Agent of Change Exercise
Resistance to Change
It is useless to bring people together to build bridges between their organizations unless they also receive the information and skills needed to make change happen. Too often people go to training, return to their jobs eager to try new ideas, and encounter resistance to change from the very people who sent them to the training.
This exercise is designed to help each person recognize his/her own resistance to change, identify resistant behavior in others and its repercussions in others, and develop leadership skills to overcome individual and group resistance. The overhead projector will be used in step 4.
| Step 1 |
Have members of the workshop pair off. Each person is to spend two minutes carefully looking at his/her partner. At the end of two minutes, the trainer will instruct the partners to turn away from each other and "change" five things about themselves. When everyone has completed the change, instruct the partners to face each other and identify the changes that the other has made.
| Step 2 |
After everyone has completed this step, instruct the partners to turn away one more time and change ten things. Repeat the process in step 1.
| Step 3 |
Ask the group if they would like to repeat this one more time and go for 15 changes. There should be loud resistance. Ask all to return to their chairs.
| Step 4 |
Distribute Handout 1: Being an Agent of Change in Your Agency
This is a guided note-taking handout. The participants' handouts have blanks for them to fill in. The trainer's copy should be put on a transparency and used on an overhead projector. Uncover information on the transparency one point at a time.
Uncover the blanks on Overhead 2 transparency: Basic Elements of Change - using overhead master.
Relate the answers to the Seven Dynamics of Change to the Change Exercise everyone just completed. To help the audience link what they experienced in the above exercise to resistance to change, ask the following questions before uncovering the answer.
1. How did you feel about the exercise you just completed? Look for responses such as awkward, ill at ease.
2. During the exercise, what did you think of first - things to take off or things to put on? Did you share how you felt with anyone else?
3. Even though you couldn't communicate with your partner while you were making changes, how many of you swapped stuff with others to get to the number of changes you were supposed to make?
4. What happened when I asked you if you wanted to repeat the process a third time?
5. How many people thought this was fun? How many people had some anxiety? How many people wanted to quit and walk out?
6. How many people felt they didn't have enough stuff to make the changes?
7. What happened when I told you to return to your seats?
Have participants fill in Handout 3: Change Process Chart
1. Thawing: former policies, procedures and leadership may change, sometimes more than once.
2. Melting process: what will I lose. (People's sense of loss tends to be exaggerated.)
3. In-between: undefined form, know what it is not, but still don't know what it will become, since form is undefined, there is little accountability.
4. Freezing begins: new form begins to shape and you can see your role. (Your role could include not being part of the new form.)
5. Refrozen: policies, procedures and leadership predictable and fairly stable.
Point out to participants that people move in and out of stages at different speeds and few people go through the process without stepping backwards from time to time.
Have participants fill in Handout 4: Ten Commandments Chart
Use personal stories or experiences to augment the Overhead 4 transparency.
Being an Agent of Change in Your Agency and Community
If you think you're too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a
mosquito.
Source Unknown
Handout 1 - Agent of Change
Basic Elements of Change
_________________________ and________________________
Seven Dynamics of Change
1.
2.
3.
4 .
5 .
6 .
7 .
Handout 2- Agent of Change
Basic Elements of Change
Willingness & Capability
Seven Dynamics of Change
1. People feel awkward and ill at ease
2. People think first about what they will lose
3. People will feel alone even if others have same experience
4. People can only handle so much change
5. People at different levels of acceptance
6. People concerned they lack needed resources
7. People revert to old habits when pressure is off
Overhead 2- Agent of Change
Change Process
1. _______________________
2. ________________________
3. ________________________
4. _________________________
5. _________________________
From Wall Street to Washington, from boardrooms to union halls, what anybody with
power is most scared of is change. Any kind of change. Especially change that's forced
on them.
Lee Iacocca
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world:
Indeed it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Meade
Handout 3 - Agent of Change
Change Process
1. Thawing
2. Melting - what will I lose
3. In between - no or little form
4. Freezing begins - some form
5. Refrozen
Overhead 3: Agent of Change
Ten Commandments of Change Leadership
(What to say to get what you want by Sam Deep & Lyle Sussman)
1. __________________________________
2. __________________________________
3. __________________________________
4. __________________________________
5. __________________________________
6. __________________________________
7. __________________________________
8. __________________________________
9. __________________________________
10. _________________________________
Handout 4- Agent of Change
Ten Commandments of Change Leadership
1. Expect the best
2. Listen before talking; think before acting
3. Get to the point, don't beat around the bush
4. Change what they do, not who they are
5. Model the behavior you desire
6. Adapt approach to the person
7. Provide for dignity and self-respect
8. Appeal to self interest; what's in it for them
9. Rejoice at success
10. Cut your losses with enlightenment, not guilt
Overhead 4 - Agent of Change
Agency and Community Strengths and Weaknesses
My agency's or profession's strengths:
Handout 5- Agent of Change
My agency's or profession's weaknesses:
Handout 5- Agent of Change
Systemic or Organizational
Resistance to Change:
Who Owns the Resistance