Liberating Structures

15% Solutions

Discover and focus on what each person can do now with the resources and authority they already have. This structure helps people stop waiting for permission and start taking small, meaningful actions that build momentum and confidence across the system.

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15% Solutions

Discover and focus on what each person can do now with the resources and authority they already have.

Reveal

In person & Online

Group & Solo

10-20 min.

What is made possible - What it unlocks

15% Solutions makes it possible for everyone to identify and act on what’s within their control — the small steps that collectively create big change. By focusing on what you can do instead of what you can’t, people overcome helplessness and generate immediate progress. The method spreads agency throughout the group, replacing passivity with proactive energy.

When to use it

When people feel stuck or powerless in the face of big challenges
After analyzing a situation to shift from reflection to action
To counteract “analysis paralysis” or waiting for approval
As a closing structure to identify next steps
To build confidence and distributed leadership
In teams or organizations where ownership feels top-heavy

🛠️ The five design elements of 15% Solutions

Each Liberating Structure consists of five simple design elements to make participation possible for everyone. By shaping these elements with care, you move beyond rigid control or chaos and create space for people to contribute, listen, and co-create.

1. The Invitation
2. Setup & Materials
3. Participation Flow
4. Group Configuration
5. Sequence & Timing

1. The Invitation

How you frame the purpose or question that sets the focus and energy of the group.

“Think about something you want to move forward. What’s your 15% — the part you can act on right now, without needing extra resources or permission?”

2. Setup & Materials

The arrangement of space and which tools or resources are needed to support interaction.

Paper or cards for note-taking
Timer to manage short rounds
Space for small group sharing (2–4 people)
Optional digital board for remote sessions

3. Participation Flow

Who gets a voice and how everyone is actively included in the process.

Everyone reflects individually and then shares in small groups
All voices are heard equally
No one needs authority to act on their 15%
One person shares 15% Solutions, rest helps strengthening ideas. Then the next person shares 15% Solutions. One at a time.

4. Group Configuration

How people are arranged (alone, small groups, or all together) and how this shifts during the activity.

Start alone → pairs or groups of 3–4 for sharing and consulting

5. Sequence & Timing

The step-by-step flow of the activity and the time given to each step to keep energy and focus.

Individual Reflection (5 min) – Write down actions you can take now, using your current authority and resources.
Sharing (3 min per person) – In small groups, share your 15% Solutions.
Peer Consultation (5–7 min per person) – Others ask clarifying questions and offer suggestions to strengthen ideas.

Total time: 15-20 minutes

Optional extra step:

Harvest (3–5 min) – Each person refines one or two concrete 15% Solutions and commits to next steps.

Online version

Adapted for virtual use, with the same impact

Individual Reflection (5 min) – Write down actions you can take now, using your current authority and resources.
Sharing (3 min per person) – In break out rooms; share your 15% Solutions.
Peer Consultation (5–7 min per person) – Others ask clarifying questions and offer suggestions to strengthen ideas.

Total time: 15-20 minutes

Optional extra step:

Harvest (3–5 min) – Each person refines one or two concrete 15% Solutions and commits to next steps.

Solo version

Adapted for individual use and personal development

Identify Your Challenge (3 minutes): Write down a specific challenge, problem, or goal you’re currently facing. Be as concrete as possible. For example, instead of “I want to be more productive,” write “I struggle to start important projects in the morning.”
Brainstorm Your 15% Solutions (5-10 minutes): Ask yourself: “What is within my control and authority to do right now, without asking for permission or additional resources?” List at least 5-10 actions you could take immediately. These should be small, practical steps that you can implement on your own. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t.
Evaluate and Prioritize (5 minutes): Review your list and identify which 15% solutions are most likely to make a difference. Consider which ones you feel most motivated to try and which align best with your values and circumstances.
Commit to Action (2 minutes): Choose 1-3 solutions to implement immediately or within the next 24 hours. Write down specifically when and how you will take these actions.
Reflect and Iterate (5-10 minutes, after taking action): After implementing your solutions, reflect on what happened. What worked? What didn’t? What did you learn? Use these insights to identify your next 15% solutions.

