Start small when leadership resists collaborative sessions

Watch for approval-seeking as a safety signal

When participants in a collaborative modeling session keep asking specific people for approval before taking any action, even moving a sticky note, hierarchy and rank are dominating the session. This approval-seeking behavior signals that people don't feel safe...
Start small when leadership resists collaborative sessions

Drop the methodology when it becomes the barrier

When the methodology itself becomes intimidating or creates a power dynamic, abandon it. If event storming, domain storytelling, or any formal technique puts you on a pedestal while participants struggle, switch to whiteboards, boxes, and arrows—whatever helps people...