Design thinking and human-centered design teach us that the fastest, most effective path to change starts with empathy. But even the most observant, curious change leader can struggle to deeply understand what’s blocking change in their organization. Games can help - they put people at ease, providing a framework and safe space for expressing deeply held, complex motivations. We’d like to share a game we developed for just this purpose - the Barriers to Change Cards. Use the cards to explore a variety of ways to play the game and how to use the results to improve change management outcomes. XPLANE Director of Consulting Stephanie Gioia and Consultant Nina Narelle hosted a session at the Association for Change Management's annual conference, Change Management 2016. This year, their hands-on, interactive session was titled "Games for Change: A Human-Centered Approach for Diagnosing Organizational Barriers".

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Games for Change
Stephanie Gioia @stephgioia
Nina Narelle @nina_narelle
@xplane

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① Why games for change?
② How can games be used across the change journey?
③ Explore one game you can use right away
Workshop Goals

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Let’s Go!
① Grab a worksheet and pen
② Write your change challenge in 10 words or less
③ Write your top 3 barriers to achieving this change
④ Introduce yourself and read your change challenge

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Why Games for
Change?

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There is no problem that doesn’t
have some underlying need for
more optimism, stamina,
resilience and collaboration.
And games are, I believe, the best
platform we have for providing
that.
- Jane McGonigal
“
”

6. How can games be
used across the
change journey?
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Change Lever

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Alignment Games

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Activation Games

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Let’s Play a Game!

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1
Think about your change challenge.
Sort the quotes into a YES and NO pile.
Yes, I might hear this at my organization
No, I probably wouldn’t hear this at my organization

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2
Put your NO stack back in the box.
Flip your YES stack over and sort by color.
Mark the number of cards from each category in
the boxes on your worksheet.

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3 Prioritize your top 5 barriers

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Note the title of the card on your worksheet
4 Note the details of your top 5 cards
on the worksheet

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5
Reflect with a buddy.
Share your top 3 barriers from your first
brainstorm and your top 5 from your card sort.
Did you learn something new when you used the
cards?

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Play the game with
10 people from your
audience

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Keep the Games for Change discussion going on the
Strategy Activation Slack Group: please drop a business
card or sign up near the doors.
Barriers to Change Card Decks are available for $20 at the
bookstore or at www.xplane.com
Free worksheet download at www.xplane.com
More on Card Decks: www.deckaholic.com
Stephanie Gioia @stephgioia
Nina Narelle @nina_narelle
@xplane
Thank you!