Six Sigma - Change Candy

Forrest Gump once said "life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." One thing is for certain, though-most of the time, that piece of chocolate is going to be sweet. What happens when we pick a piece of candy that is strange or different to us? It may be sweet, it may be hot, and it could be sour. Life at WMHS can be like that at times. However, one thing that is for certain is that a new hospital is under construction on Willowbrook Road and in just a little over a year from now, WMHS is going to take off in a whole new direction-and the change is beginning now. "Change" denotes the transition that occurs between one state to another; it may bring feelings of excitement, fear, or even pain. When you plan to change something, you must prepare yourself for that change. Is there a fun way to do that?

Alas, the "Change Candy Exercise!" Adapted from Duke Rohe, this takes about five minutes and can be done with a small or large group. Required Materials: 1 package of Warheads Candy.

Steps:

• Instruct everyone to take one, but don't open it.
• Explain that this is change candy - just like most change, it is very bitter from the familiar.
• Anyone who has the blue candy, pray for them - their change may be more difficult than others. Not all change is the same.
• The candy will get sweeter in about twenty seconds if you hang in there. The end will be better because of the change.
• Tell them to raise their hand once it begins to taste sweeter (to encourage the ones lagging behind to stay with it)
• Warn them not to back off from the change or let it just sit in their mouth, but lean into it (suck the candy and the bitterness is shorter)
• Everyone unwrap you candy - Go!
• Coach them, encourage them, and tell them they can pound on the table but not on the person next to them.
• After about 10 seconds, the first hand pops up, and then another and then the rest do.
• Don't stop the coaching until all the hands are up (no one is left behind)

Debrief:

1. Ask them what lessons about change did they learn?
   • Was it is easier if everyone experiences change at the same time (group pain)?
   • Did it help telling folks what to expect make the ordeal easier to push through
   • Did coaching help them through the process?
   • Do you think that the latter state is sweeter because of the bitterness that preceded it in the change?
   • Is it better to lean into inevitable bitterness than to pull back from it?
2. Remind them that change will come ever quicker and the faster we can get through it faster we can get on to business.
3. Apologize for putting a sour taste in their mouth.

Remember, if you always do what you've always done, you always get what you always got. For more ideas on change and process re-engineering, contact Mark Kerns (x1656) or Sherri Brady (x4304) in Process Engineering.