Liberating Structures Scotland: Evaluation of 2022

 "Empowering Collaboration: The Journey of Liberating Structures Scotland - From Meetups to Virtual Success!"

Liberating Structures are more than just facilitation techniques; they are a powerful way to enhance relational coordination, trust, and creativity within groups. Originally developed by Keith McCandless and Henri Lipmanowicz, Liberating Structures are a collection of 33 micro-structures that can be easily learned and applied to problem-solving and collaborative decision-making. In Scotland, a group of enthusiastic practitioners came together in 2018 to form the Liberating Structures Scotland meet-up, with the aim of shifting the balance of power in their teams and organizations to foster engagement and influence among their workforce.

The meet-ups initially took place face-to-face, bringing together participants from diverse backgrounds such as health and care, design, academia, government, and the voluntary and charity sectors. However, the momentum was disrupted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Undeterred, the team at the Q community, led by Matthew and Joriam, took the Liberating Structures Scotland meet-ups online via Zoom, and the virtual journey began.

The virtual meet-ups started in late 2021, and although the face-to-face element was lost, the reach of Liberating Structures Scotland expanded like never before. Participants from all over the UK, including all four home nations, joined in, and the professions of attendees remained diverse as before. With a full year of virtual meet-ups under their belts, the team at Liberating Structures Scotland decided to evaluate the impact and value of providing a safe space for the simulation of these facilitation techniques.

The evaluation results were positive and revealed that Liberating Structures Scotland meet-ups have been effective in creating a safe, inclusive, and valuable space for people to come together, learn, and play with Liberating Structures. Many of the participants reported using the techniques in their day jobs (figure 1.), and the meet-ups gave them the confidence to try different Liberating Structures in their work (figure 2). Here are a few quotes from those who answered yes to trying different Liberating Structures:

"Attending Liberating Structures Scotland meet-ups has expanded my toolkit and given me the confidence to experiment with different structures in my team meetings."

"I have been able to apply Liberating Structures in my project meetings, and it has helped to foster better collaboration and creativity among team members."

"The meet-ups have inspired me to be more inclusive and participatory in my facilitation approach, and it has resulted in more effective and engaging meetings with my colleagues."

Figure 1. The most commonly reported technique used was impromptu networking, followed by TRIZ.

Encouraged by the positive feedback and impact, Liberating Structures Scotland has ambitious plans for 2023. They have scheduled 5 virtual meet-ups on key dates throughout the year - 25th February, 25th April, 27th June, 26th September, and 28th November. Additionally, they are planning a national week of Liberating Structures to encourage the wider community to use and promote these techniques in their work.

Figure 2. Attending the meet-ups gave them the confidence to try different Liberating Structures in their work

On behalf of Dan, Kirsty, and Jonathan, the team at Liberating Structures Scotland expresses their gratitude to all the participants who joined them in 2022 and looks forward to seeing more practitioners in 2023. To stay updated with their activities, follow them on Twitter @liberatingstru1 and send them a DM to get added to their mailing list. Join them in their mission to create more inclusive and engaging meetings using Liberating Structures techniques - sophisticated stuff, indeed!