The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures

Smart leaders know that they would greatly increase productivity and innovation if only they could get everyone fully engaged. So do professors, facilitators and all changemakers. The challenge is how. Liberating Structures are novel, practical and no-nonsense methods to help you accomplish this goal with groups of any size.

Prepare to be surprised by how simple and easy they are for anyone to use. This book shows you how with detailed descriptions for putting them into practice plus tips on how to get started and traps to avoid. It takes the design and facilitation methods experts use and puts them within reach of anyone in any organization or initiative, from the frontline to the C-suite.

Part One: The Hidden Structure of Engagement will ground you with the conceptual framework and vocabulary of Liberating Structures. It contrasts Liberating Structures with conventional methods and shows the benefits of using them to transform the way people collaborate, learn, and discover solutions together.

Part Two: Getting Started and Beyond offers guidelines for experimenting in a wide range of applications from small group interactions to system-wide initiatives: meetings, projects, problem solving, change initiatives, product launches, strategy development, etc.

Part Three: Stories from the Field illustrates the endless possibilities Liberating Structures offer with stories from users around the world, in all types of organizations –– from healthcare to academic to military to global business enterprises, from judicial and legislative environments to R&D.

Part Four: The Field Guide for Including, Engaging, and Unleashing Everyone describes how to use each of the 33 Liberating Structures with step-by-step explanations of what to do and what to expect.

Discover today what Liberating Structures can do for you, without expensive investments, complicated training, or difficult restructuring. Liberate everyone’s contributions –– all it takes is the determination to experiment.

Henri Lipmanowicz is the former president of Merck's Intercontinental Region and Japan. He cofounded the Plexus Institute and served as its Chairman till 2010. He was born in Carcassonne, France, holds MS degrees from Toulouse and Columbia University and has lived in seven different countries. He currently lives in the United States with his wife, where they enjoy the company of their two daughters and seven grandchildren. Keith McCandless was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. After earning an MA in management of human services in Boston, he went on to found and serve as executive director of the Foundation for Health Care Quality. McCandless also worked for the Health Forum in San Francisco, where he led executive learning and innovation initiatives, and cofounded the Social Invention Group. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife and family.