What are you reading this summer?

I personally enjoyed reading “The surprising power of liberating structures” by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless that outlines simple rules to unleash a culture of innovation in an organization.

We often think that real progress can only come from big changes and that small changes will have little impact. I totally agree with the authors that this assumption is not entirely correct. Simple shifts in our routine patterns of interaction and practices - the authors call them “microstructures” - can make it possible for everyone to be included, engaged and unleashed in solving problems, driving innovation and achieving great outcomes.

“Microstructures” can be the “guiding questions” in a meeting, the agenda, the presentations, processes, discussions, group configurations or even the physical spaces and the time allocation. They sound like small things, but they have a big impact. And small changes can allow us to tap our organization’s collective intelligence and creativity.

The authors developed five structural elements that address these “microstructures”. They can help build trust, engage everybody to participate and speak up, break down silos and reduce resistance to change.

Although the book gradually grows a bit repetitive, I will definitely start experimenting with the suggested techniques!

What I liked about the book is that part of it is actually a “manual”. It is not a theoretical or conceptual book. As the authors correctly highlight: “If it were a book about tennis, you would read it knowing that its value would come only when you have practiced the methods and learned from them.”