The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures: Simple Rules to Unleash A Culture of Innovation (15 page)

With the answers to such questions clarified, it becomes pretty easy to compose one or more strings of microstructures that fit the challenge. If responses
are inadequate or lacking, it is a sign that one or more Liberating Structures are needed up front to generate more clarity. For instance, if your purpose is not sharp, consider including
Nine Whys
in the early portion of your string. Use the verbs and words in the Liberating Structures Menu and/or the Design Cards to spark your memory and intuitive thinking. Terms like “connect,” “debrief,” “make space,” “uncover,” “success,” “generate ideas,” “share experiences,” “first steps,” “help each other,” “reflect,” “crowd wisdom,” “spark action,” and “spread ideas” will trigger different reactions and ideas from situation to situation. Going through this experience will provide useful hints on structures that may need to be included in your design.

Additionally, each situation you face may evoke a
diagnostic trigger
in your mind, a key aspect or condition that will point toward using specific structures. Unproductive meetings, groups feeling stuck in a rut, underperforming products or services, and “analysis paralysis” are examples of
triggers
that indicate a particular Liberating Structure or some string of structures would be in order. Keep a sharp eye out for these useful hints.

Finally, for the first structure of your strings, choose one that you are comfortable with, that you like, and that you think will draw a positive response from participants.

Five Sets of Strings

From the thousands of combinations that thirty-three different structures make possible, we selected a few examples that will quickly give you a good idea of what you can construct yourself. We grouped them into five broad scenarios. The sample strings outlined below will get any number of participants started, whether a large group or one as small as two people. Don’t hesitate to make up your own pattern of strings!

Goal 1: Finding Everyday Solutions

Look for triggers such as these: meetings are rote or uninspiring, people spend more time presenting than doing, rigid practices get in the way, top-down initiatives have no buy-in, imported best practices are not welcome. Any of them is a clear signal that there is a need for changes such as stopping unproductive activities, tapping tacit know-how to stimulate new ideas, discovering local solutions, building trust, and coordinating action.

Sample Strings

TRIZ + 1-2-4-All + 15% Solutions + Troika Consulting

Make space for new ideas with
TRIZ
by stopping unproductive activities or rigid behaviors. Invite everybody to generate new ideas with
1-2-4-All
. Ask all participants to identify what they can do immediately, what their
15% Solution
is, and then invite them to help their peers expand and enhance their own 15 percent in a
Troika Consulting
session.

Nine Whys + 1-2-4-All + 15% Solutions + 25/10 Crowd Sourcing (for groups larger than fifteen)

Clarify purpose with
Nine Whys
. With
1-2-4-All
, invite all participants to generate
15% Solutions
that they can act on without additional resources, detailed planning, or special approvals. Then invite all participants to propose bold solutions that require more resources. With groups of more than fifteen people, sift the solutions with
25/10 Crowd Sourcing
.

Drawing Together + 1-2-4-All + 15% Solutions + Troika Consulting

Invite everybody to access and reveal hidden insights and solutions to a shared challenge through nonverbal expression. Create shared images via
Drawing Together
. With
1-2-4-All
, interpret the drawings and sift and sort emerging solutions and first steps. Ask all participants to identify what they can do immediately, “What is your
15% Solution
?” Then invite them to help their peers expand and enhance their own 15 percent in a
Troika Consulting
session.

Users Experience Fishbowl + 1-2-4-All + Wicked Questions

To pave the way for others to learn and adapt, ask for a few volunteers to share in a
Users Experience Fishbowl
their experiences and behaviors while facing a complex challenge. With
1-2-4-All
, invite everybody to generate
Wicked Questions
that reveal the paradoxical goals that the group must absolutely address with its next steps.

Goal 2: Noticing Patterns Together

Look for triggers such as these
:
group members are cynical, people no longer see opportunities for positive change, the group feels stuck in a rut, a surprising or shocking event has thrown off expectations or disturbed the market. Any of them is a signal that there is a need for changes such as finding new ways of understanding a complex challenge; expanding the boundaries for solutions;
determining multiple actions by including many in finding and diagnosing patterns together; and clarifying requirements for system-wide coordination.

Sample Strings

What, So What, Now What? + Appreciative Interviews + Min Specs
With
What, So What, Now What
? clarify the current reality (where the group is starting, really), what it means, and what actions this suggests. Uncover with
Appreciative Interviews
the patterns and conditions that made past successes possible. Reduce the list through
Min Specs
down to the absolute must dos and must not dos for moving forward successfully. Revisit the Now What? opportunities for action and identify those that meet the Min Specs.

Shift & Share + Wicked Questions + 1-2-4-All

Draw a wide variety of innovative activities out into the open with
Shift & Share
. Illuminate the narrow path to more success and novel mash-ups with
Wicked Questions
. Sort the follow-up activities or widen the path with
1-2-4-All
.

Conversation Café + What, So What, Now What? + … Next string

Following a surprising or shocking development, engage everybody with a
Conversation Café
to reflect on and make sense of the new situation. Share the facts and insights to decide on the next steps with
What, So What, Now What?
Compose a string for making progress on the next steps.