A Designe Alliance is a shared agreement between two or more team members about how they want to work and be together; especially when expectations may feel misaligned or in conflict. It encourages teams — small or large — to chart the way they want to proceed and fosters shared responsibility for communication, trust, and accountability. By creating space and time to engage in dialogue upfront about needs, desires, and boundaries, teams cultivate openness and build strong, trusting relationships.
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Preparing for This Activity
- Anticipated Duration: 30–60 minutes
- Preparation Level: Low
- Suitable for: In person and remote meetings
- Materials:
- Prepared flipchart, dry erase board, or virtual whiteboard
- Markers or annotation tools
- Pre-prepared prompts/questions
Roadmap
Frame the exercise by:
- Explaining the concept.
“Today, we’re going to work together to identify what brings out the best in each of us and in our team — both during smooth times and when challenges arise. This will help us strengthen our ability to navigate differing perspectives and challenges together.”
- If your team has already established working agreements, review them briefly. If not, suggest these for today’s session:
- Trust the process and each other.
- Engage in dialogue, not diagnosis (i.e., avoid blame, shame, etc.).
- Lean into curiosity and clarity.
- Grapple with differing perspectives.
Instructions
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
1. Individual Reflection
Invite team members to individually reflect on prompts/questions. Select any of the prompts/questions below or create your own that meet the current context.
- How do we want to be when:
- Significant changes happen.
- Difficulties arise.
- We experience success.
- How can I bring out the best in you? What do you need from me in order to be successful?
- What do we need for this collaboration to thrive?
- What is working? It works well when…
- What are opportunities? Would you be willing to try…?
- What are 2–3 behaviors or norms you value in working with others?
2. Small Group Share and Capture
- Break into random small groups or virtual breakouts (4-5 people).
- You could also break into already established small work teams that would benefit from a designe alliance discussion.
- Ask team members to share their responses to the questions in small groups.
- Capture all ideas and suggestions shared on flipchart or board.
3. Cluster and Prioritize Ideas
- Group together themes and ideas.
- Ask:
- Which of these feel most important for us right now?
- What would help us navigate conflict or challenges together constructively?
- Narrow down to 5–7 agreements.
- These would be agreed-upon boundaries, working intentions, and/or shared expectations.
4. Formalize the Alliance
- Write the final agreements clearly.
- Sample language:
- We commit to first assume positive intent.
- We will address concerns directly and respectfully.
- Confirm that all agree with the final agreements.
- Tip: This part of the process can take time. You can invite the group(s) to draft agreements and revisit and formalize at a later date.
5. Close and Next Steps
- Summarize the agreements.
- Identify how to keep them visible and easy to access when working together.
- Share gratitude for trusting the process.
- Check out by inviting each person to share something they appreciated about this process.
Closing Thoughts
You don’t need to wait until conflict arises to design alliances. Establishing a strong foundation early prepares the team for inevitable storming phases. By empowering team members to co-create alliances, you empower them to navigate conflict in a healthy, inclusive, and trusting way.
Keep in mind the following facilitation tips to create an environment for open, honest, and constructive dialogue.
- Use inclusive language that centers the team. Ask “What works for us?” rather than “What should you do?”
- It is possible that emotions may rise during discussion. Acknowledge and validate feelings and ask how we can use them to inform shared agreements that are mutually beneficial.
- Encourage teams to revisit and practice with their design alliance agreements regularly, and to adapt as needed.