15 Change Management Exercises to Try in 2025

Introducing change management in the workplace—whether it involves new technology, restructuring, or shifts in leadership—can often leave employees feeling uncertain and anxious. 

Common questions arise, such as “How will this affect my role?” or “Will I be able to adapt?” These reactions to the unknown are normal. Change, no matter its scale, can disrupt employee morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction. 

As a change leader, you can ease these transitions by addressing resistance to change and promoting adaptability. One effective way to achieve this is through carefully planned change management exercises. 

These activities can help employees build confidence, align with the change vision, and embrace the new direction with a positive mindset—all before the full change implementation. In this article, we will discuss several examples of change management exercises that organizations can implement to facilitate change initiatives.

What Is a Change Management Exercise?

Change management exercises are structured activities or strategies to help individuals and teams navigate and adapt to organizational changes. These exercises aim to reduce resistance, build trust, enhance communication, and foster collaboration during transitions such as adopting new technologies, implementing new workflows, or undergoing structural changes. By engaging employees in practical, interactive, and reflective activities, change management exercises equip them with the skills, mindset, and resilience needed to embrace change effectively and align with organizational goals.

Objectives of Change Management Exercises

Here are some of the objectives of change management exercises.

• Building trust and collaboration among team members: These exercises foster a sense of trust and teamwork by encouraging open dialogue, shared problem-solving, and mutual support, helping employees feel more connected and united during transitions.
• Enhancing communication during change: They improve the flow of information by breaking down communication barriers, ensuring that everyone understands the purpose, goals, and impact of the change, and reducing confusion and misalignment.
• Identifying and addressing resistance to change: Exercises help uncover the root causes of resistance by allowing employees to express concerns in a safe environment. This enables leaders to address issues and alleviate fears proactively.
• Developing problem-solving skills: By presenting challenges in a controlled setting, these activities encourage employees to think critically, explore innovative solutions, and build confidence in navigating real-world change scenarios.
• Strengthening leadership capabilities: Change management exercises provide leaders with the tools and experience to guide teams effectively, make informed decisions, and inspire confidence, ensuring smoother transitions and successful outcomes.

15 Best Change Management Exercises to Avoid Change Resistance

Here is a list of fifteen fun and engaging change management exercises to try before your next big change.

1. Fishbowl Discussion

No one likes having decisions made for them. It’s only human to want to be involved in the decision-making process. Similarly, when you allow a select few to make decisions that impact a larger group of stakeholders, you will often face resistance. A fishbowl discussion is perfect for situations like these.

Objective of Fishbowl Discussions:

A fishbowl discussion aims to include many stakeholders to create inclusive decision-making processes by opening up a transparent change communication channel. It is a roundtable discussion of prime stakeholders with a larger group of stakeholders witnessing it. This discussion format allows everyone to provide their individual input and experiences and allows them to question the key project owners.

Process: 

• Set up the discussion by creating a roundtable with eight chairs – keep two chairs vacant at all times, allowing six participants to discuss. The remaining participants should be observers standing behind the roundtable.
• The moderator must initiate this change management exercise by briefly presenting the topic and rules. Any two participants take notes to compile later for review.
• Request any six participants to discuss the change at hand.
• In case of any interruptions or questions, request the observer to take a vacant chair and present their view.
• The moderator should ask the observers for feedback if there are no breaks or questions.
• With 10 minutes left, stop the discussion and use the remaining time for reflections and final thoughts from participants and observers.
• You can use variations of this exercise by introducing role-play scenarios or swapping the initial participants with observers.

Example:

When rolling out a new performance evaluation system that impacts all departments, the roundtable consists of six representatives from HR, management, and employees who discuss the goals, implementation plan, and potential challenges of the new system. Observers listen silently but have the opportunity to step in for questions and highlight concerns about how the system might disproportionately affect remote employees, prompting HR to adjust the evaluation criteria. This exercise provides clarity and collaboration and ensures that diverse perspectives are included in shaping the initiative.

