„Creating magical moments - applying Liberating Structures to Collaborative Modeling“ at DDD Europe 2023

1. Creating magical moments
Applying Liberating Structures (LS) to Collaborative Modeling (CM)
Martin Günther

2. Who am I?
• Martin Günther
• Studied Mathematics
• IT Consultant since 2009
• Various roles: QA, DEV, Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Architect, Workshop
Facilitator

3. What to expect from today‘s session?
• Experience Liberating Structures in action
• Understand some of the basic concepts behind Liberating Structures
• And how to apply them to Collaborative Modeling
• Some magical moments for each of you
• What not to expect?
• Collaborative modeling like f.e. doing a case study
• All 33 Liberating Structures in 2 hours
• Magic – I am a Mathematician, not a Magician L
Don't stress
yourself!

4. What is a magical moment?
„All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point
is to discover them.“ Galileo Galilei
AHA!

5. Our String for today

6. Collaborative Modeling
• 1: How experienced are you in Collaborative Modeling?
• Folding Spectogram
• 2: From your point of view, what is Collaborative Modeling? Why is it
useful? What does it make possible? You do not have to answer all 3
questions. Start where you find a connecting point!
• 4: Find another pair and as a group of 4 discuss have a dialogue on
your results from the previous round. Collect your TOP3 answers,
each on one sticky.
• All: Collect the stickies on the Metaplan.

8. Folding Spectogram

9. Conventional interaction structures (BIG 5)
• Presentation
• Open discussion
• Managed discussion
• Status report
• Brainstorming

10. Liberating (!) Structures (!)
Too little
structure
Too much
structure
Leads to
chaos and
frustration
Kills
creativity
and fun
Liberating
Structures

11. Liberating Structures Principles
Include and
unleash everyone
Practice deep
respect for people
and local solutions
Build trust as you
go
Learn by failing
forward
Practice self-
discovery within a
group
Amplify freedom
AND responsibility
Emphasize
possibilities:
believe before you
see
Invite creative
destruction to
enable innovation
Engage in serious-
playful curiosity Never start
without a clear
purpose

12. The 5 Design Elements of interaction
structures
Structuring Invitation
Space and Material
Group Configuration
Distribution of
Participation Sequence of Steps
and Timing

13. Success factors of Collaborative Modeling
• 2: Tell a story of a situation in which you were part of a group that worked in a
really collaborative way and that lead to a magical moment for you. How was the
setting? What was the situation like? How did you feel? As Listener, be prepared
to retell your partner‘s story.
• 4: Find another pair and form a group of 4. Retell your partner‘s story from the
first round – one after another. As Listener try to find out what have been the
success factors? Consider the LS Principles as possible success factors!
• 4: Which circumstances made it possible for these magical moments to happen?
Which configurations of the 5 Design Elements enforced the principles you just
discovered? Per group of 4 collect your answers, each on one sticky. Mention
your principle and the structuring configuration that enabled the principle to
work.
• All: Collect the stickies on the Metaplan.

15. Appreciative Interviews

16. Punctuation: XXO
X
X
O
O

17. 3 levels of using LS in CM
1. Icebreaker/Connecting things/Wrap-ups
2. LS as activity in DDD Starter Modeling Process
3. Use the 5 design elements as a spectrum and consciously choose to
design them. Apply the LS principles when applicable and thereby
improve your style of facilitation when using existing CM
techniques.

18. LS and LS in Development
https://liberatingstructures.de/liberating-structures-menue/

19. LS as activity in DDD Starter Modeling Process
Ecocycle
Planning
Appreciative
Interviews
9 Whys
Wicked
Questions
TRIZ
Troika
Consulting
Discovery and
Action Dialogue
Shift and
Share
Min Specs
Social
Network
Webbing
Wise Crowds
WINFY
Open Space
Technology
Generative
Relationships
Agreement
Certainty
Matrix
Simple
Ethnography
Integrated
Autonomy
Critical
Uncertainties
Purpose-To-
Practice
Network
Patterning
Cards
Future~
Present
https://github.com/ddd-crew/ddd-starter-modelling-process

20. Example: Ecocycle Planning
https://www.liberatingstructures.com/31-ecocycle-planning/

21. Opportunities to use LS in CM contexts
• 4: From what you learned today about LS, what could you use for CM? How
could LS or parts of it be applied to your next CM workshop? As a group,
try to find as many ideas as possible (no need to write them down)!
• 2: What idea from the group of 4 stuck with you that you would like to try
out? Tell your partner about it! As a listening partner still stay in a lovingly
supporting mood by affirming and telling what you like about the idea!
• 1: Formulate your idea as a small experiment on a sticky. You can start with
something like "In my next CM workshop, I will...", but you are free to
choose another beginning.
• SNAP!

22. 4-2-1-Snap

23. What‘s next?
• User groups
• Immersion workshops
• Books
• Card decks
• LISA – LIberatingStructuresApp
• Seek opportunities to use them
• Contact me:
• In person at DDD Europe 2023
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maguenth/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/maguenth

24. Today‘s magical moments
• 1: What was your magical moment today? Did you have one? Write it
on a sticky incl. its context so that it might be understood by someone
not familiar with your conversations that led to this magical moment.
• 3 options:
• Keep for yourself when leaving the room
• Share your sticky on the Metaplan with everybody (and me J)
• In case another participant helped you with your magical moment, you might
want to tell the person about it

26. Thank you and goodbye! J