This document outlines a framework for facilitating friction-free transformation in organizations. It is presented over three stages: 1) Build buy-in by engaging others, eliminating resistance, and mapping the landscape. 2) Remove roadblocks by overcoming inertia, generating confidence, and removing "sludge". 3) Embrace experimentation by scaling, sharing, and sustaining changes through a culture of experimentation, subtraction of unnecessary processes, and sharing of successes. Each stage contains modules to break challenges into tasks and tools to dissolve resistance. The goal is to establish an environment where transformation can occur through distributed, community-driven efforts rather than traditional bureaucratic change programs.

1. Friction Free
Transformation
Deeper Learning Symposium
Louisville, 1-3 August 2023
@dwenmoth

2. The success
rate for large,
bureacratic
change efforts
is alarmingly
low
“The measure of
intelligence is the
ability to change.”
Albert Einstein.

3. We Need Change Literacy
• Openness to change
• Inclusivity
• Problem solving
• Vision and purpose
• Leadership
• Risk management
• Effective communication
• Empathy
• Resilience
• Adaptability
• Etc.

4. Change is constant....
• Think of a change challenge you’ve
faced in your school or district.
• How did you go about solving it?
• Who was involved?
• How long did it take?
• What resources did you use?
• Were you successful?
• Why/why not?

5. Let’s unpack it further...
• What did you do to bring people
with you?
• What did you do when you
encountered resistance?
• How did you enable the change,
and make it sustainable?

6. Imagine if...
Now think about something you’ve
heard about at this conference – a
new approach, innovative idea etc.
• Imagine how you might bring this
back into your context?
• Where would you begin?
• Who would you involve?
• How would you make the change?

7. Why we need to change the way we change
From:
Bureacratic change programme
q Centralised - Initiatives and priorities set
at the top.
q Chain of command – Most leaders
delegate the functions of project rollout.
q Direct persuasion – Convincing people
why they need to change is the default
method of influence.
q Task-driven innovation – Innovation is
project-driven. Projects stall, then die.
q Localised – Purpose and priorities are the
outcome of an organisation-wide conversation
q Chain of trust – Successful leaders are humble
and curious. They promote experimentation.
q Self-persuasion – helping people convince
themselves is the default form of influence.
Resistance is minimal.
q Experiment-driven innovation – The orgnaisation
becomes a learning laboratory.
To:
Distributed, community-driven change platform

8. Building buy-in
• Mapping the landscape
• Deciding who’s in the team
• It’s all about negotiation

9. FRICTION FREE TRANSFORMATION
Stage 1: Build buy-in
Engage Others
Determine who you need to
collaborate with
Eliminate Resistance
Help people convince themselves
Map Landscape
Pinpoint the problems and
bright spots
Identify the key players and
stakeholders
Eliminate push-back by helping people
discover their own reasons for
supporting the project

10. Build buy in
Stop selling your ideas. Help people convince themselves
Trust
Choice
Motivation
vs
Friction-free Change
Self-persuasion: help people
convince themselves
Conventional Change
Direct persuasion: convince people to
change
“I trust my own reasons”
“I’m free to choose”
I’m motivated to say yes quicker and
commit for longer
“I’m septical; about other
people’s motives.”
”You’re telling me what to
do!”
”I actively resist or defer
actions.”

11. What would you do?
• Two girls fighting over a single
orange
• How would you resolve this?
It’s mine!
But I want it!

12. Here’s how it went down...
• Halving the orange was fair,
but not optimal
• Leading change always
involves negotiation

13. Remove roadblocks
• Building belief
• Neophobic vs neophilic
• Eliminating sludge
• Make change attractive

14. FRICTION FREE TRANSFORMATION
Stage 2: Remove Roadblocks
Overcome Inertia
Frame your novel ideas as familiar and friendly
Generate Confidence
Build self-belief
Remove Sludge
Make it easy to do what matters most
Making it easier for people to make the
changes
Involves:
• Identifying roadblocks
• Identify the drivers of intertia
• Taking action to remove what is
inhibiting change

15. Remove roadblocks
Friction Fuelled Change Friction Free Change
Hard
Slow
Exhausting
Easy
Fast
Effortless
Making it easy to say ‘yes’

16. Why is change difficult?
DRIVERS
1. Politics/policy (mandated
change)
2. Addressing existing issues
3. Future focus/building agility
4. Responsive practice
5. Individual qualities and
attitudes
6. Collaboration.
ROADBLOCKS
1. Fear/uncertainty
2. Inertia
3. Resourcing
4. Overwhelm
5. Disconnect
6. Inconsistency
7. External influences
8. Leadership
9. Teachers
https://futuremakers.nz/roadblocks-and-drivers/

17. Answer this....
If you were to do everything
required of you by the federal
legislation, by the state
requirements and by your district –
attending to every request and
every detail – how much time
would you have left for teaching?

