Management 3.0 Mindset: IV – Energizing and Unleashing Team Potential

By Diane Brady, CSM, PMP, PMI-ACP

This is the fourth article in a series. Read Part I, Part II, Part III.  

This month I want to spend time talking about change.  My “go-to” model for planning for change is ADKAR.  It provides the structure needed to pull together a solid change management plan.  Having said that, how do you get people to think through the many dimensions or lenses to make sure you really have everything? Or, what if you are introducing some change, but a comprehensive plan is not needed?  I use the Change Management Game from the Management 3.0 practices.  It’s fun.  It’s innovative.   And, it works!

Change Management 3.0

The Change Management Game is a series of questions created to encourage the players to respond and share stories about successful change management processes.   It is designed to look at the many different complex angles and focuses on four key facets of social change (systems, individuals, interactions and environments).   The powerful questions are designed to provoke deep thinking about these different facets.  This works much the same way as a coach uses powerful questions to get the coachee to think about different concepts of their desired area of improvement without actually steering them in a particular direction.  It is very effective in eliciting information and/or a compelling way to get people thinking about the magnitude or rippling effect change has on all of us. 

I use it to actually prepare myself for change or think through what I need to consider.  As a change agent, you can use it to get others to give you information needed to prepare a full change management plan.  And when you know big change is coming, it is a very effective tool to prepare a team to be flexible and embrace change.  As in all Management 3.0 practices and tools, a little practice is needed to get comfortable with using the cards.  The cards can be downloaded from the Management 3.0 site (see link below).

I put together some instructions and a reference sheet that I used to set the stage for a group session.  I have created wall posters with all the questions from the cards so the group can brainstorm, write on stickies and then put their ideas and comments up on the posters.  This provides for rich conversation and is an excellent way to gather information.   Sometimes, not all the cards are appropriate for the situation, or I want to concentrate on one particular area, so I remove cards from the deck and the posters.  You can come up with your own variations!

Change Management Game Instructions

Session Preparation:

• Hang wall posters near each table
• Have plenty of Sharpies and stickies
• Pass out the deck of cards at each table with each section separated (the cards are color coded to make this easy)

It is best to have groups of three to six people (group people by project or initiative) at each table.

Each 30 minute session provides time for the team members to interact, write ideas and comments on their stickies, and post them on the appropriate wall poster. 

Decide up front if you want to have time for each group to discuss their responses with everyone.  If so, allow extra time for this.

To start each session describe the exercise, give them their time constraints and read the appropriate session description as shown below.

Conducting the Change Management Sessions

Let’s walk through all four facets so you get the hang of this exercise.   First, I set the stage by talking about our objective for the overall session, making sure I have a Parking Lot for anything that might take us off topic, and announcing any rules I have for the session. 

I have them locate the first set of cards on their table and read from my reference sheet:

First Session - Be a Complexity Thinker

A social system is complex and adaptive.  As a change agent you have to keep poking it with ideas and check how it responds and changes.  And you have to respond to those changes as if you’re dancing with the system, carefully guiding it in the right direction.

This means, if you‘re serious about change, you have to ask yourself some serious questions…

• What Is My Goal?
• Where Is It Going Well?
• What Are the Crucial Steps?
• When and Where Do I Start?
• How Do I Get Feedback?
• How Do I Measure Results?
• How Do I Accelerate Results?

Note:  The questions above are on the cards along with an additional, powerful question to evoke deep thinking.

Second Session - Be a People Person

When you want people to change, sending a rational message to them is usually not enough.  Treat people as emotional beings who can use a little help on the way, in communication and collaboration with others.

This means that, if you’re serious about change, you have to ask yourself some serious questions…

• How Will I Communicate?
• How Will I Set an Example?
• How Do I Make It Urgent?
• How Do I Make It Desirable?
• Who Will Be Teaching?
• How Will I Teach Them?
• What Makes It Easy?
• How Can They Practice?
• What Are the Short-Term Wins?
• What Makes It Sustainable?

Third Session - Spread the Idea

Behaviors are transmitted in a social network from person to person.  You have to treat your idea as if it is a beneficial virus, and you want it to be contagious.

Therefore, you should to ask yourself some serious questions…

• Am I Committed?
• Who Is Assisting Me?
• Who Will Be the Innovators?
• Who Are the Early Adopters?
• How Will the Leaders Help?
• How Do I Reach the Early Majority?
• How Can I Make It Viral?
• How Will I Deal With Skeptics?
• How Will I Prevent A Relapse?

Fourth Session - Optimize the Environment

Self-organization always happens within boundaries.  If you want people to self-organize in a different direction, then try to optimize the environment instead of the behavior of people.  Ask yourself the following questions…

• How Do I Radiate Information?
• How Do I Ease Communication?
• What Is the Group Identity?
• How Can I Grow Peer Pressure?
• Can I incentivize Good Behavior?
• Which Barriers Will I Remove?
• Which Guides Will I Place?
• Who Can Make the Rules?

To Close the Session

Explain the next steps in the process to the group.  This is often done by typing up the input and distributing it, or distributing the plan that results from the input, or scheduling another session to formulate an action plan.  Then address the appropriate timing for these steps.  Finally don’t forget to thank them for their participation in the session.

Management 3.0 Resources

To download the Change Management Game cards:  https://management30.com/product/change-agent/ 

Last of the Management 3.0 Series

I have enjoyed writing this series of articles on the Management 3.0 mind-set and hope that you can use these ideas to help with team engagement and performance!

Concepts and images for this article are taken from the How To Change The World, book by Jurgen Appelo and from Management 3.0 website.

About the Author

Diane Brady, CSM, PMP, PMI-ACP, is an Agile Project Management Professional working in the Pacific Northwest with 18 years of project management and consulting experience working in the Information Technology industry.  She is passionate about using agile techniques to create and improve systems, building dynamic teams, and serving teams to achieve amazing results! She has served on the board of the PMI Portland Chapter in the capacity of President as well as active in professional development portfolio for the Chapter and is currently an Agile Instructor.