Change Management

A cash game features cash transactions (using real money) to bring out behaviors and reactions that reflect the reality of the workplace. This type of game typically explores interpersonal skills (such as negotiation) and concepts (such as collaboration). Here is one of my favorite cased games, called Change Management.

Th word “change” in the name of this game refers not to the latest organizational initiative but to the coins jingling in your pocket. I am going to describe the play of the game using US currnecy. Change the instructions to your local currency.

A penny may not be worth much these days, but in this cash game it can give you a valuable insight: You may suddenly become popular by having the right resources at the right time.

Synopsis

In this game, whoever pays the exact change of $3.73 using the most US coins gets $50.

Purpose

To explore the value of individual contributions to a team.

Participants

The game requires at least 10 players. The best game involves 15 to 30 players. We have conducted the game with more than 100 players.

Time

20 minutes for the play and 15 30 minutes for debriefing

Handouts

Change Management Rules and Regulations (for the players)

Debriefing Questions (for the Facilitator)

Supplies

$50 in cash

  • Timer

  • Whistle

Flow

Select your Regulator. Ask the participants who do not have any change with them to stand up. Select one the poverty-stricken participants to be your Regulator to enforce the rules of the game.

Announce a high profit deal. Hold up a $50 bill and reveal that you are going to sell it for a mere $3.73.

Explain the restrictions. Using your own words, list these constraints:

  • You must pay me the exact change in US coins.

  • Nobody may leave the room to get change.

  • This is a one time offer. Only one individual or team can purchase this $50 bill.

  • The individual or the team that uses the greatest number of US coins to pay exactly $3.73 gets the $50.

  • To participate in this activity, you must give the Regulator a piece of paper specifying the number of US coins you will use to pay $3.73 and the names of the members of the team.\
    The Regulator will accept the wrotten offers only during a 4-minute period.

  • At the end of this time, I'll give the $50 bill to the individual or the team that offered the most US coins to add up to $3.73.

  • If there is more than one top offer with the same number of coins, then the earliest offer will receive the $50.

Distribute the handout. Distribute a copy of the Rules and Regulations to each participant. Ask the participants to study the rules. Pause for a couple of minutes while the participants do this.

Begin the game. Blow a whistle and start the timer. Tell the participants that they have 4 minutes to c submit their Offer to the Regulator. Explain these two details:

  • The Regulator will place a number on the top right corner of each offer to indicate the order in which they received the offer.

  • I will award the $50 to the earliest offer with the greatest number of coins.

  • You may submit a revised offer if you are able to acquire more coins to add up to the $3.73. In this case, your previous form will be discarded.

Monitor the activity. Make sure that the Regulator numbers each form according to the order of submission. From time to time, announce the number of coins in the best offer received so far.

Give a 30 second warning. Blow the whistle when the timer is nearly down to 30 seconds. Ask the teams to submit their offers before the time expires.

Identify the winner. Blow the whistle and stop accepting offers. Ask the Regulators to identify the offer with the greatest number of coins. In case of a tie, ask them to select the earliest submission.

Conclude the activity. Collect the change from the winning team. Verify the number of coins and their total value. Congratulate the team and give its representative the $50 bill. Suggest that the team members wait until the end of a debriefing discussion before splitting their well deserved wealth.

Debrief

To make sure that the participants not only enjoy Change Management but also gain useful insights from it, conduct a debriefing session. I recommend a six-phase model for debriefing.

Here are some sample questions for each phase:

How Do You Feel?

  • How do you feel about the play of the game and its outcomes?

  • How do you feel about the winning team?

  • If you are a member of the winning team, how would you feel about your teammates?

  • Did the behavior of any player offend you during the game? If so, why?

  • If you had no change with you, how do you feel about the way the other participants treated you?

What Happened?

  • How were the teams formed?

  • Did other participants recruit you to join their team? Did the other participants ignore you?

  • Were you recruited by more than one team? What factors influenced your choice of which team to join?

  • Did your team discuss how to divide the $50? If so, what factors did you consider?

  • Did any team try to improve its offer after submitting an offer? Why did the team do it?

What Did You Learn?

  • What was the most important learning point for you?

  • What insights did you get about cooperation and competition among the participants?

  • What did you learn about forming teams and making decisions under tight deadlines?

How Does This Relate?

  • If this game were a metaphor for something, what would that something be?

  • Some participants with no change (or with very little change) may contribute to a team with strategic advice. What are some workplace examples of people without tangible assets but with expertise and skills becoming key players in a team?

  • One of the interesting points in this game is that a person with nine pennies has more to contribute than a person with a $100 bill. What are some workplace situations in which some object of low monetary value becomes extremely valuable?

  • In the game the participants with a lot of loose change were recruited by different teams. What are some workplace analogues of this situation?

What If?

  • What if the game permitted only individuals to make purchase offers?

  • What if some people started selling coins for profit?

  • What if a participant had a roll of 100 pennies? What if this participant waited until the last moment and submitted their individual offer?

  • What if you sold $500 for $3.73? What if you sold $5 for $3.73?

What Next?

  • What advice would you give to a participant who is about to play this game?

  • Considering what you learned from this cash game, how would you behave differently in similar situations in your workplace?


Handout

Change Management Rules and Regulations

1.    You may purchase the $50 bill for $3.73.
2.    Only one $50 bill is available at this special discounted price.
3.    Tender the exact change for the purchase.
4.    Nobody can leave the room to get change.
5.    The individual or team that uses the greatest number of US coins to pay exactly $3.73 will get the $50.
6.    If more than one team offers the same high number of coins, the first team to do so will get the $50 bill.
7.    To contend for the $50 bill, you must submit a written offer of the number of coins and the names of team members.
8.    You must enter the correct total number of coins. Any incorrect offers will be rejected.
9.    You may submit a modified offer if you recruit additional team members and acquire more coins that add up to $3.73.
10.    If your purchase offer wins, you should immediately pay the proposed number of coins that add up to $3.73. Upon verification, you will receive the $50 bill.


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