Leslie
Ruminski
Leslie Ruminski, MSW Organizational Readiness
Providence Health & Services Portland, Oregon
CREATING CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
THROUGH PLAY & FUN
LEADING YOUR PEEPS
METHOD
OBJECTIVE
Leaders are wise to take advantage of change management methodologies that
have proven to create or maintain success, measured in business objectives met
(ROI) in their organization.
Leaders want to be viewed as:
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Credible
Well thought of/trustworthy - do what they say
Someone that everyone wants to work for
Someone who inspires others
THE LEADERSHIP CHANGE CHALLENGE
At Providence Health & Services, when our enterprise wide electronic health
record was planned for implementation, we utilized an assessment tool called
“The Leadership Change Challenge.” This tool evaluated current skills and
characteristics of individual leaders against the behaviors that C-level executives
identified as critical to meet the vision of a connected experience of care. This
allowed the team to leverage strengths and mitigate areas of risk.
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The workforce is an organization’s greatest resource.
Mobilization of the resource takes connection and relevance.
Play and fun enhance engagement and focus.
Play and fun lead to alignment, acceptance and adoption of a change.
Pop culture themes create relationships between the workforce and leadership.
The simple and straightforward practice of engaging employees through the use
of play and fun yielded the shared vision that leadership had for the project from
the outset.
CRITICAL BEHAVIORS
“Change in an organization is not about the tool but about human
interaction, use of the tool, and the behaviors that ensue.”
Using the new or the latest change management methodology is enhanced by
leveraging creative solutions via the dynamics of play and fun. Play and fun in
the workplace, used in deliberate, thoughtful ways are legitimate strategies for
workforce engagement.
Play and fun can:
• Create immediate connections between leaders and their workforce
- vulnerability, team development, trust
• Assist with movement towards and through organizational change
- shared ownership for success
• Lead to the discovery of innovative ideas and team alignment
- leverage culture and market awareness
RECOMMENDED READINGS
RESULTS/KEY FINDINGS
ACCOUNTABILITY
MANAGING
CHANGE
CAPACITY/
RESOURCES
RESISTANCE
CONCLUSIONS
There is a saying in the professional practice of change management, that you
‘go slow to go fast.’ Leaders are able to move their organizations through
change more rapidly and on budget, when an investment of time and energy
is made at the beginning of a project. This time is used to set clear objectives,
roles, responsibilities and timelines, and can be done successfully through the
functional use of play and fun.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PATIENT
CENTERED
• Providence Health & Services, Operational Excellence
• Sandy Bell, Former Director, Organizational Readiness, Providence Health
& Services and Professional Mentor
This case study used five different applications of “The Leadership Change
Challenge” tool. The Change Management practitioner utilized the same tool yet
took unique approaches for the five acute care hospital settings.
The Change Management practitioner wove in elements of play and fun in the
application of this tool. The variability of place, time of the year, maturity of the
organization in the change process, as well cultural norms were considerations.
This required nimbleness and sensitivity of the practitioner for maximum
opportunity of success.
Managing Transitions:
Making The Most
Of Change
William Bridges
(2nd Edition)
The Leadership Change Challenge Themes:
Our Iceberg Is Melting
John Kotter
The Goal: A Process of
Ongoing Improvement
Eliyahu M. Goldratt
and Jeff Cox
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Marshmallow Peeps
Santa’s Reindeers
Play Doh
Pipe Cleaners
• The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
• The Magic 8 Ball
• A Journalist For A Day
www.leslieruminski.com