What is it?

Real Time Strategic Change (RTSC) is a large group method that brings together an entire organisation, or a significant cross-section of it, to simultaneously plan and begin implementing strategic change. Participants work in table groups of 6-8, alternating between "max-mix" tables (people from different levels, functions, and locations mixed together) and "back-home" tables (people who work together day to day). The event follows a deliberate arc: building a shared picture of current reality, surfacing dissatisfaction with the status quo, co-creating a compelling vision, and committing to concrete first steps. Unlike traditional strategic planning where a small team creates a plan that others must "buy in" to, RTSC collapses the gap between planning and implementation by having the people who will do the work design the work together, in real time.

Also Known As

• RTSC
• Whole-Scale Change

When to Use It

• You need rapid alignment across a large, complex organisation around a new strategy, vision, or direction
• Traditional cascaded communication has failed to generate genuine commitment
• Multiple stakeholder groups need to hear from each other and build shared understanding before change can take hold
• Leadership has a strategic direction but needs the wider organisation to shape, refine, and take ownership of implementation
• A merger, restructuring, or major external shift requires the organisation to move faster than normal change processes allow
• The gap between "what leaders know" and "what the rest of the organisation knows" is creating resistance or paralysis
• You want implementation to begin during the planning process, not weeks or months after

When NOT to Use It

• The decision has already been made and there is no room for participant input. RTSC requires genuine willingness to let participants shape the outcome. Using it as a rubber-stamping exercise will backfire badly.
• The group is too small. RTSC relies on the energy and diversity that comes from having large numbers together. Below 50 participants, the method loses much of its power and other approaches work better.
• Leadership cannot be present and visibly involved. RTSC requires leaders to share information openly, listen publicly, and respond to challenges in real time. If leaders will not or cannot do this, choose another method.
• You lack the planning time. A proper RTSC event requires 8-12 weeks of preparation with an internal design team. Rushing the design undermines everything.
• The organisation is in active crisis requiring immediate operational decisions. RTSC is for strategic direction-setting, not emergency response.
• There is no genuine dissatisfaction with the status quo. The method depends on participants recognising that the current path is unsustainable. If people are comfortable and see no reason to change, the process will feel forced.

Real Time Strategic Change was developed by Kathleen Dannemiller, Robert (Jake) Jacobs, and their colleagues at Dannemiller Tyson Associates in the early 1980s, initially through work with Ford Motor Company as it shifted from a command-and-control management culture to a more participative approach. Jacobs documented the methodology in his 1994 book "Real Time Strategic Change: How to Involve an Entire Organization in Fast and Far-Reaching Change." The approach builds on Beckhard and Harris's change formula, as revised by Dannemiller: Change = Dissatisfaction x Vision x First Steps > Resistance. The method later evolved into what Dannemiller's firm trademarked as "Whole-Scale Change," though it continues to be widely known as RTSC. It has been used with organisations ranging from 50 to over 2,000 participants, including Marriott Hotels, Kaiser Permanente, United Airlines, and Mobil.

What You Need

Group size: 50-2,000+ participants. The sweet spot is 100-500. Below 50 the method loses its distinctive power. Above 500 requires experienced facilitators and sophisticated logistics.

Time required:

• 2-3 days is standard.
• A compressed 1.5-day version is possible for simpler strategic questions.
• Some organisations run a series of connected 1-day events rather than a single multi-day event.

Space:

• A large, open room that can hold all participants at round tables of 6-8
• Enough space between tables for facilitators and logistics staff to move freely
• A stage or raised platform for leadership presentations and whole-room facilitation
• Wall space for posting table group outputs
• Breakout space nearby for the logistics team and design team to work between sessions
• Good audio system with wireless microphones for table report-outs

Materials:

• Round tables seating 6-8 people each
• Table assignments for both "max-mix" and "back-home" configurations (printed cards or tent cards)
• Flip chart paper, markers, and tape at every table
• Pre-printed worksheets for each activity (designed during the planning phase)
• A4 card stock for "call to action" commitments
• Sticky dots for voting exercises
• Wireless microphones (at least 3-4 for a room of 200+)
• Large display screens or projectors visible from all tables
• A "data wall" for posting and displaying table outputs
• A logistics team running the room behind the scenes

The Process

Setup

1. Form an internal design team 8-12 weeks before the event. This team should represent a microcosm of the whole system: different levels, functions, locations, and perspectives. Include 8-15 people.
2. Work with the design team and leadership to define a clear purpose statement for the event. This answers the question: "What will be different because we came together?"
3. Identify the strategic content that needs to be shared: data about the external environment, customer feedback, financial realities, competitive pressures, and leadership's emerging direction.
4. Design the agenda using the Dissatisfaction-Vision-First Steps arc. Each module within the event should move participants further along this arc.
5. Decide on table compositions. Prepare two sets of table assignments: "max-mix" tables (maximum diversity of function, level, and location at each table) and "back-home" tables (people who work together and will implement together).
6. Brief all leaders who will present during the event. They need to be candid, concise, and prepared to hear and respond to difficult feedback publicly.
7. Prepare all materials, worksheets, and logistics. Assign a logistics coordinator (often called the "logistics czar") who manages the room, materials, timing, and transitions.
8. Set up the room the day before. Test audio, check sight lines, place materials, and do a full walkthrough with the facilitation and logistics teams.

