Method guide · Work with a structured grid
Wicked Questions
Keep two necessary but competing realities together in a question for further exploration.
- People
- 4–40
- Base procedure time
- 20 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Generate ideas; Explore through dialogue; Make a decision.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for holding two realities that compete with each other, yet are both necessary, in one question. Use it when discussion is stuck on choosing one side or people want to examine contradictions between policy and practice without blame. Participants list what is actually happening around the challenge and choose two apparently opposing realities that both need to be upheld. They connect the two into a question about meeting both needs, then refine it in small groups without eliminating either side. The result is not an answer but a question about coexistence that opens the next exploration. Do not use it for accusations, a vote between two options, or a situation where one side violates laws or safety.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
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- List realities0–4 minutes from the start (4 minutes)
Action: List. Participation: Individually.
Individual record
- Circle a tension4–7 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Circle. Participation: Individually.
Individual record
- Connect it into a question7–11 minutes from the start (4 minutes)
Action: Connect. Participation: Individually.
Individual record
- Refine the wording11–17 minutes from the start (6 minutes)
Action: Refine. Participation: Groups of 3–6.
Shared record
- Bring the question to everyone17–20 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Share. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 4 minutes, each person lists current facts and desirable possibilities concerning the shared challenge, writing each item briefly.
- For 3 minutes, circle one pair of apparently opposing items that both need to be upheld for success.
- For 4 minutes, connect the circled items into one question: ‘How can we do A while also doing B?’
- For 6 minutes, read questions in groups of 3–6. Check that they do not seek blame or abandon either side, and refine the wording.
- For 3 minutes, each group reads aloud just one question that best preserves the tension and leaves it on the whole-group sharing surface without writing an answer.
If something changes
If
A question read in a small group names an individual or department as its subject and contains at least one expression of blame.
Then
Return the subject to the shared challenge and rephrase the personal evaluation as two facts occurring at the same time.
If
At least half the group judges that removing one side would not change the conditions for success.
Then
Remove that side and choose another fact from the individual sheets that also needs to be upheld in practice.
If
With 3 minutes left, more than half the candidate statements contain an answer or proposed measure.
Then
Remove the answer, retain only the two needs, and return to a question that opens exploration.
Preparation
Materials
- One individual sheet per person, A5 or larger
- One card per person for the final question, A6 or larger
- One surface per venue for displaying the sentence pattern, at least 90 cm wide
- One whole-group sharing surface per venue, at least 120 cm wide
- One medium-tip dark-coloured pen per person
Room and setup
- Island tables for groups of 3–6: divide the participant count by 6 and round up to find the number of tables, with group sizes differing by no more than 1 person
- One display location per venue where every seat has a readable view of the sentence pattern and shared challenge
Adjust for people and time
With 4–40 people, divide the participant count by 6 and round up to find the number of groups, then distribute people into groups of 3–6. Provide one individual sheet and final-question card per person and one sharing surface. With up to 4 groups, each group shares one question aloud. With 5 or more groups, display all questions first. Each person marks one question whose tension they feel strongly. Read questions in descending order of marks, reading as many questions as there are groups.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Do not turn the question into an accusation or a vote between two options. Both sides must be necessary; do not use this method where one side violates laws or safety. Keep the question open rather than presenting it as an answer or adopted measure.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Liberating Structures Fieldbook (2026): Wicked Questions — Henri Lipmanowicz / Keith McCandless / Nancy White
https://www.liberatingstructures.com/wicked-questions
Adaptation under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes made
- CC BY-SA 4.0
Current-page licence notice
This explanation is an adaptation for Taiwa no Fumen based on the official Liberating Structures page linked below. The manuscript's recorded references are listed separately from the web page checked on 17 October 2026.
Changes: the Japanese explanation and facilitation plan have been edited for Taiwa no Fumen. The English edition translates that Japanese manuscript; it is not a verbatim translation of the official page.
The LS-adapted text on this page, including this site's editorial and translation contributions, is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. When reusing it, credit the creators, identify the source and licence, indicate changes, and follow the licence's ShareAlike terms when sharing adaptations.
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Credits on the checked source page
- Developed by: Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith McCandless
Related work credited on that page: Brenda Zimmerman; Plexus Institute; Scott Kelso.
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: Wicked Questions.
Source lineage
- Original repertoire (2013): Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith McCandless
- 2026 Fieldbook: Keith McCandless, Nancy White
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International · Legal code · Official source policy
This material-specific notice does not itself establish publication clearance. Preserved manuscript references above remain separate from the current page's credits and licence evidence.
Diagram, print, and video language
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Editorial provenance
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