Nine Whys (30m)
Ls
1 minute to read
Last Updated: Wed 25 Oct 2023 11:15
draft
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PURPOSE
Make the Purpose of Your Work Together Clear
INVITATION
Make a list of the activities that make up your work and/or the people that you work with
STEPS
- (5 min) Make a list of the things you do in your work and/or the people ;
- (10 min) Form pairs and interview each other in turns. Ask:
- Why are those things (or a specific thing) important to you, personally;
- What do you hope or believe they make possible within the wider community (within or outside your organization)?;
- If everything where obliterated, what would be the first thing from the list you would bring back?
- (5 min) Individually, write a short description of your purpose - why is the work you do important to YOU personally AND the wider community? (‘My work exists in order to …..’).
- (5 min) In pairs, share your purpose statement with your partner and refine it together;
TIPS
- Invite people to craft their purpose statements with nine words at most (a Nine Word Why);
- When interviewing each other, invite participants to “prod gently, but firmly”;
DEBRIEF
- When is Nine Whys important?
- What did it actually deliver - what are the tangible results it produced?
- When in your work might it be beneficial to generate those kinds of outputs?
MORE
http://liberatingstructures.com/3-nine-whys/