Slides from 90 minute workshop at Agile on the Beach 2019. https://agileonthebeach.com/sessions/2019/liberating-structures/ Abstract: What would be made possible if you could unleash the intelligence and creativity of everyone? Liberating Structures are a collection of easy-to-learn facilitation patterns that make this possible. They’re field tested, rooted in complexity science and freely shared under a creative commons licence. Through this workshop, participants will gain a practical hands-on experience of several Liberating Structures, and an appreciation of some of the possibilities they offer. We will consolidate learning by alternating between practice of a structure and reflection on the experience and possible applications in participants’ own contexts. More information at: www.LiberatingStructuresLondon.org.uk https://twitter.com/LibStructLDN https://twitter.com/dgheath21

1. Liberating Structures
David Heath
Lead Developer
Government Digital Service
@dgheath21

2. Liberating
Structures
Workshop

4. GDS Tech
Community

6. GDS
Discovered
Liberating
Structures
in 2015

7. GDS
GDS tech community

8. GDS
GDS tech community
People board

9. GDS
GDS tech community
People board
Mental health unconference
session

10. Agenda

11. GDS
Intro

12. GDS
Intro
Ecocycle

13. GDS
Intro
Ecocycle
25/10 crowdsourcing

14. GDS
Intro
Ecocycle
25/10 crowdsourcing
Troika consulting

15. GDS
Intro
Ecocycle
25/10 crowdsourcing
Troika consulting
Conclusions

16. What are
Liberating
Structures?

17. GDS
Simple
rules that
include
everyone
in shaping
the future

18. GDS
" You gain from control
" Calm things down to
promote predictability
Machine
" You gain from disorder
" Stir things up to
promote anti-fragility &
creative adaptability
Complex System

19. Design

20. GDS
Expert-less
Results-focused
Rapid cycling
Seriously fun
Inclusive
Multi-scale
Self-spreading
Modular
Attributes

21. GDS
Co-creators
Henri Lipmanowicz Keith McCandless
Who seems more serious and
more playful?

22. GDS
Made available through a Creative Commons Non-
Commercial, Attribution, Share-and-Share Alike License

23. Let’s give it a
try!

24. Ecocycle
Planning
Analyze the full portfolio of
activities and relationships to
identify obstacles and
opportunities for progress 25 min

25. GDS
What is made possible?

26. GDS
What is made possible?
Identify which things are:

27. GDS
What is made possible?
Identify which things are:
• starving for resources

28. GDS
What is made possible?
Identify which things are:
• starving for resources
• rigid and hampering progress

29. GDS
What is made possible?
Identify which things are:
• starving for resources
• rigid and hampering progress
Involve everyone

30. GDS
What is made possible?
Identify which things are:
• starving for resources
• rigid and hampering progress
Involve everyone
See the forest and the trees

31. GDS
Liberating Structures: Ecocycle Planning
Co-developed by Keith McCandless + Henri Lipmanowicz (www.liberatingstructures.com)
Creative Commons License

32. GDS
Liberating Structures: Ecocycle Planning
Co-developed by Keith McCandless + Henri Lipmanowicz (www.liberatingstructures.com)
Creative Commons License

33. GDS
Liberating Structures: Ecocycle Planning
Co-developed by Keith McCandless + Henri Lipmanowicz (www.liberatingstructures.com)
Creative Commons License

34. GDS
Liberating Structures: Ecocycle Planning
Co-developed by Keith McCandless + Henri Lipmanowicz (www.liberatingstructures.com)
Creative Commons License

35. GDS
Liberating Structures: Ecocycle Planning
Co-developed by Keith McCandless + Henri Lipmanowicz (www.liberatingstructures.com)
Creative Commons License

36. GDS
Liberating Structures: Ecocycle Planning
Co-developed by Keith McCandless + Henri Lipmanowicz (www.liberatingstructures.com)
Creative Commons License

37. GDS
Sequence of steps
1. Individually, make a list [5 mins]
2. Plot on the ecocycle [3 mins]
3. Share in pairs [5 mins]
4. Playback [5 mins]

38. GDS
Make your list! [5m]
First, choose ONE area, for example:
Activities - how do you spend your time?
Products or services offered by your company
Relationships - warning.. can be spicey!
Tools - build, CI, libraries, technologies
Processes - agile ceremonies, governance
Then write down a numbered list of 5-10
things

39. GDS
Now plot on the ecocycle [3m]

40. GDS
Get into pairs [5m]
take it in turns to review your ecocycle
• what patterns did you notice?
• anything in the poverty or rigidity trap?
• any actions you might want to take?