2. Force-Field Analysis

The force-field analysis exercise is a structured decision-making technique that boosts your chances of successful change implementation.

The objective of Force-Field Analysis:

Whenever you plan to implement a new change, multiple driving and restraining forces will act simultaneously. The main objective of this exercise is to balance these forces so that the potency of your driving forces exceeds the restraining forces.

Process:

• Write an upcoming change that you want to manage on a whiteboard.
• Divide the whiteboard space into two columns for driving and restraining forces associated with your change.
• Identify the forces in each column and rate them (from 0-5) based on their overall impact on the change.
• Brainstorm the ways to boost the driving forces, as well as how to dilute the restraining forces to improve your chances of success.

Example:

When transitioning to hybrid work, driving forces could include better work-life balance and cost savings, while restraining forces might involve challenges with communication tools. Teams can focus on providing robust collaboration platforms to minimize resistance

3. The Switch Places Exercise

Gaining a new perspective often reduces resistance. The switch places exercise is the simplest change management exercise; you can try this with your team members to provide a different perspective and gain more understanding of other team member’s viewpoints.

Objective of the Switch Places Exercise: 

This change management exercise encourages your team members to leave their comfort zones and explore a new perspective. By continuously changing places, people realize that change is a continuous process. Every time they gain a new perspective, they learn something new, which will boost their performance in the long run.

Process:

• Have your team members sit in a circle
• Place an object in the center of the circle
• Ask them to switch places and observe the object again for a minute at regular intervals—every few minutes or so. Note that some people might resist changing seats.
• Start a discussion amongst the participants as to what changed and how they will describe the object now that they have multiple perspectives

Example:

A manager swaps roles with a customer support executive to better understand end-user challenges. This exercise could reveal areas where workflows need improvement or where support staff require additional tools.

4. The RACI Matrix

Unclear roles and responsibilities often lead to confusion and delays in change initiatives. The RACI Matrix eliminates this ambiguity by clearly defining ownership.

Objective of The RACI Matrix:

To clarify who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each task related to the change. This ensures accountability, reduces overlaps, and fosters better coordination.

Process:

• List all the tasks or decisions associated with the change initiative.
• Create a matrix with team members or stakeholders listed horizontally and tasks listed vertically.
• Assign roles to each task:
  • Responsible (R): The person who performs the task.
  • Accountable (A): The person ultimately answerable for the task.
  • Consulted (C): Individuals whose input is needed.
  • Informed (I): Individuals who need updates on the progress.
• Review the matrix to ensure clarity and avoid conflicts (e.g., one person being assigned multiple key roles).
• Share the finalized RACI Matrix with all stakeholders.

Example:

For deploying a new HR software:

The IT team might be Responsible for installation.

The HR director is Accountable for its success.

Employees are Consulted for feedback.

Leadership is Informed about progress.

Refer to the RACI matrix below for a better understanding of the exercise:

5. The Four P’s

Successful change implementation depends on whether or not your team can see the bigger picture. Set proper expectations at the inception of the project by highlighting the four P’s – Project, Purpose, Particulars, and People.

Objective of The Four P’s:

This activity prepares your team to adopt change by allowing them to explore the new procedure, the why and how of the change management process. It also encourages you to overcome potential barriers to change by working in anticipation of future concerns.

Process:

• Create a chart with four quadrants labeled Project, Process, People, and Product.
• For each quadrant, brainstorm the potential impacts of the change:
  • Project: What tasks, timelines, and resources are required?
  • Process: How will workflows and operations change?
  • People: Who will be affected, and how can they be supported?
  • Product: Will the change influence the quality or delivery of products/services?
• Identify specific actions to address impacts in each area.
• Discuss and prioritize these actions as part of the change plan.

Example:

When implementing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system:

Project: Assign timelines and resources for setup.

Process: Redefine the sales team’s lead tracking process.

