Addressing climate change with liberating structures and new work

Complex problems and chaotic problems need the inclusion of a diverse group of people and thinking and practice tools to get out of silos, reconnect, crosspollinate, find new allies and find better solutions to make sense and test together.

I urge you to stop the old conference formats and start using formats such as unconference, BarCamps, facilitation and liberating structures to include and unleash everyone!

The cost of not including brilliant ideas by brilliant people at conferences (and in general) because of one man and one woman shows or panels with Q&A is high: we are not addressing complex and chaotic problems! Climate change and regeneration cannot be addressed with the wrong problem-solving modes (these of simple and complicated problems – for more details see the CYNEFIN model)!

Do not get my wrong – I come from research, and I honor research and expert knowledge! But if we want to address the climate crisis and live regeneration, we need to find ways of knowledge exchange, sense making and testing ideas that is including everyone.

WHY? We will not succeed in regeneration and sustainability. They will NOT disperse, spread out, grow, scale, make a difference if we do not:

• get out of our silos,
• get insights of approaches and solutions in other fields to use them in our fields,
• combine and use theory, research, and practice approaches,
• create relationships of trust, reconnect with ourselves and others
• and unleash and include the insights of everyone!

If we start using formats of getting together like unconference, BarCamps, facilitation and liberating structures we can:

• activate, enable, and embody ecological thinking. Ecology has a lot to do with relationships among people but also with relationship to nature. We need to build, rebuild, and strengthen relationships to move together towards shared solutions.
• make sense and test complex problems by breaking down aspects, bits and pieces into sequential and iterative formats such as liberating structures
• distribute participation and think and come up with ideas in small groups
• time box to be in the mode of flow and movement
• have a purpose for each format you chose and an invitation to offer directionality
• create artefacts to think, discuss and decide how to move forward
• build trust as you go
• learn by failing forward
• practice self-discovery within a group
• amplify freedom and responsibility
• emphasize possibilities
• belief before you see
• invite creative destruction to enable innovation
• engage in serious playful curiosity
• and never start without a clear purpose

Curious?

Find out more about ecology meets liberating structures:

🎯 💪 Practice new work methods and liberating structures in the communities of practice I run:

https://www.meetup.com/liberating-structures-go-online/ and here https://www.meetup.com/facilitation-lab-and-new-work-practices/

👉🏻 🎙️🎧 Join the podcast “New Work and Sustainability” with Jeremy Akers on “ecology meets liberating structures” to learn what this is all about, why it matters and how you can start your journey as a regenerative leader.

🤝🏻 work with me and get in touch with me to continue the discussion on Linked in or write me an email info[a]nicole-helmerich.com

✍🏻 📢 share your thoughts with us in the comments of the linked in post