Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
"You don't have to be a methodological genius. These are patterns — 43 simple patterns that anyone can use to include every voice in shaping what happens next."
Keith McCandless, co-developer of Liberating Structures and co-author of The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures, joins Aidan McCullen to explain why most meetings are either over-controlled or under-controlled — and how simple shifts in everyday interaction can unleash a culture of innovation from the frontline to the C-suite.
In this conversation, Keith reveals:
→ Why the first field test of Liberating Structures happened in hospitals fighting superbugs — with fifteen languages spoken on a single unit
→ The Big Five conventional structures (presentation, managed discussion, status report, brainstorm, open discussion) — and why every one of them quietly fails
→ How one father went from a year of monosyllabic answers to an hour-long conversation with his teenage daughter using Creative Destruction
→ Why 1-2-4-All fixed a two-year meeting nightmare for twenty project managers in Paris in half an hour
→ Why repetition is a source of innovation — and how thinking alone first defeats anchoring bias
→ The Ecocycle map a healthcare group crumpled, covered in Post-its, and reused every quarter for a year
→ The VA hospital leader who declared mid-session, "All the decisions we just made are final" → Why influencing culture beats changing culture — and what the adjacent possible has to do with it
→ How Liberating Structures moved online with nothing more than a tech host and breakout rooms
→ The lesson from Dee Hock, the chaordic organisation, and the war language that limits our world
00:00 Sponsor Message
00:27 Liberating Structures Intro
01:27 Messy Work Environments
02:21 Superbugs Field Test
03:35 What Are They
05:02 Complexity Lens
07:52 Influencing Culture
12:31 Adjacent Possible Innovation
14:18 Personal Life Applications
15:59 Creative Destruction TRIZ
19:28 Neurodiversity Inclusion
22:58 Big Five Meeting Traps
30:27 Microstructures Online
32:26 Online Facilitation Tips
36:50 1-2-4-All In Action
42:25 Eco Cycle Strategy Map
47:39 Liberating Leadership
52:45 Wrap Up And Resources
53:54 Sponsor Thanks Outro
About Keith McCandless Keith McCandless is the co-developer of Liberating Structures and co-author of The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures: Simple Rules to Unleash a Culture of Innovation (with Henri Lipmanowicz) and the new Liberating Structures Fieldbook (with Nancy White). Find the full repertoire, the app, and Field Stories from 36 practitioners worldwide at https://www.liberatingstructures.com.
This series is brought to you by Kyndryl, who run and reimagine the technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses. With a unique blend of AI-powered consulting built on unmatched managed-service capability, Kyndryl helps leaders harness technology for smarter decisions, faster innovation, and lasting competitive edge. Learn more about Kyndryl and the Kyndryl Institute at https://www.kyndryl.com.
Subscribe to the Thursday Thought on Substack:
thethursdaythought.substack.com
About The Innovation Show The Thinkers50-recognised podcast where square pegs find their place in a world of round holes. Hosted by Aidan McCullen, author of Undisruptable, it brings you conversations with world-class authors, scientists and practitioners on disruption, innovation, change, transformation and leadership.
About the Host Aidan McCullen is the 2025 Thinkers50 Innovation Award recipient, keynote speaker on AI, disruption, innovation, and change, host of The Innovation Show, and author of Undisruptable: A Mindset of Permanent Reinvention (Wiley). theinnovationshow.io/about-aidan-mccullen
Connect:
🌐 theinnovationshow.io
📨 Substack (Thursday Thought): thethursdaythought.substack.com
🎧 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-innovation-show/id1148455669
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/63nFKf4bsSWo3W72gWtOsK?si=b62d9614237c4450
▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/c/theinnovationshow
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aidanmccullen
#LiberatingStructures #KeithMcCandless #Innovation #Leadership #Meetings #Facilitation #ChangeManagement #ComplexityScience #Podcast #AidanMcCullen #TheInnovationShow #Thinkers50 #Engagement #OrganisationalCulture
"You don't have to be a methodological genius. These are patterns — 43 simple patterns that anyone can use to include every voice in shaping what happens next."
