This text is provided by courtesy of Peggy Holman, Tom Devane, and Steven Cady, The Change Handbook.

SimuReal

For More Information: Klein Consulting, www.kleinconsulting.com

Purpose:
To bring together key members ofan organization or a community in a way that allows them to (a) experience/learn more about their interactions with one another, (b) work on real issues, (c) make decisions within a compressed time frame, and (d) gain skills and understandings they can use to deal more effectively with future challenges in their “back home” setting.

Outcomes:
• SimuReal holds a “mirror” to the organization about how it actually works (or does not work). It can be a powerful change agent, because everyone sees the impact of the system and can self-organize to improve it.

When to Use:
• To shorten the time it takes to make or implement decisions
• To “test drive” a restructuring plan before it is implemented
• To address a complex problem or decision
• To uncover the structural/procedural blocks to solving a problem effectively
• The organization is prepared to engage in self-examination

When Not to Use:
• To focus on creating a common vision
• To align the organization around a given vision/strategy
• To do team building
• The organization is in crisis
• To redesign an entire business process

Number of Participants:
• 35–125

Types of Participants:
• Flexible—can accommodate both internal and external stakeholders, as well as same-function or multifunction participants

Typical Duration:
• Preparation: 1-day design team meeting, 2 days in additional preparation
• Process: 1 day
• Follow-up: Typically ranges from immediate to a year, depending on initial contract with clients, SimuReal outcomes, and leadership needs in implementing those outcomes.

Brief Example:
“Test drive” of a restructuring plan, involving all who would be affected. The “test drive” showed the design gaps and resulted in a 50 percent change in overall design in the days that followed the SimuReal, with support for implementation 3 months later.

Historical Context:
Created in the 1970s by Donald C. Klein.

SimuReal