Tension Search
If we are facing hidden tensions and fragmented understanding, and we convene a temporary, participatory gathering focused on surfacing lived tensions, then patterns of conflict, energy, and possibility tend to emerge, allowing more grounded follow-on action.
In many organisations, underlying tensions shape what gets said, who gets heard, and how decisions play out, but they remain invisible in traditional meetings and planning sessions. People feel the drift, but lack a collective way to surface what’s pulling at them. Tension Search offers a structured, participatory gathering where these undercurrents can be named safely and usefully. It treats tension not as a sign of failure, but as a source of insight, coherence, and future energy.
How to use this pattern
Tension Search unfolds through the following rhythm:
Gather a cross-section of the system
Include people with different roles, lived experiences, perspectives, and relational positions—not just formal leaders. Diversity of voice is crucial.
Create an open, inquiry-based frame
Set the tone: this is not a planning session or a status update. It’s a search for what’s felt, unspoken, or quietly shaping the work. Use prompts like:
“Where do you feel stretched, stuck, or silenced?”
“What’s not working that no one talks about?”
Surface and name tensions
Facilitate small group conversations to draw out lived experience. Encourage the naming of tensions using vivid, relatable language. For example:
“We’re pulled between urgency and depth.”
“We want alignment but reward siloed behaviour.”
Cluster these tensions visually. Do not try to resolve them yet—this is about visibility and shared language.
Harvest for onward use
The output of a Tension Search is a field of named tensions. What happens next depends on the nature of what surfaces:
Use Team Coherence Reflection to explore how these tensions show up in the team’s emotional energy and working dynamics
Use Probe Storming to generate safe-to-fail experiments in response to selected tensions
Use Dispositional Mapping to explore more complex or cross-boundary tensions in depth
Affordances
The open prompt and invitational tone lower defensiveness and encourage storytelling
Tensions surface not only through what is said, but in how people relate, hesitate, or repeat themselves
Can be mistaken for a consultation or planning session. If framed as “input for a strategy doc,” it will shut down honesty
Stances
Inquirer. This stance drives the active search for tensions, asking questions like "where do we feel friction?" or "what contradictions are present in our work?" It encourages curiosity about what feels uncomfortable or unresolved.
Challenger. This stance is fundamental to Tension Search, as it directly confronts the tendency to avoid or smooth over difficult issues. It pushes to name the unspeakable and expose hidden conflicts.
Synthesiser. This stance helps to connect individual expressions of tension into broader themes or patterns, allowing the community to see how different points of friction might be related.
Noticer. This stance is vital for sensing the subtle cues and emotional signals that indicate underlying tensions, even when they are not explicitly articulated. It's about paying attention to what's being felt in the room or the system.
Facilitator. This stance guides the process of surfacing and exploring tensions, creating a safe environment where discomfort can be held without collapsing into blame, and ensuring productive dialogue.
Steward. This stance nurtures the community's capacity to remain engaged with ongoing tensions, ensuring they are revisited and that the insights they provide are used to inform continuous learning and adaptation.
Shaper. If a significant tension is identified, this stance helps design a small, targeted probe or intervention aimed at exploring or working with that tension in a constructive way.
Craftsperson. This stance ensures that the process of exploring tensions is conducted with integrity and care, fostering psychological safety and ensuring that the conversations are rigorous yet respectful, even when dealing with difficult subjects.