A note from Zoe Lord Deputy Director of Horizons
Thank you for joining the Liberating Structures session at the International Forum for Quality and Safety in Health and Care in London. I’ve been using Liberating Structures for over 10 years and they have totally transformed the way I think and act – I do hope you have such a great experience too!
Lets cast our minds back for a moment… Think of a time when you were in a poor meeting – it might have been because the same few people were dominating the conversation, you might not have been able to get your voice heard, you were spoken over, yourself or others may have disengaged, it might have been a chaotic meeting or the space for any creativity was stifled.
Liberating Structures are powerful approaches that can radically transform these all-too-common scenarios. They are methods for a purpose and simple rules that can be used to reduce hierarchy, give everyone a voice (even when you have hundreds of people!), making it possible to include and unleash everyone in shaping the future.
There are officially 33 recognised Liberating Structures. All the structures are different and vary in purpose and application. Some structures are quiet and reflective while others are wild and rather noisy! Some can be undertaken with just one person, while others need a small group and there is no top limit on numbers!
Every structure has a purpose and should be used for a purpose (e.g. idea generation, decision-making, strategy development, conflict resolution, reflecting on progress, sharing knowledge). The matchmaker will help you connect your purpose with the most appropriate Liberating Structure.
We’ve put together this page containing all the links to the structures we covered at IHI plus some additional resources. My suggestion would be to start with one of the simpler Liberating Structures (1:2:4:All, 15 % solutions, TRIZ, Troika) and have a go with a friendly group of colleagues or even family to build your confidence.
Please do stay in touch and I would love to hear how you get on. Feel free to tag me in posts and pictures on Twitter/X (@Zoelord1) or LinkedIn (Zoe Lord)!
If you would like any bespoke support to develop your organisational knowledge, experience and confidence, please do get in touch and we can co-develop an immersion workshop that not only trains, develops and immerses your teams into the world of Liberating Structures, but we can also tackle your organisations biggest issues during the workshop! My contact details are: zoelord@nhs.net