Panarchy — A Real Life Example

How we used the Liberating Structure “Panarchy” at the Ministry of Defense in the Netherlands

1–2–4-ALL, Impromptu Networking, TRIZ… If you’re familiar with Liberating Structures, these foundational exercises probably ring a bell. 🔔

You might even know Ecocycle Planning! Which helps analyze activities and identify obstacles and opportunities for progress in a non-linear way.

But have you also heard of Panarchy?

It’s a Liberating Structure I was afraid of for years. Too complex, difficult, and overwhelming! It’s impossible to facilitate! Nowadays, it’s one of my favorites. I love it. ❤️

Panarchy aims to help people understand how their (organizational) system works, find leverage points, and trigger change. Its purpose is to find opportunities for change and improvement across all levels. It’s the scaled version of Ecocycle Planning.

I used Panarchy with a group of change agents at the Ministry of Defense in the Netherlands. It was a blast! 💥

Step 1: Identify the levels for analysis

Identify which levels are most relevant for analysis. Complex systems exist on many different levels. With Panarchy, we’re aiming for 4–7 levels. We identified the following levels:

Level 1: The group of change agents and coaches
Level 2: The broader department of the change agents
Level 3: JIVC (Strategic IT department for which the change agents work)
Level 4: Ministery of Defense as a whole
Level 5: Society

In hindsight, we could have included level 0, “You as a change agent.”

Step 2: Create an Ecocycle for each of the levels

List the current activities and future ambitions and plot them on the various Ecocycles. Use 1–2–4-ALL to gather input and share ideas.

Step 3: Identify how the levels interact

Now that there is transparency around what is happening in the system on the various levels, you start analyzing for patterns and bottlenecks.

What patterns do you notice? 🤔
Where do you see dependencies and impediments? 🤔
Where can disruptive ideas flow upwards or downwards? 🤔

Ideally, visualize the dependencies with rope or tape and the impediments with ‘impediment cards’ (see picture).

Step 4: Identify what people can do individually

As a closing step, help everyone create 15% Solutions. Individually, identify the first action steps you can take for one or more items on the list. What actions can you take immediately to influence levels below and above you?

Learn more

Panarchy combines many of the driving principles and concepts of Liberating Structures and works with large groups to drive change across all system levels. This makes it one of the most powerful and valuable exercises!

For a more detailed description — and other examples, check the following articles:

Why don’t you give it a try? Hopefully, this explanation helps lower the barrier and trigger enthusiasm!