Nobody dares to say out loud what would make this project fail.
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.
Wicked Questions gives the unspoken tension a word, without it feeling like an accusation.
For example: The project is already three quarters behind schedule. Every status meeting presents progress positively. Nobody has ever said out loud what would need to happen for the project to genuinely fail — let alone checked whether that's already quietly underway.
Liberating Structures for this situation:
Creative Destruction (TRIZ)
Creative Destruction flips the question: instead of talking about what should succeed, everyone first writes down separately what they could do to achieve the worst possible outcome.
Then comes the confrontation: groups identify what they're already doing today that resembles what's on that list — and decide what needs to stop. The unspoken risk isn't just voiced, it's immediately turned into a concrete first step to stop it.
Wicked Questions
Wicked Questions makes the tension itself discussable as a paradox rather than an accusation: each participant writes down two truths that hold at once — for example "we say the project is on schedule" and "nobody's sure it'll land" — then turns that into a Wicked Question using the fixed template "How can we be ___ while at the same time being ___?"
You know you've got a good Wicked Question by the reaction: if the group lets out an "argh!", you've nailed it. A question like that just describes what everyone already sees, so it doesn't feel like an attack on whoever's leading the project.
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.