Liberating Structures

Liberating Structures is an alternative solution for how teams routinely work together, communicate ideas, and relate to each other. Teams are used to working in conventional structures that are either too rigid, like presentations, status reports, and managed discussions, or are too loosely coordinated, like brainstorms or open discussions. Liberating Structures are smaller structures that may seem insignificant but have a big impact on how teams ideate and collaborate. They focus on giving different ways to interact that disrupt the monotonous routine of only sharing ideas through meetings or informal conversations. By being less constrained and pulling ideas through different, unorthodox team practices, teams have found they innovate faster, have improved communication, and feel more psychologically safe. Groups who are looking to break out of their typical ways of interacting can use these easy to learn methods to aid in having conversations that help to strategize, ideate, and analyze in new ways.

Download, print, and hang this fact sheet near your workspace to make sure your team doesn’t fall into the trap of only having conversations in conventional formats. Create a new habit of challenging the way you communicate in new and even fun ways. Learn about:

• What are Liberating Structures?
• What situations can they help us with?
• How do I get started?

Looking for more ways to improve your team dynamics? Learn about Psychological Safety and how you can create a comfortable environment for team members to show vulnerability and take risks to make room for innovation.