Step 1: Opening and Check-In

Time: 30-45 minutes

Purpose: Set the tone, establish the stakes, and build connection at the table level before diving into content.

1. The lead facilitator opens the event by welcoming participants and framing the purpose: "We are here because [purpose statement]. Over the next [time period], you will shape how we move forward together."
2. A senior leader delivers a brief, honest opening. This should be direct about why this event is happening now and what is at stake: "I want to be straight with you about what we are facing and why I believe we need everyone in this room to figure out the path forward."
3. Ask participants to introduce themselves at their max-mix tables and share one thing they hope will come out of this event.
4. The facilitator establishes ground rules: "Speak honestly. Listen to understand, not to rebut. Stay at your table when we are in table work. Trust the process even when it feels uncomfortable."

Watch for: Scepticism is normal and healthy at this point. Do not try to eliminate it. Acknowledge it directly: "Some of you may be wondering if this is going to be another event where nothing changes. That is a fair question. Let's see."

Step 2: Building a Common Database (Dissatisfaction)

Time: 2-3 hours (can be split across sessions)

Purpose: Give everyone access to the same information about the organisation's current reality, so the entire room is working from a shared understanding rather than individual assumptions.

1. Present data about the external environment: market trends, customer feedback, competitive threats, regulatory changes. Use short, focused presentations (10-15 minutes each) from leaders or external guests.
2. After each presentation, give tables 10-15 minutes to discuss: "What stands out? What surprises you? What concerns you most?"
3. Have each table capture their top concerns on flip chart paper and post them on the data wall.
4. Include an "organisation valentines" or "proud and sorry" activity: each table identifies what they are proud of about the organisation and what they are sorry about. Post these publicly.
5. The facilitator walks the room through the emerging themes on the data wall, drawing attention to patterns.
6. Run a "view from the leadership" segment where leaders share their honest assessment of where things stand. This is not a polished corporate presentation. It should be candid and include what keeps them up at night.

Watch for: This phase is designed to surface dissatisfaction. It will feel uncomfortable. Resist the urge to reassure or soften the data. The discomfort is the engine for change. If participants seem to be glossing over problems, push harder: "What are we not saying out loud?"

Step 3: Understanding the Current State Together

Time: 1-1.5 hours

Purpose: Let participants name the gaps between where the organisation is and where it needs to be, creating shared urgency.

1. Switch to back-home tables. Ask each group: "Based on everything you have heard, what are the biggest gaps between where we are and where we need to be?"
2. Each table selects their top 3 gaps and writes them on cards.
3. Collect all cards and cluster them on the data wall by theme. The facilitation team does this rapidly while participants take a break.
4. Walk the whole room through the clustered themes. Ask for a show of hands: "How many of you see your biggest concern reflected here?"
5. Invite 2-3 brief reactions from the floor using roving microphones.

Step 4: Creating a Shared Vision

Time: 2-3 hours

Purpose: Move from dissatisfaction to possibility by building a shared picture of the preferred future.

1. Return to max-mix tables. Introduce the vision task: "It is [time period] from now. We have been wildly successful. What does this organisation look, feel, and operate like? Be specific."
2. Give tables 30-40 minutes to create their vision. Provide large paper and markers for a combination of words and images.
3. Each table presents their vision to the whole room (2 minutes per table, strictly timed).
4. The facilitation team captures common themes as tables present.
5. Leadership responds publicly to the visions. This is a critical moment. Leaders must validate what they hear, be honest about what is and is not possible, and show genuine engagement with the ideas.
6. Through facilitated discussion, converge on a shared vision statement or set of vision elements that the whole room can support.

Watch for: Vision work can become vague and aspirational. Push for specificity: "What would a customer notice? What would be different about your Monday morning?" If leadership dismisses or minimises the visions, the process will collapse. Brief leaders beforehand that their role is to listen, build on, and integrate, not to critique.

Step 5: Defining First Steps (Action Planning)

Time: 2-3 hours

Purpose: Convert the shared vision into concrete commitments that people will begin acting on immediately.

1. Switch to back-home tables. Frame the task: "Given the vision we have created together, what are the most important things your part of the organisation needs to do differently, starting this week?"
2. Each table identifies 3-5 specific actions with named owners and deadlines. These must be things within the table's control, not requests for someone else to act.
3. Tables write their commitments on large cards and post them on the action wall.
4. Run a "gallery walk" where participants read other teams' commitments and add sticky dots next to the actions they think are most critical or where they can offer support.
5. Bring the whole room back together. Invite 4-5 tables to share their commitments and explain why these are the right first steps.
6. Leadership responds with their own commitments: "Here is what we as leaders commit to doing to support this work."

Watch for: The biggest risk here is vague commitments. Challenge any action that does not have a specific owner and a specific date: "Who exactly will do this, and by when?" If tables are only listing easy wins, push: "What is the hard thing you know you need to do?"

