Reflections on Innovating and Empowering

It has been little more than a year since I joined TadZo. I wanted to reflect on my time spent working with community and organization stakeholders and share meaningful take-a-ways for me. 

When I began working at TadZo and with Principal Allison Larsen, I was excited about the concept of using unique approaches to engage stakeholders in strategy and other work for their communities and organizations; and finding new ways to get people to work better together. 

However, I wanted to better understand: What exactly does that mean for a community or organization? 

Being a bit of research freak, I wanted to know more about the science behind some of the innovative approaches and tools we use at TadZo. For example, what are Liberating Structures (LS), how are they so impactful, and what sectors are using LS? There are decades of science and innovation behind Liberating Structures which are described as "Simple rules that make it easy to include and unleash everyone in shaping the future". I was surprised to find that LS is used across a diverse mix of industry sectors, i.e., public and private organizations, business, healthcare, academia, military, government, legislative advocacy, community and economic development, IT, science and technology, juvenile justice, child advocacy, medical research. Also, I was impressed with the globally recognized entities that have used LS. A few examples are NASA, U.S. Army, Deloitte, Conoco, BP, and United Way.

LS offers 35 structures. I found the 25/10 Crowd Sourcing structure to be one of my favorites. The first time I saw 25/10 Crowd Sourcing used with a large group of community stakeholders, I was amazed at the outcome. In this example, a group of more than 50 stakeholders quickly generated uncensored bold ideas and then sorted those ideas into their top ten for action. It was fun and fast, yet proved to be a very effective way to tap the wisdom of the group and then move to consensus. Participants shared comments like “all stakeholders had a voice,” “now everyone is on the same page," “helped us quickly get consensus on priorities," and “everyone felt heard”.

Since my first experience with TadZo's unique approach, I have been privileged to assist communities and organizations with strategy development, group empowerment, technical services, disaster recovery, facilitation, and workshops. It is rewarding to see stakeholders inventing together, building consensus on strategic direction, and their excitement and commitment to make important things happen! 

With Thanksgiving Day coming soon, it is a perfect time to express my thanks and appreciation for the many opportunities given me to help make positive changes in your communities and organizations.