The decision has already been made — what follows is just a sales pitch.
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.
For example: Management asks for "input" on a reorganization. Halfway through the session it becomes clear the new structure has already been approved by the board — the session was meant to get the team "used to it" in advance, not to change anything.
Liberating Structures for this situation:
Wicked Questions
Wicked Questions can't undo the decision here — that's not what this structure is for. What it can do: make the tension itself nameable. Each participant writes down two truths that hold at once — for example "we're here to give input" and "the decision is already made" — then turns that into a Wicked Question using the fixed template "How can we be ___ while at the same time being ___?"
That doesn't change the outcome, but it does keep the tension from staying completely unspoken. You know you've got a good Wicked Question by the reaction: if the group lets out an "argh!", they recognize themselves in the paradox — and there's at least some honesty about what this session is, and isn't.
No certification, no lengthy prep — read the steps and try it at your next meeting.