Change Debrief

Here is a truly unique tool to help organizations and individuals deal with Change. Set these parts out in front of your group and ask them to describe their actions when put in a 'hot water' situation. Frontloading the metaphors that accompany each part is important to the level of depth participants will share.

Egg: • In 'hot water' situations are you like an Egg?
• Do you look the same on the outside but turn hard on the inside?
• How easy is it for you to put your ‘game face’ on when talking to teammates about a decision you are not in favor of, but on the inside you are quite unhappy with the decision?
• If an egg is left in boiling water too long it will crack or explode.

Carrot: • What happens to a carrot when placed in boiling water?
• A carrot will turn soft and change itself dramatically as an effect of the hot water. Do you turn to mush and do whatever the 'hot water' wants you to do when faced with change?

Coffee Bean: • Are you like the Coffee Bean, do you change the 'hot water' situation?
• Do you get ‘energized’ about new changes or try to influence how the changes get implemented?

Ice Cube: • How are you like the Ice Cube? Do you try to ‘diffuse’ the hot water situation? Are you a small ice cube that attempts to ‘cool’ things down and then become overwhelmed with the situation and melt back into it? Or are you a large ice cube that really affects the hot water situation and sticks with it to diffuse it.

Rock: • When a Rock is placed in a pot of boiling water it will sink to the bottom and not change. What do you do with the ‘Rocks’ in your team—those that refuse to change while the change is happening around them?  When is this behavior a good thing?
• How does this change style encourage conflict within a team?

Often, individuals will go through each 'stage' in a changing environment. Use the parts as a 'timeline' to describe their journey through the change.

Debriefing Questions:

• What do you think is your typical change stage you begin with when faced with a new change?
• Does this stage encourage or prevent a conflict with others?
• How do you approach others who have different perspectives and opinions about the change?
• Describe the positive aspects of knowing what change stage each individual is in.

Suggestion: If you are trying to encourage everyone to be like the coffee bean and be energized about the new changes, you could send everyone home with a bag of coffee beans encouraging them to be energetic change agents.

5 parts packaged in a tidy 7x9 inch mesh envelope. The stress relievers are all made of polyurethane. Latex free.

~Created by Michelle Cummings. This activity was created out of an internet story that circulated. Story origin unknown.