We call it "resistance." In reality, no one ever listened to their objections.
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.
Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD) asks for the concrete objection, not the label put on it.
For example: Part of the team reacts slowly and reluctantly to every new proposal. Management calls that "resistance to change." Nobody has ever asked about the concrete objection — the label "resistance" replaced the conversation.
Liberating Structures for this situation:
Heard, Seen, Respected (HSR)
Heard, Seen, Respected gives exactly the room the label "resistance" takes away: in pairs, someone tells their story for five minutes while the partner just listens and asks "what happened next?" — no pushing back, no filling in from the label.
Only once someone actually feels heard — not just addressed — does the underlying objection actually surface, instead of the shortcut of "they're just resistant."
Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)
Discovery & Action Dialogue then asks for the concrete objection itself, through fixed questions like "How do you know this problem is present?" — not the label that's been stuck on it so far.
Because the host of each group doesn't answer themselves, the conversation stays owned by whoever has the objection — it gets examined, not dismissed.
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.