Roses, Buds and Thorns: A Simple Review That Turns Reflection into Action

Roses, Buds & Thorns offers a better way to run a team review. It is a quick, simple exercise from the Liberating Structures toolkit that helps a team look back on a project, a task or a period of work with honesty and balance. Because everyone's perspective is drawn into the room, teams can build on what's working, tackle what isn't and surface ideas that might otherwise never be voiced.

The framework rests on three lenses. Roses are what's going well: the big wins, proud moments and bright spots worth recognising and building on. Buds are what could grow: fresh ideas and new possibilities that bring optimism and new thinking to the surface. Thorns are the challenges, frustrations and difficult moments. Crucially, thorns aren't framed as failures. They simply point to where things can get better from here, which makes it far easier for people to name them out loud. The full resource includes prompting questions for each lens to get the conversation started.

Best of all, it takes under an hour. Set up a physical or online space with colour-coded zones, then give everyone ten minutes of silent brainstorming so quieter voices get the same airtime as louder ones. Follow with a 20-minute storytelling round, cluster the notes by theme to see where the energy and concerns gather, and harvest the results into a clear action plan.

Download the full resource here.

If you'd like help bringing Roses, Buds & Thorns or other Liberating Structures into your team, get in touch with CreateConsulting at info@createconsulting.co.za or call Danielle Stephenson on +27 83 566 1991.