Wallbreakers

Companies and organizations are constantly undergoing changes in order to adapt to society and stay competitive. Most companies have recognized that the ability to lead the change process is far from easy, which can be very frustrating for both employees and managers.

The objective of the game Wallbreakers is to guide a company through a change process without losing the support or trust of employees. The participants play the role of executives, and must navigate a busload of employees along the road of change using leadership decisions. Individual employees, representing various personality types, react to the player’s decisions by either following enthusiastically or by jumping off the bus. The player with the most employees still on the bus wins the game.

The goal of the game is to create a tool for managers to learn about the complexities of resistance to change, as well as how to handle it in order to make the change process a better journey for everyone.

“In order to facilitate this greater understanding of change, it is important for us to establish a safe forum for learning by doing, where everyone experiences the many different perspectives on change and organizational life,” said the design team. “In addition, it has been our intention to create a platform for joint learning, understanding, and knowledge sharing among peers.”

Wallbreakers does this by establishing an emulation of organizational reality where the participants are led into the minds of the characters represented in the game. Through simple metaphors that visualize the current status of the change process, the participants are forced to make decisions about change intensity and leadership style, and to face the consequences of actions made, represented by the mood of the characters involved.

“The metaphors create a common language that enables dynamic group discussions and joint learning.”