The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures: Simple Rules to Unleash A Culture of Innovation (18 page)

Developing Strategy and Building a New Leadership Team

A newly appointed system CEO is convening a handpicked executive “dream team.” The execs and their direct reports (thirty people) are invited to a one-and-a-half-day strategy retreat. Goals for the retreat include coming together as a team, developing a more innovative way of working together, and reviewing and generating market strategies. The organization is well positioned to make fast progress in its market
.

Here is a storyboard agenda in four parts, each supported by its own tailored string of Liberating Structures.

The purpose of
Part 1
(
Figure 7.1
) is to signal that each person is invited to shape the next steps for coming together as a team and to set the stage for developing bold strategies. Starting with
Impromptu Networking
, this series of Liberating Structures is a dramatic shift from the more controlling practice of starting with a series of presentations. Immediately, individuals feel more connected and able to make contributions. The CEO
Celebrity Interview
opens the door further by laying out the big challenges that must be addressed by everyone together. The clear message here is that the boss does not know the answers in advance of the work being done. Clarifying purpose with
Nine Whys
underlines the importance of the group to the larger company and community. With relationships affirmed and the group’s purpose in sharper focus, the stage is set for bold action …
before the first coffee break!

The purpose of
Part 2
(
Figure 7.2
) is to engage each person in starting to articulate actions and strategies. Again, this is a dramatic shift since participants have not been fully included in the past.
TRIZ
makes space for new ideas to take hold by identifying actions or behaviors to be stopped or creatively destroyed. Deciding that big obstacles will be removed often results in a giddy enthusiasm for launching innovations.

To temper jumping in too quickly, the
Mad Tea + Strategy Safari
activities help to quickly create a bigger context in which new strategies will need to operate.

In the Mad Tea activity, participants form two circles, one inside the other. Each person faces one other person and completes an open-ended sentence in less than thirty seconds (see box). When time is up, participants are invited to move to their right so that they are in front of someone else to complete the next sentence, and so on. The unfinished sentences focus attention on every individual and the group answering the Safari questions together (e.g., If we do nothing, the worst thing that can happen for us is…). In a seriously fun way, Mad Tea quickly provokes a deeper set of reflections and strategic insights. Then the big five Strategy Safari questions focus attention and produce shared understanding of strategy and next steps.

Table 7.1

Mad Tea + Strategy Safari Activities

With action ideas in mind and a strategic context outlined,
What, So What, Now What?
is used for the participants to start harvesting the best ideas for moving forward well before the end of the retreat. This gives more time for everyone to contemplate the mix of actions and ideas being unleashed. Again, every voice is included in making sense of all the possibilities, and surprising insights will emerge from many participants.

The purpose of
Part 3
(
Figure 7.3
) is to build on the foundation of the first two parts and move deeper into solutions for individual and group challenges.
Wise Crowds
and
15% Solutions
start the work by focusing on individual concerns
first. Peer-to-peer consults build internal confidence and spark practical action. With more individual confidence in hand,
25/10 Crowd Sourcing
generates bold strategies for the group as a whole. Stepping back to see the forest and the trees, all the new and existing strategies are put into context with the
Ecocycle
.

The whole portfolio of strategies comes into view, and each item on the
Ecocycle
suggests a type of action to move the work forward. To build immediately toward practical results,
What I Need From You (WINFY)
is used to focus attention on one big challenge that requires a high level of cross-functional cooperation. Working out the knots across boundaries for a single strategy will help with many others. Creative tension builds as group members see and feel opportunities for advancing their work.

With
What, So What, Now What?
to end the day, everyone (especially the more deliberate thinkers) has time to contemplate the day’s action, moving closer to shared ownership of strategy making and implementation. The group will be exhausted
and
exhilarated after a day like this. An evening full of fun is needed to decompress.

The purpose of
Part 4
(
Figure 7.4
), the next morning, is to plunge the group into action and set the stage for future work. The group focuses on action and tactics via
Open Space
. Building on the ideas from the previous day’s
Ecocycle
,
25/10 Crowd Sourcing
, and
WINFY
,
Open Space
now concentrates attention on how to advance single strategies. Session conveners facilitate the group’s work to generate action plans.

Using
Critical Uncertainties
, the group evaluates how useful each strategy would be in four future operating environments. The gaps and innovation opportunities revealed in this activity will be addressed in the next retreat. This provides creative tension for the group’s ongoing work.

A final round of
What, So What, Now What?
to end the retreat is used to draw out all the feelings of camaraderie, accomplishment, and momentum that have emerged. Detailed action plans and next steps will be compiled in a proceedings document with a small amount of additional effort. Output from the
Ecocycle
,
WINFY, Open Space
, and
Critical Uncertainties
will be particularly helpful for immediate follow-up and for preparing for the next retreat.

Advancing a Broad Movement across Many Regions

Two years after launch, sponsors of a national movement invite four hundred leaders from all fifty states to a summit in the nation’s capital. Some states are functioning at a high level while others are just getting off the ground. The goals are to galvanize more diverse participation in each state, restore hope for transformative change, and ignite bold action while deepening strategic thinking. Teams from each state will learn and share over two days
.

The storyboard for the summit is in three parts.

The purpose of
Part 1
(
Figure 7.5
) is to signal that each person is invited to shape next steps for promoting more diverse participation and stimulating bold action and deeper strategic thinking. Beginning with
Impromptu Networking
, this series of Liberating Structures is a clear shift from starting with a presentation or some other more controlling or unintentionally exclusive conventional practice. Individuals immediately feel more connected. The
Celebrity Interview
of one of the sponsors’ leaders opens the door further by laying out the big challenges that must be creatively addressed by everyone together, particularly those closest to the challenge; the clear message here is that even an expert national leader does not know the answers in advance of the work being done.