41. Playback and
reflections [5m]

42. Real world
examples

43. GDS Tech
community

44. 1 hour session

49. GDS
Nasa’s innovation portfolio

50. 25/10 Crowd
Sourcing
Rapidly generate and sift a
group’s most powerful
actionable ideas
25/10
25 min

51. GDS
Sequence of steps
1. given a challenge
2. everyone thinks of one bold idea and
first step
3. write down the idea and first step on a
card
4. five rounds of shuffling and scoring all
the cards
5. take forward the top scoring ideas

52. Volunteer
needed!

53. GDS
What is your bold idea
to address this
challenge?
What if you were
ten times bolder?

54. bold idea
GDS
Write clearly!
first step
(if you
have one)
Write:

55. GDS
Now we’re going to shuffle the
cards and score them from 1-5
1 = uninspiring
3 = reasonable
5 = this is so good I would personally
invest my energy to make it
happen

56. GDS
Write the score on the back of
the card
Decide
your score
before
looking!

57. Shuffle time!

58. GDS
Add up your scores
Write on the front

59. Top scoring
ideas

60. Example uses

61. Troika
consulting
Get practical and
imaginative help from
colleagues immediately 25 min

62. GDS
In turn each person plays the client while
the others two act as consultants.
Three times:
1. Client explains problem [1 min]
2. Clarifying questions [2 mins]
3. Client turns their back around and
listens whilst the consultants discuss
problem [4 mins]
4. Client turns around and debriefs [1 min]

63. Get into
groups of
three

64. What is your challenge?
What would you like
help with?
Write it down!
GDS
1 min

65. Round 1

66. 1. Explain your challenge [1m]
2. Clarifying questions [1m]
3. Consultation [4m]
• Client turns their back and LISTENS
(no talking)
• Consultants discuss with each other
4. Debrief [1m]
• Turn back again, share reflections
GDS

67. Round 2

68. 1. Explain your challenge [1m]
2. Clarifying questions [1m]
3. Consultation [4m]
• Client turns their back and LISTENS
(no talking)
• Consultants discuss with each other
4. Debrief [1m]
• Turn back again, share reflections
GDS

69. Round 3

70. 1. Explain your challenge [1m]
2. Clarifying questions [1m]
3. Consultation [4m]
• Client turns their back and LISTENS
(no talking)
• Consultants discuss with each other
4. Debrief [1m]
• Turn back again, share reflections
GDS

71. Debrief

72. GDS
Why?
● Refine skills in asking for help
● Learn to formulate problems and
challenges clearly
● Refine listening and consulting
skills
● Build trust within a group through
mutual support

73. Conclusions

75. GDS
www.LiberatingStructures.com

76. GDS
Apps available
for both iOS
and Android

79. http://bit.ly/lsoct19
Tue 29 - Wed 30 Oct
Discount code £150 off
AOTB19

80. GDS
References
• www.liberatingstructures.com
• The Surprising Power of Liberating
Structures, Keith McCandless, Henri
Lipmanowicz, 2014
• Edgeware: Insights From Complexity
Science For Health Care Leaders, Brenda
Zimmerman, 2008
• @LibStructLdn
• Immersion Workshop London 29-30 Oct

81. GDS
We’re hiring!
https://jobs.jobvite.com/gds
• Delivery management
• Software engineering
• Technical architecture
• Operations engineers
• Product management

82. Thank you!
David Heath
david@davidheath.org
@dgheath21
@LibStructLDN
www.LiberatingStructures.com
www.liberatingstructures.com
The Surprising Power of Liberating
Structures, Keith McCandless,
Henri Lipmanowicz, 2014
Edgeware: Insights From
Complexity Science For Health
Care Leaders, Brenda Zimmerman,
2008