liberating-structuresfacilitationagile-management Antonio Polo

What Are Liberating Structures?

Liberating Structures are 33 alternatives to conventional meetings, designed to encourage distributed leadership, inclusion and innovation. Learn how to start using them.

Many people have been asking me about Liberating Structures. To help with understanding, I translated an excellent article by Lisa Gill on the subject. It is extremely well written and enriching. Enjoy.

What Are Liberating Structures?

And how do you start using them in your organization or group?

Liberating Structures are a selection of 33 alternative structures for facilitating meetings and conversations, curated by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless.

Source: “The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures” by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless.

What Is the Value of Liberating Structures?

By observing events with groups of people, five predominant “microstructures” were identified in organizations:

  1. Presentations
  2. Discussions and debate panels
  3. Status meetings
  4. Open discussions
  5. Brainstorms

The problem with conventional meetings is twofold: some are too restrictive (presentations, formal discussions, status meetings) and others are inconclusive (open discussions and unstructured brainstorms).

Liberating Structures solve these limitations because they are designed to encourage distributed leadership, involving everyone in building the next steps. This kind of power distribution is especially valuable for the middle manager, who often needs to facilitate difficult conversations between leadership and teams. The benefits are: innovation, inclusion and participation, clarity of purpose, and fun. You will notice this when you try them.

Do You Need to Be a Facilitator to Use Liberating Structures?

No. Liberating Structures are very simple and anyone can apply them. This means they can spread exponentially through an organization. Once you try one, it is very easy to pick the next ones.

All instructions are available on the website and in the official book. On the site, select the LS Menu tab and choose a structure. If you are pragmatic like me and prefer simplicity: read the purpose at the top and skip straight to step 5, Steps and Timeframes.

Where to Start?

I recommend starting with the book for overall context, though the reading is not the easiest. The website is helpful but also has a learning curve. The best way to learn Liberating Structures is to experience them: if you can attend a workshop where they are happening, take the opportunity.

There is also an app (available for Apple and Android) that helps you choose which structure to start with, with simple instructions for running it.

Five Structures to Start Now

Any Liberating Structure will be more effective than a conventional microstructure. Here are five I use regularly:

1–2–4-All (12 minutes)

Works in any meeting, conversation or workshop. Great for involving people who tend to stay quiet.

How it works: reflect on a question or idea for 1 minute individually in silence → discuss in pairs for 2 minutes → in groups of four for 4 minutes → gather everyone and pick a few highlights to share.

Impromptu Networking (20 minutes)

Ideal for starting sessions with groups where people do not know each other well. Creates pairs that quickly share:

  • What they want to give to the group
  • What they want to get from the group
  • A question they bring with them

Three rounds of this — a great warm-up, a way to meet people and set an intention for participation.

TRIZ (35 minutes)

One of my favorites. Generates high energy and fun. Helps identify what is getting in the way of achieving the group’s desired results — especially useful for teams that have become complacent or stagnant.

I have facilitated this structure with a group of HR directors in the public sector. The laughter and energy were incredible. They had genuine insights into how they needed to change their own behaviors to encourage change in others.

Wise Crowds (15 minutes per person)

Useful for exploring the creativity and collective intelligence of the group in problem solving. It is a simple role play: one person acts as client and the others act as consultants.

The central rule: consultants cannot impose their opinions, and the client sits with their back turned — only listening, without influencing the conversation. Works especially well in groups with diverse knowledge and experience.

25/10 Crowdsourcing (30 minutes)

Perfect if you are frustrated with groups that generate great ideas that never get off the ground. A quick way to vote on possible ideas and explore them further. After selecting the top-voted ones, you can combine with other Liberating Structures to deepen the details and bring them to life.

How to Choose the Right Structures for Your Meeting?

Use the Liberating Structures Matchmaker. It helps you identify your meeting’s purpose and suggests the most appropriate structure.

You can use it alone to build a “string” of structures, or in a group to build a collaborative agenda — using 1–2–4-All itself to vote on which structures best serve your purpose.

You do not need to memorize all 33 structures. I don’t. I use the Matchmaker to choose and the book to guide the execution of the ones I selected.

Final Facilitation Tips

  1. Say as little as possible. You can introduce most structures simply by sharing the purpose described by the authors. The less you talk, the more space you give others to participate.

  2. Respect the timeboxes. Some will seem too short — try to observe them. If you need more time, run another round rather than stretching a step. Otherwise you may fall into the trap of open, loose discussion.

  3. Use bells or visible timers. In large groups, bells work well. In smaller groups, a timer on screen so everyone can see the remaining time is a great practice — a recommendation I received from a participant at a workshop in Sweden.

  4. Be firm about individual silent reflection. Especially important for introverts — do not skip this step.

  5. Fewer words on slides, always. If you need to leave instructions visible, use the minimum amount of text possible.

  6. Think about physical space in advance. People may need to stand, sit in pairs, use sticky notes, flip chart, pens. Consider the logistics ahead of time.

  7. Take ownership of the Structures. Over time, you will discover which ones you prefer and how you like to run them. Personalize. For example, with TRIZ I prefer to give the instructions little by little — revealing everything at once can inhibit participants’ creativity.

Ready to Start?

Choose a structure. Try it in your next meeting. Learning comes from practice — not from reading. And if you want a better understanding of which role within the organization should lead this shift in meeting culture, the article Agile Coach and Scrum Master: Different Roles offers a useful perspective.