Boy, did the break in class come at a great point. With school starting it was so chaotic and I can't imagine having to thinking about Stritch homework/responsibilities as well as the start of school responsibilities. Things are still pretty crazy but hopefully starting to settle down here soon.
Thinking back to the last week of class, the simulation/game was interesting and frustrating. Our group worked really well together and had some thoughtful, meaningful conversations when trying to make our decisions. We thought we were on track and then would get slammed with negative feedback. It was frustrating to say the least but definitely simulated many examples of change in real life. The process in the simulation seemed to go so slowly. When I say that, I'm not referring to how quickly/slowly Louis got around to each group to give the feedback but I'm talking about the order of steps/actions taken to move each of the individuals from the beginning to the end. It was a lot of prep work, awareness building, communication with all of the stakeholders (to get them informed and on board), team building, and training. It certainly parallels real-life, that's for sure!
Our group was able to move many of the individuals about halfway through the "change" process. It seems like we would have needed double the amount of time to get everyone where they need to be. Now that we know the beginning steps needed in order to advance, we might be able to move a bit faster from the start but I really wonder how you could get everyone from A to Z in only the 3 year time period. Has any group ever been able to do so?
Becky, my thoughts were completely the same as yours. I was proud of the progress that my group made, but wondered as well if any group made it through. We also tried to push certain changes too early in the process. It got to a point, where if a card worked, we just kept using it! I think building the buy-in is key, and in real-life that can be rushed when time is running against the cause!
ReplyDeleteI am very glad we've had a break too! Even now it's hard to think about doing homework again!
Becky - as our group became frustrated with the number of people who wouldn't buy into our change, it reminded me so much of the people and situations we work in everyday. The game provided great ideas on how to work through resistance and also opened my eyes to the fact you may not always get everyone on board with the change, no matter how much communicating your do with them.
ReplyDeleteBecky - I agree and the rest of my group became frustrated as well. We were just so unsure of ourselves after having nothing productive happen after the first 2 or 3 turns that wielded nothing.
ReplyDeleteHowever, after reflecting on the game, I really felt it was a great way to get us thinking better about change. It definitely made an impact on how I proceed with ideas at school.