What makes Liberating Structures Liberating?

A question I received this morning:

What makes Liberating Structures(LS) liberating?

There is some quantitative reasons that have to do with the consequences that LS cause and a some qualitative ones that have to do with how that experience feels.

Quant has to do with the way that the LS Design Elements help us to get a grip on how:

1. Interaction mechanics that enable everyone to participate in smaller groups in shorter time boxes

2. Inquiry is guided by exploratory questions

3. Artifacts are used to

   1. cohere conversation

   2. collect information

   3. export content of conversations to the wider stakeholder context enabling...

      1. feedback

      2. async participation

These combine to increase the throughput of information, insights and ideas, improving the probability of the relevant information getting to the right place at an appropriate time. We can call this the coefficient of Relational Chaordination

This Relational Chaordination is pretty Liberating from what Joe Freeman calls the Tyranny of Structurelessness https://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm

The Qualia has to do with

1. the way that LS are hyper contextual responses

2. the Principles that tend to arise from playing with LS

3. and how hyper contextual responses, the principles and this relational chaordination feel

Confuisiasm is the way we describe the sense that as an individual I can sometimes lose the plot but feel really excited and engaged at the same time. Where though no one seems to be in control and complexity overwhelms, a new portion of our brain is lighting up and I like it

This is the vibe of Liberation: active participation and engagement that influences both the content and guides the process of the larger conversationMaking both of these very accessible for anyone to influence is what makes LS Liberating