LIBERATING STRUCTURES DAY II

MAD TEA PARTY A wild romp through strategy making

STEPS + TIMING: 1.  Form two circles with the inner facing out

2.  Standing across from another person respond to

the open ended sentence that follows : 1 min

What first inspired me in my work is…

STEPS + TIMING: 1.  Switch roles – stay curious & dig deep : 1 min

2.  Inner circle take a step to the right

3.  Respond to the next question

I know a meeting is going off the rails when…

Being in a dysfunctional meeting

makes me feel…

To keep meetings productive, one thing

I do is…

… makes it hard to turn a dysfunctional

meeting around

… is someone that seems to effortlessly facilitate productive

meetings.

What I hope can happen for us in our

meetings is…

Something I will start doing to turn up the

heat is…

Something we should stop doing is…

A question that is emerging for me is…

I like Mad Hatter’s Tea Party because…

OPEN SPACE Spread good ideas and make informal connections with innovators

What are you deeply curious about when it comes to LS?

What questions do you have?

What remains uncertain for you when

it comes to LS?

SHIFT & SHARE Spread good ideas and make informal connections with innovators

STEPS + TIMING: Invite individuals to share short stories Bring artifacts to show what happened Divide the group into evenly sized learning pods Learning pods go to a station :: 9 minutes Rotate.

HINTS: Storytellers need to cut to the chase! ~7 mins for stories + 2 mins for questions Storytellers get multiple opportunities to refine or reinvent their story

A) Keith – Virtual LS Applications B) Mark – Ecocycle with teams C) Jeanne – Ecocycle with individuals D) Molly – Social Network Mapping E) Zac – Critical Uncertainties in govt F) Louise – A first time storyboard

LS DESIGN CHALLENGE String together LS based on your purpose at hand

STEPS + TIMING: 1. Use the LS Selection Match-Maker with one

or two partners : 10 mins

2. Create Strings or a Design Storyboard with help from colleagues : 15 mins

3. Caravan Walk to visit other groups and ask questions : 10 mins

FLUID ADJUSTMENT BREAK

10 MIN

WICKED QUESTIONS Articulate the paradoxical challenges a group must confront to succeed

“How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress”. – Niels Bohr

STEPS + TIMING: Alone, generate a list of truths about your meetings : 2 mins

STEPS + TIMING: In pairs, look over combined lists. Which truths are complementary yet impossibly opposed to one another? :: 4 mins

Precise ~ Ambiguous

Autonomous ~ Integrated

Loyalty ~ Independence

STEPS + TIMING: Compose your Wicked Question :: 2 mins

How is it that I/we [first truth] … while [second truth]?

STEPS + TIMING: Share your Wicked Questions in quartets :: 4 mins

Can you amplify one another’s paradoxical truths?

Examples of Wicked Question:

How can we raise children to be fiercely loyal to the family and independent, creative beings?

Examples of Wicked Question:

How is it that we must focus precisely on the challenge at hand while asking

ambiguous questions that evoke multiple answers and perspectives?

Examples of Wicked Question:

How is it that we can work together collegially and respectfully and still

encourage healthy critical debate and individual practice?

Examples of Wicked Question:

How might we exceed client

expectations while also increasing our margins?

PURPOSE-TO-PRACTICE Include everyone in defining the 5 critical elements of any initiative

STEPS + TIMING: Alone, complete a P2P worksheet for an upcoming meeting/gathering/project : 15 mins Form trios, and conduct a TROIKA consultation around each person’s P2P : 15 mins

Purpose Define using 1-2-4-All

Key question(s):

Why is [this] important to YOU and our wider community of clients/customers

How would you know if you were achieving your purpose?

Principles Define using 1-2-4-All Could you know whether you’ve violated it? Test principles against the Purpose. If you violated it, could you still achieve your purpose? If yes – NOT a good principle

Participants Identify using Social Network Webbing Using sticky notes, identify the people that need to be included (by name or by role)

Structure What resources are necessary for us to achieve our purpose?

What roles should we establish?

How will we make progress visible? Define the 5 microstructural elements (time, space, participation, groups, invitations)

Practices/Products Define with 1-2-4-All, 25/10, etc. What are our boldest ideas for delivering the promise of our purpose?

