Making Space with TRIZ: Stop Counterproductive Activities and Behaviors to Make Space for Innovation

Try out an interactive model to clear space for innovation by helping a group let go of what it knows (but rarely admits) limits its success through an activity called TRIZ (from liberatingstructures.com).  The goal of this session is to contribute to re-energizing and supporting you - a great way to end the week!

Please note we will be using the break-out rooms for a good portion of this session so ideally, you will be able to participate with a microphone and optionally video. 

This session is for staff and faculty - we invite you to experience the model & will give 'hall way time' after for some discussion about how to integrate this in other contexts from 2:15 to 2:35 p.m. EST. 

More about Liberating Structures & TRIZ: Liberating Structures is a useful alternative way to approach and design how people work together. It provides a menu of thirty-three Liberating Structures to replace or complement conventional practices. We will be offering some of these to the McGill Community for experimentation & research! 

If you are interested in researching how to go beyond conventional structures that can be either too inhibiting (presentations, status reports, and managed discussions) or too loose and disorganized (open discussions and brainstorms) to creatively engage people in shaping their own future. Our goals are to shift away from feelings of frustration, exclusion, and/or failing to provide space for good ideas to emerge and germinate.

What is made possible? You can clear space for innovation by helping a group let go of what it knows (but rarely admits) limits its success and by inviting creative destruction. TRIZ makes it possible to challenge sacred cows safely and encourages heretical thinking. The question “What must we stop doing to make progress on our deepest purpose?” induces seriously fun yet very courageous conversations. Since laughter often erupts, issues that are otherwise taboo get a chance to be aired and confronted. With creative destruction come opportunities for renewal as local action and innovation rush in to fill the vacuum. Whoosh!

What people say: 

Liberating Structures will forever change the way we look at collaboration, learning, and leadership by showing us how structures are critical in the world of work. Simply put...every leader who wants innovative but proven methods to transform (their) organization and engage its members in that journey of discovery. 

Pat Witherspoon – Dean, College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at El Paso

The authors (of Liberating Structures) have drawn on pioneers in complexity science research, making insights immediately useful for people in the field. Liberating Structures invite frontline ownership of challenges by engaging everyone in a way that encourages them to become part of the solution and take action. 

Brenda Zimmerman – Associate Professor of Strategy/Policy, Schulich School of Business, Toronto