How Evivve Amplifies Liberating Structures Through Game Play

In a world that increasingly demands collaboration, agility, and inclusivity, facilitators are always looking for structures that do more than just “fill time.” We want tools that unlock insight, create psychological safety, and shift how people show up—with each other and with themselves.

That’s why I’ve long been inspired by Liberating Structures (LS)—the beautifully minimalist toolkit that helps groups tap into collective intelligence. But in my experience as a game-based learning designer and facilitator, I’ve found that even the best structure can only go so far without one critical element: authentic, observable behavior.

Enter Evivve—a multiplayer simulation designed to surface behavior under pressure. And when paired with Liberating Structures, it becomes a rocket booster for insight and transformation.

What Are Liberating Structures?

Liberating Structures is an open-source repertoire of facilitation methods created by Keith McCandless and Henri Lipmanowicz. It’s built around a powerful idea: everyone has something valuable to contribute, and with the right structure, you can surface that value—efficiently and inclusively.

There are over 30 structures, from 1-2-4-All (to include every voice in decision-making) to TRIZ (to identify and eliminate self-defeating behavior), and each one is designed to:

• Distribute control (no more facilitator-dominated workshops)
• Enable participation from everyone—not just the loudest voices
• Generate insight through interaction, reflection, and dialogue
• Break down complexity into digestible actions

The structures are easy to learn, scale from small groups to large systems, and can be used in everything from team meetings to enterprise-wide transformation.

In short: Liberating Structures make it possible to think, act, and learn together—faster and better.

What Is Evivve?

Evivve is a game-based learning experience where teams must solve complex challenges with limited resources and evolving priorities. It’s designed to mimic real organizational dynamics—competition, collaboration, ambiguity, and stress. But unlike real life, failure is safe, feedback is instant, and insight is debriefed.

The game is underpinned by the AFERR Model, a neuroscience-informed learning framework that moves participants through:

• Activation (awareness of challenge)
• Forecasting (planning & strategy)
• Experimentation (trial, error, collaboration)
• Realization (sensemaking & ownership)
• Reflection (integration & learning)

Where Liberating Structures Comes In

Liberating Structures are powerful—but often rely on what people say in order to surface insight. Evivve, on the other hand, shows you what people do.

That makes Evivve the perfect input generator for LS-based facilitation. It provides rich behavioral material that participants can explore through structures like:

• TRIZ – identify self-sabotaging behaviors seen in-game
• What, So What, Now What? – process in-game choices and team dynamics
• 15% Solutions – commit to changes based on game insights
• Generative Relationships STAR – unpack how relationships formed (or didn’t)
• 1-2-4-All – democratize reflection and make sense of the collective experience

Rather than abstract discussion, you get real examples rooted in emotion, decision, risk, and consequence—making LS even more impactful.

Why This Combination Works

Both Evivve and LS share the same DNA:

• Psychological safety
• Distributed participation
• Emergent insight
• Human-centric learning
   

But when combined, they fill each other’s gaps:

The result?
You move from talking about leadership, collaboration, and change—to experiencing it, reflecting on it, and then designing new patterns.

How to Apply This

Whether you're designing an offsite, a leadership program, or a culture intervention, here’s a simple flow:

1. Start with Evivve
   Let participants play. Observe their natural behaviors under pressure—who leads, who freezes, who over-functions, who withdraws.
    
2. Debrief with Liberating Structures
   Use TRIZ, 1-2-4-All, What/So What/Now What, or Generative STAR to help participants unpack the experience and apply it to real-world patterns.
    
3. Close with Actionable Commitments
   Use 15% Solutions or Ecocycle Planning to help people identify what needs to change—personally and organizationally.

A New Way Forward

We often talk about learning as if it’s an event—something you deliver and hope sticks. But real transformation happens when people see themselves clearly, feel safe enough to process that insight, and are given structures that help them integrate it.

Evivve creates the experience. Liberating Structures make sense of it. Together, they don’t just help people grow. They help people hope again—about themselves, their teams, and their capacity to change.

If you're a facilitator looking to integrate Evivve and Liberating Structures, let's connect. I’d love to show you how we’re using this approach in leadership offsites, retreats, and enterprise learning across 50+ countries.