Managing Change

or

Surviving Change

William Bridges’ Model(mostly)

Managing Transitions:

Making the Most of Change

William Bridges and Associates, Inc.

DaCapo Press, 2003

(Addison Wesley, 1991)

Three Phases of Change

Ending - letting go

Transition - the neutral zone

Beginning - making the change work

Bridges says:

The change will happen. It’s the transition that we have to manage - helping people (or ourselves) through the three phases.

And transition is personal

Even at work, transition is personal

Whether you are leading change

Whether you are supporting change

Whether change is “happening to you”

Getting from here to there

Uncharted territories

Going where no one has gone before

Those dark and scary places

“Make it so.”John-Luc Picard

Star Trek - The Next Generation

Is there a significant change happening in your life right

now?At home?

At work?

In other parts of your life?

How are you reacting to it?

Are you “in charge”?

Are you orderly?

Are you worried?

Are you excited?

Are you down?

Some combination of stuff?

Endings - one view of the status quo

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

We’ve always done it this way.

Leave well enough alone.

Endings - another view

Boring!

Time for a change!

We’ve been needing some excitement around here.

We need to step outside of the box.

We really can do this better.

Let’s get on with it!!

Endings may be about grieving

Anger

Bargaining

Anxiety

Sadness

Disorientation

Depression

And this goes home with all of us.

But, let’s get on with it!!

Identify what we are losing

Expect and accept the grieving

Treat the past with respect

Provide information and more information and more information

Involve folks in the planning process

Don’t drag this on. Get on with it!

Some endings

Death of a loved one

Leaving a job

Graduating from school

Separating from a loved one

Child leaving home

Endings at work

Shutting down the main frameBeing transferred to a different unitHaving a co-worker leaveHaving your boss leaveOutsourcing a functionJust moving to another buildingBeing dismissedFor some of us, retiring (finally)

And for most of us

It’s scary!!.It’s scary!!.

““Life is always either a tight-Life is always either a tight-rope or a feather bed. Give rope or a feather bed. Give me the tight-rope”.me the tight-rope”.Edith WhartonEdith Wharton

Your ending

Tight rope or feather bed??

Why?

Transition

Andre Gide

“One doesn’t discover new land without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time”.

Marilyn Ferguson

“It’s not so much that we are afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s the place in between that we fear…. It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There is nothing to hold on to”.

Transition - Uncharted Territory

Where the ghosts and goblins are

Works for the adventurers

Harder for the stay-at-homes

Anxiety, blame, depression strike

Illness strikes

Ambiguity increasesFolks want answersAt work, we have to keep doing the old while planning for and implementing the newWe are tiredManagers are mistrusted, second-guessed

But - this is the neutral zone

Break-through ideas arise

Break-through solutions are found

The box is gone so thinking can be more creative

Obstacles in transition

It takes longer than we expect

Exaggerated expectations exist

Skeptics are loud

Procrastination is a problem

Need for perfection can set in

Making transition easier

Talk about the vision

Set short term goals and measure progress in completing the goals

Recognize out loud that this is hard and scary

Begin definition of new roles

Listen to folks with new ideas

Listen to the skeptics and the critics

Listen to the fears (including your own)

Modify transition plans as learning occurs

Encourage risk taking

Encourage creativity and innovation

Encourage progress, not perfection

Don’t blame, don’t defend

Tell the truth!!

Learning in transition

Action - reflection - action

ReflectionContext - what happened?

Process - how did it happen, what was the method used?

Beliefs and assumptions - what was I thinking?

Organizational Learning

Collective Action --- Results

Collective Reflection --- Knowledge

And the next action. No wars between thinking and doing.

Jobs for the leaders

Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Tell the truth. Don’t withhold information.

Listen

Check your understanding. Ask questions.

Check out your assumptions. Change them when they are wrong.

Transitions you have known

Losing site of the shore

How do you find your way?

How do you help others find their way?

Beginnings

Messy

Fragile

A gamble

Not synchronous for everyone

Anxiety producing

And a time for celebration

As a leader, your work is not done

Some folks are settling in the new place

Some folks have yet to let go of the old

And some are still in the water looking for the new shore

Regardless - you need to celebrate!!

Recognize that goals have been achieved.

Recognize all the good work that has been done.

Stop for a bit, smell the flowers.

Invite your co-workers to do the same.

Have a party!!

Become clear about:

Roles and responsibilities for work to be done

Standards and procedures

Work flow

Ongoing goals and expectations

But:

Don’t become complacent

Keep in mind that our organizations are learning organizations

Be ready for the next change, but take a break first

Think mandela!!

Putting it all together

In your work place, what is the big change right now?Where is your organization in the change process - ending, transition, beginning?What is your role in this change process?What can you do for yourself to make the transition more successful?What can you do for those around you to support a successful transition and a new beginning?

Primary References

Bridges, William. Managing Transition: Making the Most of Change, DaCapo, 2003Geisel, Theodor Seuss. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!!, Random House, 1990Schutz, Will. The Human Element: Productivity, Self Esteem and the Bottom Line, Jossey-Bass, 1994Senge, Peter. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, Doubleday and Co., 1994