DESIGN STORYBOARDS Define step-by-step elements for bringing projects and meetings to productive endpoints

STEPS + TIMING: For the project you just defined using Purpose-to-Practice, develop a Storyboard : 10 mins

Form trios, and conduct a TROIKA consultation around each person’s Storyboard: 15 mins

Agenda Item

Goal LS Micro-Structure

Why this LS? Steps / Timing

Facilitator / Participants

Welcome Form working group, get acquainted

Impromptu Networking

Demonstrates respect for each person & discipline included

3 rounds in pairs, 5 minutes each

Carlos, all

Preparing to Launch Project

Make space for innovation

TRIZ, 1-2-4-All

Some of our successful practices have become overly mature (rigid) over time

3 steps, 10 minutes each

Jenny, groups of 4 then whole group

Attracting Broad Participation

Define and sharpen purpose

Nine Whys

We want to attract broad participation, innovating in many settings without formal controls

One rounds of 1-2-4, 30 minutes total

Katie, then groups of four

Action Planning

Identify action, get started now

25-to-10 Crowdsourcing

We have a do-er culture that benefits from self-discovery in a group

25 minutes for 5 rounds + action group formation

Carlos, all

LUNCH 30 MINUTES

25/10 Rapidly generate and sift a group’s most powerful actionable ideas

If you were 10x bolder, what would you do to productively turn up the

heat in your meetings?

What is your first step or move?

STEPS + TIMING: Write your response to the prompt on an index card : 2 mins NO names Write legibly

STEPS + TIMING REVIEWED

1.  Write your response to a prompt on an index card 2.  Start passing cards while milling 3.  Stop, read, and put 1-5 rating on back (1=Meh,

5=Wow! And I want to be a part of it) 4.  Repeat at least 5 times. 5.  Total scores and prioritize

STRINGS + VARIATIONS: Follow-up with P2P sub-group work on top 5 ideas

Use to generate bold questions for a leader prior to Celebrity Interview

Invite bold ideas for STOPPING activities/products

LS JAMBOREE

Practice making invitations for upcoming meetings or existing challenges using at least 3 different LS

STEPS + TIMING: Select the LS you want to practice : 1 min Good options might include:

Impromptu Networking

1-2-4-All Appreciative Interviews

TRIZ

25/10

STEPS + TIMING: Compose inviting questions for at least 3 of the LS you chose :: 6 mins

Form trios, and hold Troika consultations around everyone’s invitations :: 15 mins

Practicing with everyday LS Customize your meeting challenge

TRIZ - Specify the worse result of your work together Appreciative Interview - Flip a chronic problem into a search for success 25/10 Crowdsourcing - Focusing attention on bold purposeful action 1-2-4-All - Framing a territory to explore together

LS DESIGN CHALLENGE REDUX String together LS based on your purpose at hand

STEPS + TIMING: 1.  Use the LS Selection Match-Maker with one

or two partners : 10 mins

2.  Create Strings or a Design Storyboard with help from colleagues : 15 mins

3.  Caravan Walk to visit other groups and ask questions : 10 mins

RETROSPECTIVE Rapidly gather constructive and critical feedback

STEPS + TIMING: Complete the following sentences on an index card : 3 mins

I liked… about the workshop.

I wish… about the workshop.

What if…

SOCIAL NETWORK WEBBING Map informal connections and decide how to strengthen the network to achieve a purpose

A SMART NETWORK

Tight Core ~ Loose Periphery Core  –  Dense  internal  connec-ons    Periphery  –  Loosely  connected  exterior      Smart  Network  Defined:    The  environment  in  which  innova;on  and  collabora;on  are  most  likely  to  occur.  

STEPS + TIMING: Think  about  the  ac;vi;es  you  are  involved  in  now  that  

relate  to  an  innova;on  or  well-­‐defined  project.    

Go  to  the  primary  person  you  have  collaborated  with  prior  to  this  workshop.  

 From  whom  did  you  get  new  ideas  and  inspira-on  

during  the  workshops?    

Who  would  you  like  to  get  involved  in  taking  next  steps  with  LS?    Perhaps  someone  you  met  here.  

 Who  would  you  like  to  thank  before  you  leave?  

LIBERATING STRUCTURES

Keith McCandless Fisher Qua Zac Cohn

Wonful.co

Liberatingstructures.com