COMMUNITY | DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION BELONGING
Five ways to accelerate your DEI&B strategies with Liberating Structures
(breaking barriers, building bridges)
Not if. Not when.
Right now. As is.
We are worthy
of love and belonging.~Brene Brown
I have spent the last two decades observing DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and later DEI&B (and belonging) policies in organizations at different maturity phases of their business. One of the common challenges faced by all of them is the conundrum of how to build a strong foundation for DEI&B. Factors such as low leadership commitment, unconscious bias, and fatigue/exhaustion of the DEI&B champions often impact the implementation of the DEI&B strategy and initiatives.
As a DEI & B advocate, I keep researching the methods and approaches used by organizations in designing their relevant strategies. This interest has taken me on a journey of discovery, along which I was introduced to a set of liberating structures in one of the exformative learning workshops facilitated by Francis Laleman.
Liberating Structures is a collection of group-based activities that are supposed to be liberating innovative ideas and insights among workshop participants, by the grace of a limited set of structural constraints. The success of LS, and its most commonly practiced collection, started off as a book by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless in 2014, and quickly turned into a worldwide movement.
From an array of 33 innovative, dynamic, and transformative techniques, Laleman frequently uses about 5 to 10 — in remote, in-person, and hybrid workshop environments. I understood these techniques were widely recognized and used by Agile practitioners as an effective method in community building and organization transformation. During these workshops, I also discovered a possibility for it to be a catalyst in creating breakthroughs and driving transformative DEI&B strategies for organizations.
Here is an attempt to decode the Da Vinci Code of Liberating Structures for DEI&B strategies and share how these powerful facilitation techniques can transform barriers into opportunities during the journey of creating inclusive and equitable workplaces.
Liberating Structures
The first to introduce the concept of a liberating structure was William Torbert, a professor at Boston College. Torbert’s project was to explore the notion of forms of organizational structures that guided people in a way that they developed skills to self-guide. He advanced a theory of power that generates productivity, justice, and inquiry; and the theory of liberating structure through which organizations can generate continual quality improvement (contributed by Lisa Kimball). From there, it wasn’t until 2014 that LS really took off and became a hit in Agile circles — when Lipmanowicz and McCandless introduced LS as a set of facilitation techniques and methods that empower individuals and groups to collaborate, innovate, and make decisions in a more inclusive and participatory format.
Liberating Structures start with something so simple and essential as not to seem worth doing and end with something so powerful and profound that it hardly seems possible.
Liberating Structures introduce tiny shifts in a way we meet, plan, decide and relate to one another. They put the innovative power once reserved for only experts in the hands of everyone.
Now here is how this would sound if I were to explain it to a 5-year-old child:
Liberating Structures are fun and interactive ways for people to work and play together. It’s like having access to games that help everyone feel included and have a say.
Imagine you and your friends want to decide what game to play. Instead of one person choosing, Liberating Structures will give everyone a chance to share their ideas and vote. This way, everyone’s voice gets heard, and it’s fair for everyone.
Liberating Structures also make it easy for people to talk and listen to each other. They provide different ways of having conversations as interacting in pairs or small groups. It helps us understand each other better and learn from different perspectives.
Sometimes, when we try to solve a problem or make a decision, it can be hard to think of new ideas. Liberating Structures has ‘special’ activities that help us think creatively and create innovative solutions.
The most important thing about Liberating Structures is that they make everyone feel included and important. They create a safe and friendly environment where everyone’s ideas and feelings matter.
Now here are five features embedded in Liberating Structures, that are there to help you inject new life into your DEI&B strategies.
1 — Collective Intelligence
Liberating Structures help to disrupt power dynamics, foster active participation, and generate inclusive conversations, laying the foundation for meaningful DEI &B strategies. When an organization starts working on its DEI &B strategy, they create a task force represented by people (from different roles, business functions, and backgrounds). They have a common goal of developing initiatives that promote a more inclusive workplace culture.