People: Train employees on the new system.

Product: Ensure no disruptions in customer experience during the transition.

6. Fishbone Analysis

Complex challenges during change often stem from multiple root causes. Identifying and addressing these causes leads to effective solutions.

Objective of Fishbone Analysis:

To visually map the root causes of resistance or challenges to a change initiative, helping teams focus on actionable solutions.

Process:

• Draw a fishbone diagram with the “head” representing the problem or challenge (e.g., resistance to change).
• Identify major categories contributing to the problem, such as People, Processes, Technology, and Resources.
• Under each category, brainstorm specific causes and sub-causes of the problem.
• Prioritize and address the most critical root causes.

Example:

For poor adoption of a new collaboration tool, causes may include:

People: Lack of training or buy-in.

Processes: Confusion over how the tool fits into workflows.

Technology: Issues with user-friendliness.

Resources: Inadequate technical support.

7. Cross Your Arms

Small changes often feel uncomfortable but can be a powerful demonstration of how adaptability works.

The objective of Cross Your Arms:

To help participants experience discomfort from small changes and reflect on the adaptability required for larger shifts.

Process:

• Ask participants to cross their arms as they usually would.
• Now, ask them to cross their arms the opposite way and hold them for a few seconds.
• Facilitate a discussion about how this small change felt and what it teaches about adapting to bigger changes.
• Relate the experience to upcoming organizational changes and emphasize the need for practice and patience.

Example:

Employees may relate their initial discomfort to learning a new tool but recognize that repeated use will make it second nature.

8. Form a New Company

Change often requires innovation and thinking outside the box. This exercise stimulates creativity and collaboration.

The objective of Form a New Company:

To encourage teams to think creatively, collaborate, and simulate the decision-making required during organizational change.

Process:

• Divide participants into small teams and assign them a task to create a fictional company.
• Each team decides on their company’s mission, structure, and operations, addressing challenges such as budgets, roles, and market strategies.
• Teams present their companies, explaining how they handled decision-making and potential disruptions.
• Facilitate a discussion about how these learnings can be applied to real-life organizational changes.

Example:

A team designing a new company realizes the importance of clear communication channels, a lesson they apply to an ongoing merger.

9. Empathy Mapping

Change often affects employees in different ways. Understanding these perspectives is crucial for effective management.

The objective of Empathy Mapping:

To build empathy by exploring how stakeholders feel, think, and act during a change initiative.

Process:

• Divide participants into teams and provide them with an empathy map template divided into four quadrants: See, Think, Feel, and Do.
• Ask participants to fill in the map based on a stakeholder group (e.g., employees, managers, or customers).
• Discuss the completed maps to identify concerns and tailor strategies to address them.

Example:

For a team transitioning to remote work:

See: Disconnected teams.

Think: Will I be less productive?

Feel: Anxious about isolation.

Do: Overcommunicate or withdraw.

Based on this, leaders might focus on fostering team cohesion.

10. Vision Mapping Workshop

A clear vision motivates and aligns teams during change.

Objective of Vision Mapping:

To collaboratively define the desired outcomes of a change initiative and align the team around a shared vision.

Process:

• Bring stakeholders together and ask them to describe what success looks like for the change initiative.
• Use tools such as sticky notes or digital boards to visually organize these ideas into themes.
• Create a vision map that summarizes the shared goals, priorities, and key actions.
• Share the map with all participants as a guiding reference throughout the change process.

Example:

The vision map for introducing AI tools in operations might include goals such as improved efficiency, enhanced decision-making, and better customer service.

11. The Domino Effect Exercise

Changes rarely happen in isolation—they trigger a series of impacts.

The objective of the Domino Effect:

To illustrate the interconnected nature of changes and prepare teams for the ripple effects.

Process:

• Set up a physical or visual domino chain, where knocking one over affects the entire chain.
• Introduce a hypothetical change and ask participants to predict the potential ripple effects across departments.
• Discuss strategies to mitigate negative impacts and enhance positive outcomes.