Total time: 15-25 minutes

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All Liberating Structures in 1 e-book

All Liberating Structures (44!) including explanations, visual step-by-step guide, and worksheets in a handy workbook for € 11,-

Simple methods for big changes
Have interactions that truly matter
Build a culture of innovation step by step
Involve and activate everyone in the group

Show the e-book!

Proven over decades

🧠 Why it works

Liberating Structures are not magic tricks—they work because they tap into how people naturally think, connect, and collaborate. Each structure is carefully designed to unlock participation, spark creativity, and build trust, using principles grounded in social science and human interaction.

Attribution: Liberating Structure developed by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless. Inspired by professor Gareth Morgan.

Empowered Agency

Behavioral science shows that focusing on what’s controllable increases motivation. 15% Solutions reframes constraints into opportunities for action.

Distributed Change

Systems thinking recognizes that transformation often emerges from many small, local shifts. This structure activates those decentralized levers of change.

Confidence Loop

Psychology of learning demonstrates that small wins build self-efficacy. Each completed 15% Solution strengthens belief in one’s capacity to make a difference.

Momentum in Complexity

Complexity science highlights that progress in adaptive systems happens through iterative action. 15% Solutions introduces movement without overplanning.

Riffs and Variations

Start with creative constraints to learn this structure and then... go liberate yourself and try some variations.

Speed-version: Let people come up with their own 15% Solution and let them act on it themselves. Takes only 3-5 minutes.
Time-based: “What can you do this week?”
Stop-doing version: “What can you stop doing that frees energy?”
Team focus: “What can our team do without other departments?”
Relationship focus: “What conversations can you initiate?”
Follow-up sessions: Revisit progress on past 15% actions
Commitment round: Pair up to hold each other accountable

Tips

Lessons learned from other facilitators

Keep focus on what’s possible now, not someday
Check each item to assure that it is within the discretion of the individual
Encourage small, real steps rather than lofty plans
Be ready for BIG things to emerge via the butterfly effect
Make it a routine to ask for 15% Solutions in meetings (15% Solutions are otherwise commonly unnoticed and overlooked)
While introducing the idea, tell a story about a small change made by an individual that sparked a big result

Traps

Don't make the same mistakes...

Listing actions that still depend on others
Treating 15% as insignificant — small acts accumulate
Forgetting that reinventing the wheel is OK — each 15% Solution adds to understanding of what is possible
Missing the opportunity to establish clear, common purpose and boundaries that will generate coherence among many 15% Solutions
Overlooking that each 15% Solution contributes to collective learning
Underestimating how distributed small actions create systemic change

Try it with…

The real power of Liberating Structures emerges when you combine them into "strings." Link different structures together to build on insights and create more powerful results. Here are some nice combinations:

TRIZ: Stop counterproductive activities first, then define your 15% actions
Troika Consulting: Get feedback and ideas for your 15%
What, So What, Now What? (W3): Use it in the “Now What” phase
25/10 Crowd Sourcing: Scale up and prioritize the best 15% actions
Nine Why’s: Link small actions to deeper purpose

Field stories

To get to know Liberating Structures without having used them yourself, it helps to see familiar situations from real-life practice. Chances are that you or your team have faced one of these challenges before. Discover how to approach these kinds of situations in a fresh and engaging way.

Amplify Freedom and Responsibility

Amplify Freedom and Responsibility with Liberating Structures – 15% Solutions. A Field Story about how a leader used 15% Solutions to let go of control, increase ownership, and restore responsibility in the team.

Invite Creative Destruction to Make Space for Innovation

Invite Creative Destruction to Make Space for Innovation with Liberating Structures – TRIZ. A Field Story about how a team used TRIZ to dismantle ingrained patterns and learned to critically examine their own actions.

Practice deep respect for people and local solutions

Practice deep respect for people and local solutions with Liberating Structures – Appreciative Interviews. A Field Story about how a team coach used Appreciative Interviews to surface local knowledge and turn respect into action—discovering that solutions were already present, just waiting for the right structure.

Emphasize Possibilities: Believe Before You See

Emphasize Possibilities: Believe Before You See with Liberating Structures – Troika Consulting. A Field Story about how Troika Consulting as a peer-coaching structure increased confidence in the collective wisdom of a team and made possibilities visible.