generated the entire new design during the workshop and implemented it the following weekend. The feedback from participants was so enthusiastic that it convinced Vanessa to start using Liberating Structures in day-to-day work
.

Arvind is a communications professor. After attending a conference where he witnessed the use of the Fishbowl structure, he started experimenting with it in his own class. Students responded so positively that Arvind never looked back. He gradually became a routine user of other Liberating Structures and then started to deliberately spread them to students and other professors by publicizing his work and organizing workshops. He now calls himself a Liberated Professor. (You can read his article at:
http://www.liberatingstructures.com/storage/articles/Liberated%20Professor%20Speaks.pdf
)
.

Sherry is a nurse committed to patient safety. She started using TRIZ with her hospital unit to engage everyone in a seriously fun way to prevent infections. She asked them, “How can we make sure that we expose every patient to a superbug during their visit?” Everyone got the message and started making changes that generated safer practices
.

Neil is an OD consultant. He experienced two Liberating Structures at a national conference and immediately started to bring them into his
consulting practice. With a little coaching over the phone, he soon had applied twenty-five or more Liberating Structures with different client groups
.

Menu of Liberating Structures

When asked for a simple way to match Liberating Structures to a particular challenge, we often say, “If your goal is to engage and unleash everyone in generating great results,
any
Liberating Structure will be better than a conventional approach.”

A more serious answer is, “Matching your challenge to a Liberating Structure depends on you and the details.” A good match requires a sense of local context and a good feel for the history of the group you are working with. Liberating Structures are flexible enough to be used with your everyday team, a group organized for a special purpose, or a widely distributed set of participants, but each use benefits from thoughtfully matching the potential structures to your goal.

Look at the Menu of Thirty-Three Liberating Structures (
Figure 5.1
) and use the descriptions to clarify the first step in reaching the goal you have in mind. Ask questions like these: What’s our first step? What do we need to start with? Who needs to be involved? What kinds of Liberating Structures can accomplish what we want? Where would each one get us, and what would we do next? Then pick one of the structures that match the purpose of your first step toward your goal. Check out the more detailed description in
Part Four: The Field Guide to Liberating Structures
or on the website
(
www.liberatingstructures.com/menu
)
.

Don’t think too hard about choosing the right Liberating Structure from the menu. Just begin with your favorite structure or with one that seems easiest or most comfortable. Most people get started by using one or more favorite Liberating Structures in a variety of situations, from routine meetings to resolving conflicts within their work team. From their initial successes, they start experimenting with others and expand their repertoire over time. Don’t worry about finding the perfect choice; there are always several Liberating Structures that can help your progress if your purpose is clear (see
Figure 5.2
, the Liberating Structures Matching Matrix). And remember that
any
Liberating Structure will be better than a conventional approach.

In the matrix, the strengths of each Liberating Structure are arrayed according to common goals for groups. The five common goals are:

Match your group’s goals to Liberating Structures with particular strengths.

Safety First

To get started with Liberating Structures, select a safe place for your first attempts. Of course, whether an experiment feels safe or not is different for each person. Larry, the hospital CEO, not only had resources and authority but also was personally very confident. So he jumped into using Liberating Structures immediately after the workshop; nothing held him back from having every meeting be an opportunity to try as many of them as possible. Someone else may feel more comfortable starting with only one of the easier Liberating Structures, such as
1-2-4-All
or
Troika Consulting
. Some may prefer to start with a small group of trusted colleagues as a safe way to get their feet wet and gain both confidence and support. There are no rules, no right or wrong way. All that is needed is to experiment and experience the results. As we have said so many times, practice is the only way to learn
and
to discover what each Liberating Structure makes possible.

We strongly recommend, if at all possible, that you begin your early experiments with a partner. It is much easier to decide which Liberating Structure to use via a conversation with a trusted partner than talking about it alone in your head. You will feel much more relaxed knowing that your partner can jump in to support you. A partner who observes and helps you debrief after each experience is the quickest way to learn and it’s much more fun than practicing alone. Also, a partner will inevitably notice important details that you will miss. Invite your observer-partner to pay special attention to your concerns and
fears. This may include how you clarify purpose, invite participation, react to dynamics among group members, respond to insights and actions that emerge, and adapt as deviations from your plan unfold.

If you decide to work with a partner when getting started with Liberating Structures, choose someone who will not be shy about giving you honest and direct feedback about your performance. Any trusted colleague, regardless of Liberating Structures expertise, who will be an interested and alert observer is preferable to “working without a net.”

Breaking with Tradition

Regardless of an organization’s mission and geography, Liberating Structures are usually a striking departure from its habits, traditions, and culture. For new users, people not familiar with Liberating Structures and the outcomes they produce, this break with convention can be a source of anxiety or fear. When working with new users, you need to be mindful of their apprehensions. For example, you may be warned that people will become confused or simply refuse to participate. You may be told that “it” will not work here, not in “this” culture or with “these” people.

Our experience says otherwise. While in Belgium, we proposed using
Impromptu Networking
to start a workshop with fifty Flemish cardiologists who were standing in a large room having a drink before dinner. We were told this approach would never work, not with this group of high-level specialists. “Flemish cardiologists will fold their arms, stare you down, and write you off.” The message was sharp and clear: “Don’t do it, you will embarrass yourself and us!”

We insisted and, no surprise to us, the cardiologists loved
Impromptu Networking
. In fact, it was difficult to get them to stop talking to each other and sit down for dinner. It was a perfect beginning for a meeting designed to spark more collaborative action. They engaged immediately into shaping their next steps with newfound trust and connection.

Clearly, as one should expect, breaking with tradition evokes both excitement and fear. That is what we have found in multiple countries and in all types of organizations. Some people couldn’t wait to start using Liberating Structures, while others worried about acceptance and how their boss, colleagues, students, or clients might judge them if they moved away from conventional methods. You may encounter the following:

Fortunately, such fears dissipate quickly since Liberating Structures invariably generate much more satisfying and energizing interactions than participants experience with familiar conventional structures. With Liberating Structures, outcomes are not predictable in detail, but high levels of engagement always materialize regardless of context or culture. So while it is normal for new users to be anxious, you can relax knowing that Liberating Structures will deliver better-than-expected results. Those experiencing Liberating Structures for the first time will soon see for themselves that the possible outcomes easily allay any lingering anxieties.

Your Own Fears

What about your own doubts or fears about introducing Liberating Structures into your organization? It’s common for people to feel uncertain when getting started with Liberating Structures.
“I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I’m doing”
and
“I worry that people will think I’m overreaching my expertise or responsibilities” and “I’m afraid that this all might look trivial or touchy-feely”
are some of the apprehensions we have heard. Others have expressed concern that using Liberating Structures in their organizations might reveal awkward differences of opinion. We have heard about how uncomfortable it is to stray from the usual approach to problem solving: bring in the experts. People worry that by using Liberating Structures they will initiate unproductive, uncontrollable chaos. And then there’s the age-old fear of learning and doing something new, venturing into something unfamiliar and unexpected.

To all of them, we must say,
Just do it
. There is no better way to overcome your apprehension than to dive right in and put your first Liberating Structure to work for you immediately. As we have said, it matters not which Liberating
Structures you start with. If you are like most people, you will begin by using a few favorites and expand your range over time. As you gain more experience, the particular strengths of each Liberating Structure in particular circumstances will become clear and you will see how you can combine them into powerful sequences. You will be learning a new language, saying things like “Let’s do a
TRIZ
!” As you become more fluent, your ability to improvise will grow. You will be able to decide in the moment to use a particular Liberating Structure or to substitute one for another in response to what is happening in the moment.