“Organizations Are A Creation Of Conversations.”

“Organizations are a creation of conversations.”

Brett Puterbaugh shared this quote in the Liberating Structures Slack channel a while ago. When I read it, it immediately struck home. It touches on why Liberating Structures are so powerful when sparking organizational change.

In many organizations, voices are lost because of conventional conversation structures, such as presentations, open discussions, managed discussions, brainstorming, and status reports.

These traditional structures, which we use to communicate, make decisions, and develop fresh ideas in groups, are fundamentally broken 💔.

They are either too structured or inhibiting, with one person talking while the rest ‘listens’ — like presentations, status meetings, and managed discussions. 💤 Or they are too unstructured and loose, with only a handful of people talking while the rest struggle to keep up — like brainstorming and open discussions. 😵

Furthermore, conventional structures favor more extroverted people who can ‘think by talking.’ In contrast, the more introverted people feel left behind because they are still thinking about a previous point. 🤷‍♀️

This lack of inclusion means many valuable perspectives are never heard, and the group’s decision-making can become skewed or incomplete. People who don’t speak up can feel disengaged or overlooked, ultimately impacting productivity and team cohesion.

This is a massive problem if you are interested in tapping into the entire wisdom, experience, and perspectives of the people in a team or organization to resolve impediments, make decisions, share knowledge, and innovate.

Luckily, there’s an alternative: Liberating Structures! 🥳

Liberating Structures aims to involve and unleash everyone! They create spaces where people can participate, reflect, and share their insights in ways that honor diverse communication styles. As such, organizations become a creation of conversations representing everyone — not only the people with the loudest voices and the strongest opinions.

This is one of the reasons I love ❤️ Liberating Structures, and I try to support as many people as possible in using it!

When everyone’s voice is heard in an organization, it unlocks the potential for more significant innovation, improved decision-making, and stronger collaboration. Diverse perspectives lead to more informed, well-rounded decisions, while increased engagement creates a sense of ownership and trust.

What’s your take on this? How does it connect to your own experiences?