18. How difficult or easy is it for you?
1. Completing all of the written planning and reporting
requirements in my school.
2. Catering for the diversity of needs and interests of my
students.
3. Addressing behaviour issues in my classroom.
4. Accessing the resources I need to support my
teaching programmes.
5. Finding time for professional reading and improving
my professional knowledge.
6. Having my voice heard when contemplating any
change opportunties.

19. Embrace Experimentation
• Create a culture of experimentation
where you can ‘test and learn’
• Get rid of the unnecessary stuff
• Share your successes

20. FRICTION FREE TRANSFORMATION
Stage 3: Embrace Experimentation
Scale,share and Sustain
Multiply your impact.
Leave a legacy.
Test and Learn
Make experimentation a core capability
Subtract
Remove, reduce, recycle
Experimentation is the only
way to adapt faster than
the rate of change.
Traditional change
processes become too slow
to fail!

21. Culture of Experimentation...
https://sites.google.com/breambaycollege.school.nz/hybridlearningtaitokerau/home

22. https://sites.google.com/breambaycollege.school.nz/hybridlearningtaitokerau/projects/tracey

23. What did you notice?
Students not attending class or
not engaging online.
Students will become more
engaged if parents are supporting
them at home.
Consider parents as partners in this
process – part of their learning team
in support of their child.
Building relationships with parents
in order to gain their support of
learners in the home environment.
Regular one-on-one phone calls to parents
Provision of learning tasks and resources for use at home.
Students still need reminders and routines –
relying on the teacher for direction.
Parents empowered to support learners
once they understand the purpose.
Making access to online environment a
natural part of every day experience to
empower them to work independently.
Use multiple ways of connecting with
parents.
Changes not yet embedded fully –
need to continue for another year.
https://sites.google.com/breambaycollege.school.nz/hybridlearningtaitokerau/projects/tracey

24. The Experiment Planner
• Serves as a guide to the planning
conversation
• Not to be used for compliance
• Identifies the key decision points in
the experimental process
• Provides a point of reflection at
regular points through the process
– for review and adjustment

25. Scale,Share and Sustain
Multiply your impact.
Leave a legacy.
Engage Others
Determine who you need to
collaborate with
Overcome Inertia
Frame your novel ideas as familiar and friendly
Generate Confidence
Build Self-belief.
Eliminate Resistance
Help people convince themselves
Test and Learn
Make experimentation a core capability
Remove Sludge
Make it easy to do what matters most
Map Landscape
Pinpoint the problems and
bright spots
Subtract
Remove, reduce, recycle
FRICTION FREE TRANSFORMATION
Simple, Fast and Frugal: 3 Stages, 9 Modules

26. 3 Box Leadership
Learn from the past
Look to the future
Live in the present
MEETING AGENDA
1. What are we doing today?
2. What are we doing to
progressively work for the
future?
3. What are we letting go to
make room for this to
happen?

27. Build buy-in Remove roadblocks
Embrace
Experimentation
Friction-free
transformation
=
Build buy-in Remove roadblocks
Embrace
Experimentation
Alienation,
resistance,
sabotage
=
Build buy-in Remove roadblocks
Embrace
Experimentation
Frustration,
lack of traction
=
Build buy-in Remove roadblocks
Embrace
Experimentation
Failure to transform
Legacy of failure
=
+
+
+
+

29. https://futuremakers.nz/friction-free-platform-for-change/

30. Nine modules
to break the
challenge into
achievable tasks
Suite of self-
persuasion
(friction
dissolving) tools
Friction-free
navigator to
track progress
and supports on
each project
In-house social
laboratory
where
experiments are
designed and
monitored
Digital Octopus
– how we
collaborate and
scale our
discoveries

31. We cannot let our children be the victims!

32. Thank You
derek@futuremakers.nz
@dwenmoth
www.futuremakers.nz
http://futuremakers.nz/blog