Everyone waits for the manager to nod before saying anything.
Recognize this situation? Below are the Liberating Structures that change it — a concrete example, and the reason this one fits here. New to Liberating Structures? Here's what it is.
Troika Consulting deliberately works in small groups, out of sight of the hierarchy.
For example: At the team meeting, silence holds until the manager gives his opinion. The moment he nods at one proposal, everyone else falls in line — not necessarily because they agree, but because pushing back after that nod feels like going against the boss.
Liberating Structures for this situation:
1-2-4-All
1-2-4-All doesn't leave anyone waiting for a signal: everyone — including the manager himself — first thinks alone in silence for a minute and writes down their own answer, before anyone says anything out loud.
By the time people start talking, in pairs and then in fours, every participant already has their own view down on paper. That view was formed before the nod happened, not after it.
Troika Consulting
Troika Consulting literally takes the conversation out of the manager's line of sight: in trios, one person shares a challenge while the other two give advice — the manager, meanwhile, is simply in a different trio, not watching.
Without a manager listening in within that same small group, what gets said changes. The conversation is about the challenge itself, not about how it'll land with whoever just nodded or didn't.
No certification, no lengthy prep — read the steps and try it at your next meeting.
Keep exploring
Browse the full list of 43 structures, or get support if this situation is too complex to facilitate yourself.