Facilitating the “1–2–4-All” method here will help gather a wide range of ideas and perspectives to create the DEI&B strategy. In this activity, all task force members reflect, share, and contribute insights. It makes everyone’s voice heard and valued and taps into the collective intelligence of the group. The role of the facilitator is crucial in setting the context, guiding the activity, and ensuring a safe space for open dialogue.
2 — Creating Psychological Safety
How can an organization address power dynamics and facilitate inclusive discussions in its DEI &B initiatives? Psychological safety is crucial for individuals to feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and experiences. Liberating Structures help to create a ‘safe and authentic’ space by encouraging respectful dialogues.
Facilitating the “Impromptu Networking” activity allows everyone to speak and be actively listened to, fostering psychological safety. During these intimate conversations and experience sharing, participants build strong connections, empathy, and vulnerability and develop a deeper appreciation for the challenges and opportunities for DEI&B strategies.
3 — Amplifying Diverse Voices
Liberating Structures can help amplify all voices and feel valued in an organization that wants to enhance its DEI&B initiatives and ensure that diverse voices are heard and valued in decision-making processes.
Facilitators can use “Appreciative Interviews” and “Wicked Questions” to encourage participants to share their unique stories, insights, and challenges while creating an environment for active listening. For example, Appreciative interviews have role play of interviewer and interviewee followed by role switching. The format has open-ended questions to explore the interviewee’s experiences, actively listening without judgment. It allows for reciprocal sharing and ensures that both participants have an opportunity to express their perspectives.
4 — Co-creation and Collaboration
True DEI&B transformation is led through co-creation and shared responsibility. Liberating Structures facilitate co-creation by engaging participants in activities like “Troika Consulting” and “User Experience Fishbowl.” These techniques encourage diverse groups to work together, using their collective wisdom to generate innovative solutions and strategies.
When individuals are empowered to take accountability, we create a sense of shared responsibility and commitment to implementing impactful DEI &B initiatives. For example: To facilitate co-creation and collaboration, the “Troika Consulting” activity is one of the methods. Participants are split into groups of three, forming trios. Each trio works together. One person is the presenter and shares their challenge or idea with the group. Another person is the consultant, offering insights and suggestions. The third person will observe and provide feedback on the process. These are time-limited roles, and people shuffle these roles to give everyone a chance to contribute insights and receive feedback. After the consultations, the whole group comes together for reflection and discussion. Each trio shares insights, recommendations, or breakthroughs observed during the consultation roles. The group engages in a dialogue, building on the ideas generated and identifying common themes or patterns.
5 — Evaluation and Adaptation
DEI & B strategies cannot be copied and pasted from one organizational culture to another. These are unique to each workplace because different people are at the center of each workplace. Liberating Structures also help to understand how effective the initiatives are and adapt them based on ongoing feedback and reflection.
Techniques like “15% Solutions” and “TRIZ” enable continuous improvement by encouraging participants to explore small, feasible actions and identify areas for growth and innovation. Example: TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving): The DEI &B team reviews the DEI &B strategy, analyzing its pitfalls and successes. They also analyze the impact of various initiatives, evaluate the alignment with organizational goals, and gather stakeholder feedback. It helps identify specific challenges or areas where the strategy may not be adequate. For instance, there is a lack of diversity in leadership positions within the organization. Using the “TRIZ” technique, the team explores innovative solutions to address the identified challenges. They challenge conventional thinking, explore best practices from other industries or organizations, and encourage creative problem-solving to generate breakthrough ideas. The team selects a few innovative ideas generated through “TRIZ” and tests them as pilot projects. They monitor the outcomes, gather feedback, and evaluate the effectiveness of these experimental initiatives. Based on the results, they adapt and factor changes in the DEI&B strategy accordingly.
Five DEI&B accelerators
Taking the above five key features into account, there is no doubt that Liberating Structures have a powerful and inclusive role in developing breakthrough DEI&B strategies. As a DEI&B advocate, I see the potential of these facilitation techniques in creating transformative experiences for your clients by breaking barriers and building bridges for the future of work culture.
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