Example:

A change in leadership might affect team dynamics, workflows, and morale, prompting strategies for clear communication and team-building.

12. The LEGO Simulation

Unexpected changes require quick thinking and collaboration.

The objective of the LEGO Simulation:

To teach adaptability and teamwork in the face of unexpected challenges.

Process:

• Divide participants into teams and provide each team with LEGO pieces.
• Instruct them to build a specific structure, but midway, introduce an unexpected requirement (e.g., the structure must now include a bridge).
• Observe how teams adjust and collaborate under pressure.
• Facilitate a discussion on strategies for adapting to unexpected changes in the workplace.

Example:

When a software rollout includes last-minute feature changes, teams can use this exercise’s lessons on flexibility and problem-solving.

13. T-Chart Exercise

Decision-making during change often benefits from a clear visual comparison.

The objective of the T-Chart:

To weigh the pros and cons of a change initiative, helping teams visualize the benefits and risks.

Process:

• Draw a T-chart with two columns labeled “Benefits of Change” and “Risks of Not Changing.”
• Ask participants to list items under each column.
• Facilitate a discussion to prioritize the most significant points and decide on the next steps.

Example:

The benefits of automating manual workflows might include efficiency and cost savings, while the risks of not changing might include falling behind competitors.

14. SCARF Model Role-Playing

People’s emotional responses influence how they embrace change.

The objective of the SCARF Model:

To address emotional reactions during change by focusing on the SCARF domains: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness.

Process:

• Assign participants specific roles reflecting different emotional responses (e.g., an employee anxious about job security).
• Role-play scenarios where leaders or managers address these concerns using SCARF principles.
• Facilitate a discussion on how SCARF can improve communication and reduce resistance.

Example:

A manager role-plays addressing an employee’s uncertainty about a new reporting structure by providing clarity and emphasizing their autonomy in decision-making.

15. Change Bingo

Gamification makes learning about change fun and engaging.

The objective of Change Bingo:

To engage participants in learning about change through a fun, interactive activity.

Process:

• Create bingo cards with squares containing tasks or questions related to the change (e.g., “Ask a question about the change” or “Share one positive outcome”).
• Distribute the cards and encourage participants to complete them during the workshop.
• Recognize participants who complete a row or the entire card.

Example:

During a change initiative, a participant might complete squares by providing feedback on the new process or sharing a success story from a past change.

Best Practices for Conducting Change Management Exercises

Here are some of the best practices for implementing change management exercises in your organization.

• Involve leadership: When leaders actively participate, it signals the importance of the change initiative and builds trust. Their involvement fosters a sense of direction and motivation for employees.
• Customize exercises: Tailor activities to align with the organization’s culture, goals, and the nature of the change. Personalized exercises resonate better and effectively address specific challenges.
• Encourage open communication: During the exercises, create a safe space for employees to share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas. Open dialogue fosters transparency, reduces resistance, and boosts engagement.
• Use a mix of hands-on, interactive, and reflective activities: Combine practical tasks, group discussions, and personal reflection to cater to different learning styles, making the exercises more engaging and impactful.
• Monitor and evaluate the outcomes: Track participation, collect feedback, and assess the exercises’ effectiveness in achieving the desired goals. Use these insights to refine future activities and improve the change management process.

Change Clicks Better With Whatfix

Organizations continue investing in newer technologies to improve productivity in in-person, remote, and hybrid work environments. These eight change management exercises will help your team better acclimate to change and reduce resistance.

However, modern problems require modern solutions, and implementing a digital adoption platform like Whatfix can strengthen your change management strategy exponentially.

Whatfix can effectively steer your employees through change management by providing real-time in-app guidance, ongoing support, and behavioral insights.

See why over a hundred Fortune 1,000 companies chose Whatfix to be their partner in change by scheduling a demo with our product experts.