229. Jeremy Akers - Liberating structures, coherence, change and game design
Jeremy Akers from Gospel of change (Substack, X, LinkedIn) came by the podcast. We spoke of liberating structures, how to acheive coherence in groups and why that is crucial for the times we live in, game design and how that may take us forward. This is a conversation that orients towards the practical with some concrete tools and possibilities to look at for shifting habits. Enjoy! Host Amit Paul
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How can we invite new ways of doing things together in our current contexts? By looking at relating differently to one another?
Jeremy Akers came by the World of Wisdom 🎙️ Podcast EP229. We had an excellent talk about the methodology he's working with to get the 'meso scale' of groups working. It is also a dive into liberating structures!
Here are some of my favourite takeaways:
🖇 There are so many people focused on the large scale change but what does it take to do it on the meso scale, let's say 15 people? Jeremy argues (convincingly) that if we can do 15 people with a high degree of coherence we can do a lot! And he has the tools to show for it!
🏗 Small groups as a way of increasing the surface area of participation. When we facilitate a conversation and let everyone speak, even if it is 'just' to one other person that changes the whole dynamic. The participation scales. We speak of Questions, Artefacts and Interaction (game) design as important tools for increasing that surface area of engagement.
❓How do you invite a new life into the life you're already living? Jeremy speaks of game design, mini stories and crafting of lore in ones own context. Liberating structures and the tools that exist there are powerful and accessible to most people. These are invitation to start a little different. A little different at the start may make all the difference later.
You can find the link to the podcast in my bio or look for the World of Wisdom 🎙️ Podcast EP229 on your preferred platform. Enjoy!
AI summary
Summary
Jeremy Akers discusses his journey and theory of change, emphasizing the importance of small group dynamics and relational coordination. He believes that change comes from working in small groups and creating coherence through intentional interaction, inquiry, and artifacts. Technology plays a role in enabling and distributing these interactions, but it requires more people in the design space who prioritize relationships. Jeremy sees the current state of the world as a crumbling system and believes that creating islands of coherence and telling new stories are essential for navigating the uncertain future. The conversation explores the themes of delivering value, creative destruction, liberating structures, and the power of choice. It emphasizes the importance of intentionality, curiosity, and embodied experience in driving change. The use of liberating structures and heuristics is highlighted as a way to facilitate communication and decision-making. The conversation also touches on the topics of fear, belonging, boundaries, and the role of the body in discernment. The concept of choice as a driver of change and the need for action over understanding are discussed. The conversation concludes with a focus on strategic doing and the power of taking small steps towards change.
Takeaways
Change comes from working in small groups and creating coherence through intentional interaction, inquiry, and artifacts.
Technology plays a role in enabling and distributing these interactions, but it requires more people in the design space who prioritize relationships.
Creating islands of coherence and telling new stories are essential for navigating the uncertain future.
The eco-cycle planning model can be used to guide the developmental arc of change. Delivering value and creative destruction are essential aspects of growth and progress.
Liberating structures and heuristics can facilitate effective communication and decision-making.
Embodied experience and intentionality are key in driving change.
Fear and the desire to belong can hinder exploration and growth.
Boundaries and discernment play a crucial role in navigating relationships and systems.
Action is more important than understanding in driving change.
Strategic doing and taking small steps can lead to meaningful progress.
Sound Bites
"Can we make better choices? Can we become more skillful in recognizing the information and insights needed to make choices and decisions?"
"Interaction patterns are super easy. Anybody can grab those and become very dangerous and very fast to improve group coordination."
"Stories are the artifacts par excellence. They define our communities and shape our relationships."
"Delivering value producing fruit, you know effortlessly no less because that's what mature things do"
"So in that developmental arc, we can also use that to track your progress of liberating structures."
"If you've seen that one, two, four all, if we've taken one minute of silent reflection to a question, two minutes of one-on-one interaction, four minutes of small group discussion, and then opening it up to the whole room, if you've done that one time, you've experienced that that is a move that you can do in a group of people."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
05:09 Theory of Change: Small Groups and Coherence
10:51 Coherence and the Role of Silence
12:26 Interaction Patterns, Inquiry, and Artifacts
21:21 The Urgency of Change and Collapse
25:21 Technology's Role in Enabling Coherence
29:06 Navigating the Uncertain Future
36:25 Delivering Value and Creative Destruction
37:21 Liberating Structures and Effective Communication
38:45 Embodied Experience and Intentionality in Driving Change
42:29 Fear, Belonging, and Boundaries
43:40 Discernment and Navigating Relationships
49:20 Action over Understanding
53:00 Strategic Doing and Small Steps Towards Change