Keith McCandless, co-developer of Liberating Structures and co-author of The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures, joins Aidan McCullen to explain why most meetings are either over-controlled or under-controlled — and how simple shifts in everyday interaction can unleash a culture of innovation from the frontline to the C-suite.
In this conversation, Keith reveals:
→ Why the first field test of Liberating Structures happened in hospitals fighting superbugs — with fifteen languages spoken on a single unit
→ The Big Five conventional structures (presentation, managed discussion, status report, brainstorm, open discussion) — and why every one of them quietly fails
→ How one father went from a year of monosyllabic answers to an hour-long conversation with his teenage daughter using Creative Destruction
→ Why 1-2-4-All fixed a two-year meeting nightmare for twenty project managers in Paris in half an hour
→ Why repetition is a source of innovation — and how thinking alone first defeats anchoring bias
→ The Ecocycle map a healthcare group crumpled, covered in Post-its, and reused every quarter for a year
→ The VA hospital leader who declared mid-session, "All the decisions we just made are final" → Why influencing culture beats changing culture — and what the adjacent possible has to do with it
→ How Liberating Structures moved online with nothing more than a tech host and breakout rooms
→ The lesson from Dee Hock, the chaordic organisation, and the war language that limits our world
00:00 Sponsor Message
00:27 Liberating Structures Intro
01:27 Messy Work Environments
02:21 Superbugs Field Test
03:35 What Are They
05:02 Complexity Lens
07:52 Influencing Culture
12:31 Adjacent Possible Innovation
14:18 Personal Life Applications
15:59 Creative Destruction TRIZ
19:28 Neurodiversity Inclusion
22:58 Big Five Meeting Traps
30:27 Microstructures Online
32:26 Online Facilitation Tips
36:50 1-2-4-All In Action
42:25 Eco Cycle Strategy Map
47:39 Liberating Leadership
52:45 Wrap Up And Resources
53:54 Sponsor Thanks Outro
About Keith McCandless Keith McCandless is the co-developer of Liberating Structures and co-author of The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures: Simple Rules to Unleash a Culture of Innovation (with Henri Lipmanowicz) and the new Liberating Structures Fieldbook (with Nancy White). Find the full repertoire, the app, and Field Stories from 36 practitioners worldwide at https://www.liberatingstructures.com.
This series is brought to you by Kyndryl, who run and reimagine the technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses. With a unique blend of AI-powered consulting built on unmatched managed-service capability, Kyndryl helps leaders harness technology for smarter decisions, faster innovation, and lasting competitive edge. Learn more about Kyndryl and the Kyndryl Institute at https://www.kyndryl.com.
Subscribe to the Thursday Thought on Substack:
thethursdaythought.substack.com
About The Innovation Show The Thinkers50-recognised podcast where square pegs find their place in a world of round holes. Hosted by Aidan McCullen, author of Undisruptable, it brings you conversations with world-class authors, scientists and practitioners on disruption, innovation, change, transformation and leadership.
About the Host Aidan McCullen is the 2025 Thinkers50 Innovation Award recipient, keynote speaker on AI, disruption, innovation, and change, host of The Innovation Show, and author of Undisruptable: A Mindset of Permanent Reinvention (Wiley). theinnovationshow.io/about-aidan-mccullen
Connect:
🌐 theinnovationshow.io
📨 Substack (Thursday Thought): thethursdaythought.substack.com
🎧 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-innovation-show/id1148455669
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/63nFKf4bsSWo3W72gWtOsK?si=b62d9614237c4450
▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/c/theinnovationshow
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aidanmccullen
#LiberatingStructures #KeithMcCandless #Innovation #Leadership #Meetings #Facilitation #ChangeManagement #ComplexityScience #Podcast #AidanMcCullen #TheInnovationShow #Thinkers50 #Engagement #OrganisationalCulture
