Oogly: A Metaphor for Change
Time Allowance: 30-45 Minutes
Equipment Needed: Three to four pounds of corn starch, a large unbreakable bowl, and water. Preparation: Pour your dry corn starch into bowl then add water. It takes almost as much water as corn starch, but mix in the water by hand about a 1/2 cup at a time to avoid adding too much water. You can tell when enough water has been added because all the powder forms into a stiff liquid. Mixing this stuff can be hard work. Avoid trying to stir too quickly because it resists change and will wear you out (now there’s a metaphor). If you add too much water, just let the mixture set for a few minutes and pour off the excess water that settles at the top. If you plan to use this stuff more than one day, you might add a tablespoon or two of bleach. Bacteria from people’s hands will start to grow a culture if you aren’t careful.
Steps
1. Corn starch mixed with water has strange properties. It behaves as a solid when it has pressure applied to it, and it behaves a liquid without pressure applied to it. Besides being neat to play with, oogly provides a memorable illustration of what happens when an organization is forced to change into a process.
2. Oogly resists change. You can punch it or poke it forcefully, and it will resist your force completely. Only when you work at its speed does it accept your hands. Sometimes it even feels as if it is welcoming a gentle tug.
3. Once you have penetrated the surface you can draw out a piece and mold it. As long as you keep it moving by providing constant energy it will stay together. Provide too much energy and it fractures and breaks apart; provide too little energy, and it drools back into its container and looks just like it did before you took it out.
4. Pass a ball of oogly from person to person. If anyone hesitates, it puddles. People discover a balance of energy that will keep the oogly intact and not wear them out.
5. As the mixture dries, it becomes more easily fractured and ultimately turns to powder. If too much water is added, it becomes unmanageable and sloppy. Water isn’t bad, but too much or too little can cause problems.
6. Some people enjoy adding several drops of food coloring to the mixture after it has been thoroughly mixed because it looks “cool” and illustrates how difficult it is to totally integrate something new into a system that resists change.
7. Other suggestions:
• Take a ball of oggly, and throw it onto a table or on the floor. It bounces then puddles.
• Forcefully rub the surface of the oogly. It fractures to the bottom of the container.
• Try quickly tossing the container of oogly on someone. It stays inside the bowl (at least it has in my experience).
• Stick a straw into the mixture and try to pu11 it out quickly. It resists.Processing Issues
Following Others
Respecting Personal Difference