When leadership views collaborative modeling sessions as wasted time rather than real work, don't try to convince them with a big event. Instead, embed collaborative modeling into regular working sessions in small ways. Make it part of business as usual rather than something that requires special approval or takes people away from their "real" work.
Example
After struggling to run an event storming session at an organization where leadership called it "a wasted day," a facilitator reflected that they should have taken a different approach. Rather than organizing a formal full-day session that required convincing skeptical leaders, they would now use their existing access to teams to gradually introduce collaborative modeling techniques within normal meetings and work sessions.
Context
When you're already embedded in an organization, you have opportunities to experiment with new ways of working without making them into big ceremonial events that trigger organizational resistance. This approach works better in hierarchical environments where leadership approval becomes a bottleneck. The risk of making something "too big" is that it creates pressure and resistance that undermines the session before it even starts.
When This Might Not Apply
If you don't have existing relationships or regular access to teams, embedding work gradually won't work—you'll need to commit to a full event and find ways to make the business case. If the organization's timeline is extremely tight, small embedded sessions may not deliver insights fast enough; in this case, negotiating a focused full-day session with clear deliverables may be necessary.
Variations
- In established teams: Start with 30-minute collaborative modeling segments during regular planning meetings before proposing a dedicated session
- With skeptical executives: Run a small pilot with one team, generate visible artifacts and outcomes, then use those as proof points for larger sessions
- When you have executive sponsors: Use their support to make the first full session happen, then embed follow-ups as business-as-usual
- In asynchronous environments: Use async modeling tools or check-ins to make collaborative work visible without requiring everyone's time in one place
