Sharing my recent board game experience and how it connects to organizational change management.

I recently came across the game Rhino Hero, and it reminded me of Jenga, a game I loved playing as a teenager. Both games share some key similarities:

• Balancing a structure as players build towers and changes are introduced
• Every action and choice impacting the tower’s stability
• Constantly evaluating the tower’s condition to decide the next move
• Rising stakes and emotionally charged moments as the towers grow taller

As a math major and physics lover, my first instinct was to figure out the scientific way to keep the tower stable. But when I stepped back and observed the game, different insights emerged. My organization development (OD) and systems thinking lens kicked in.

I began to notice the shifts in each player’s behavior as well as changes in the group dynamics as the game progressed, especially when the complexity and pressure built up. Players’ decisions were influenced by the actions of the previous player, the stability of the tower, what they had learned from earlier turns, and how they responded to unexpected disruptions.

This felt exactly like what happens in organizations during times of change!

As we know, change is essential for organizations to grow, pivot, and elevate their performance. Very often, it’s not the change itself that breaks the system. It is how decisions are made and change is managed, that determines the experience and the outcome.

Having lived through and led multiple large-scale transformation efforts, I’ve learned how critical it is to take a holistic approach when strategizing and implementing change initiatives. Every choice that leaders and the OD experts make will have an impact on the entire system, much like a single move in a game that can either maintain or collapse the structure.

Leader’s Role in Driving Change

As the saying goes, “Every domino has a chain reaction.” Leaders and decision-makers are encouraged to thoughtfully consider the following questions when driving organizational change:

• What ripple effects might your small moves and decisions create?
• Are you enabling growth, or unintentionally destabilizing the system?
• How can you build organizational agility to pivot without taking a big hit?
• How are you bringing others along toward a shared goal?

Food for Thought

Consider these key practices when leading organizational change initiatives:

• Define what success looks like and conduct a holistic organizational assessment
• Engage those closest to the work to understand the real challenges
• Leverage analytics and insights to guide decisions
• Build your network of change agents
• Don’t rush under pressure – write down potential ripple effects and long-term impacts, then choose again. 

Essentially, successful change comes from thoughtful decisions, awareness of system-wide impacts, and careful orchestration of people, strategy, and processes. Like a well-planned move in a tower-building game, every action matters and can shape the outcome.

If you would like to explore ways to create positive change experiences and optimize outcomes, let’s connect or schedule a discovery call.