Change Management Activity – Diminishing Resources

This change management activity simulates a changing environment where people can see what their typical reaction to change is.

Benefits of this Change Management Activity

• Participants see what their typical behaviors are in any change process.

• Participants see that they need to view change as an opportunity and not a curse.

• They experience that the first question any employee tend to ask in a change process is, “How will this impact me and will I be fine in this process”.

• Participants realize that they need to have an attitude of “Playing to Win” instead of the more natural “Playing Not To Lose” if they want to thrive in change.

• Participants experience that resistance to change happens unconsciously and that they have to CONSCIOUSLY focus on seeing the opportunities in a change process.

Time Needed

30 Minutes.

Number of participants

Any number more than 8…the more the better.

Materials Needed

• Newspaper squares big enough for one person to stand on. 30cm by 30cm will work just fine (12 inches by 12 inches).

• Have 5 more newspaper squares than the number of people in your team.

• Optional: Vibrant music. This is not absolutely necessary, but it adds some value to this change management activity.

Set Up

• Put all the newspaper squares on the floor. Space them out randomly.

• Ask all the participants to stand with both feet in a square. Don’t mention the word “newspaper square”. Just say square.

• If you can, flip chart the rules of this change management activity.

Ground Rules

There are only three rules to this change management activity. And it is important how you communicate it. Here they are:

1. Everyone must have both feet in a square.

   The following is very important when you communicate this first ground rule: Stand with both your feet on one of the newspaper squares. Hold one of the newspaper squares in your hand when you talk to them. When you read this rule out loud, make sure you mention the word “square” and NOT “newspaper square".

2. When I (you the facilitator of this activity) say, “SWITCH!!” everyone must move to a new square immediately.

3. We cannot continue this game if EVERYONE doesn’t have both feet in a square.

Process

• Once you have everyone with both feet in a square, you can start the game.

• Shout “SWITCH!!” and make sure that everyone moves to a new newspaper square.

• Once everyone have moved to a new square, shout “SWITCH!!” again and make sure that everyone move to a new square.

• The “switching” and “moving” to new squares shouldn’t be a problem at this stage, because there are more than enough newspaper squares for everyone.

• After about three “SWITCHES”, you should start picking up all the additional newspaper squares. Just do these in the stride as you keep on saying “SWITCH!!” The participants shouldn’t even notice it at first.

• Keep on taking newspaper squares away until there are not enough squares for everyone.

  At this stage, the following usually happens (In Fact, it has always happens in the 15 years that I have been using this change management activity): The person that doesn’t have a newspaper square to stand on, stands aside as if she/he is “out of the game”. Sometimes they even mentioned it verbally that “I’m out”. At this stage, you will find the rest of the team with both feet inside a newspaper square with an attitude of “Thank goodness I’ve got a square. I feel sorry for you for not having one, but at least I am fine for the moment” This is a very individualistic, non-connected attitude and typically of how people view change.

• Take the group back to the third rule of this change management activity. Ask them if everyone have both feet in the square. (The answer is an obvious “no”, because this one person are “out”)

• Emphasize that you can’t continue if everyone doesn’t have both feet in a square. THEN KEEP QUIET.

• You will find that they will all look around in silence for a couple of seconds and then someone will offer to share her/his square with that person.

• Congratulate them and say, “SWITCH!!” again. Keep on doing this while you take more newspaper squares away.

• You will find that as the squares diminish, they will start getting anxious and start rushing towards these diminishing resources. This is because they view all these changes from an old mind map and from a viewpoint of scarcity.

  It is the essence of “Resistance to Change”

  At this point, stop the activity temporarily, while they are still standing on their newspaper squares and ask the following questions: What is happening here? What am I (you, the facilitator) doing? (The obvious answer is that you are taking their squares away) What do you think I am going to keep on doing? Where will this activity end if you keep on acting with the same mindset?

• You will find confused faces. Some will answer your last question. But just put the pressure back on by saying “SWITCH!!” again and start taking more newspaper squares away.

• This will keep on for a while until one bright spark realizes that a square doesn’t have to be a NEWSPAPER square.

  This is the time when someone stands on a chair with the rationale that the chair’s seat is a square. Or she/he realizes that the room that they are in is a square and so on.

• If someone finds an “alternative” square, ask him or her if they have both feet in a square. If they answer “yes”, carry on with the game and say, “SWITCH” again.

  Some people will follow the lead and find “alternative” squares. But the interesting thing is (and you will probably experience it as well) is that most people don’t try to find “alternative” squares. They keep on thinking with the “old” view of a square equals a newspaper square. This simulates the normal human behavior during change. Some will embrace change as an opportunity and others will take some time to adapt.

• Keep on saying, “SWITCH” until everyone has find an alternative square.

Debriefing this Change Management Activity

This activity is one of those where your should ask the questions as you go along…as described above. However, I have found the following questions to be useful in debriefing the activity:

• What happened during this change management activity?

• How did you react to the changes?

• What does this change management activity teach you about change?

• What did you learn about the way you deal with change as an individual?

• What would you do different if you have to do it again?

• How can you implement these learnings in your everyday working environment with regards to change?

More Articles on Change Management:

This article will help you to understand the nature of change and why it is necessary.

This article is about implementing change management that sticks

Resistance to Change

The three ways people and organizations deal with change

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