Closing

Time: 30-45 minutes

1. The lead facilitator summarises the journey of the event: where participants started, what was surfaced, what was created, and what was committed to.
2. Ask each person to write on a card: one personal commitment they are making and one thing they will do in the next 48 hours.
3. Invite 5-6 volunteers to read their commitments aloud to the room.
4. A senior leader delivers closing remarks, naming specifically what they heard, what moved them, and what they will personally do differently.
5. Close with a brief check-out at each table: "What is one word that describes how you feel right now about our future?"
6. Clearly communicate the follow-up plan: who will compile the outputs, when the next check-in will happen, and how progress will be tracked.

Facilitator Guidance

What Makes This Work

RTSC works because it applies Dannemiller's change formula in a concentrated, experiential way. By building dissatisfaction through honest data-sharing, co-creating a compelling vision, and committing to immediate first steps, the method generates enough collective energy to overcome the natural resistance to change. The large group format is not just logistically convenient. It is the mechanism that makes change stick: when hundreds of people have the same experience, hear the same data, and make commitments in front of each other, the social pressure to follow through is enormous. The alternation between max-mix and back-home tables serves a specific purpose: max-mix tables build system-wide understanding and empathy across silos, while back-home tables convert that understanding into locally actionable plans.

Common Pitfalls

• Treating it as a communication event: If leadership uses RTSC to "cascade a message" rather than genuinely involving participants in shaping the direction, people will see through it immediately. The event must involve real influence, not just the appearance of participation.
• Under-investing in the design phase: The event itself is only as good as the preparation. Skipping or rushing the 8-12 week design phase with the internal team leads to poorly sequenced activities, wrong people in the room, and missed opportunities.
• Weak leadership presence: If senior leaders are absent, distracted, or give polished corporate presentations instead of speaking candidly, the whole process loses credibility. Leaders need coaching beforehand on how to show up.
• Ignoring the logistics: With hundreds of people in a room, even small logistical failures (wrong table assignments, broken microphones, unclear transitions) destroy momentum. The logistics coordinator role is critical and should not be an afterthought.
• No follow-up plan: The energy generated by an RTSC event dissipates fast if there is no clear mechanism for tracking commitments and sharing progress. Plan the follow-up before the event, not after.
• Skipping the dissatisfaction phase: It is tempting to jump straight to vision and action planning. Without building genuine shared dissatisfaction first, the urgency needed to sustain change will not be there.

Adaptations

• Virtual/hybrid delivery: RTSC can be adapted for virtual environments using breakout rooms as "tables," shared digital whiteboards for posting outputs, and polling tools for voting. The energy is different but the structure transfers. Plan for shorter sessions spread across multiple days rather than a single marathon event.
• Smaller organisations (50-100): Use the same structure but simplify logistics. You may only need one facilitator rather than a team. Table report-outs can be conversational rather than formal. The design phase can be compressed to 4-6 weeks.
• Series of connected events: Instead of one large event, run 3-4 shorter events (half-day to full-day) over several weeks. Each event covers one phase of the arc. This works well when getting everyone together for multiple days is not practical.
• Combined with other methods: RTSC pairs well with Open Space Technology (for self-organised action planning), World Cafe (for cross-pollination during the vision phase), and Appreciative Inquiry (as an alternative to the deficit-based dissatisfaction phase, focusing instead on building from strengths).
• Very large groups (1,000+): Run parallel sessions in multiple rooms with shared video feeds for leadership presentations. Use a "theme team" that rapidly synthesises table outputs across rooms and feeds themes back to the whole group.

Real-World Applications

Automotive manufacturer shifts management culture: A major car manufacturer used a series of RTSC events to move its leadership culture from command-and-control to participative management. Thousands of managers across multiple levels experienced the same data about customer expectations and competitive threats, co-created a shared vision for how management needed to change, and committed to specific behavioural shifts. The consistent experience across the organisation meant that people at every level had a common language for the change.

Healthcare system aligns around quality improvement: A large healthcare provider brought together 400 clinical and administrative staff for a 2.5-day RTSC event to address patient safety and quality metrics. Nurses, doctors, administrators, and support staff sat at max-mix tables for the first time, hearing each other's perspectives on where the system was failing patients. The shared dissatisfaction generated by this cross-functional dialogue led to 35 action commitments, with implementation beginning the following Monday.

Apparel retailer accelerates European expansion: A clothing company used RTSC to align its workforce around a rapid expansion into European markets. Participants from all functions clarified roles, identified the systems and processes needed to support growth, and committed to implementation milestones. The company reported hitting its growth targets ahead of schedule.

City agencies coordinate youth services: Four New York City agencies, along with 300 funders and thousands of service providers, used RTSC to agree on a shared mission, goals, and success criteria for out-of-school care for over a million young people. The method allowed stakeholders with different agendas to find common ground and create a coordinated approach to service delivery.

Small media company transforms operations: A media company with just 17 employees and six regional publications applied the same RTSC principles at a much smaller scale. The owner used the framework to help teams see the whole system, make decisions with immediate implementation, and create a cross-functional team to resolve long-standing collaboration issues between sales, editorial, and production staff.