You can’t “manage” change. You can only “lead” it and “support” it, and inspire your people to follow. You manage a checkbook; you lead people.
Because change is all about the people, it must be organic rather than prescriptive / formulaic. To the extent possible, you must allow the people involved the ability to choose how their future will work. This is much messier (it is more like herding cats) and takes much longer than top-down directives, but it is much more successful in the long run.
The change will take MUCH longer than you want. Successful change has to occur from the bottom up, from the inside out. Corollary: An external deadline does not make the change happen; it merely adds stress to an already-overstressed environment.
The new processes will be less efficient and less effective than the old ones until people have learned how to use the new processes properly.
Some people will never fully adapt to the change; they will have to be removed, gently and compassionately. People are watching how you treat their colleagues!
Which change model is best for you? If you’d like a copy of our white paper describing the most popular change models, you can get it by clicking below. I like Bill Bridges’ Transitions model. It is simple, organic, and starts with the people. And it works. It has 3 phases, which are iterative, almost like watching a merry-go-round. This process works equally well for teams and organizations, and for individuals.
The Ending. Until you let go, nothing will change. But letting go is scary, because you are used to the current environment, and your identity might be tied to your current role. An example of an ending is leaving your job or moving to a distant city.
The Neutral Zone. A time of reorientation and creativity. The old rules and assumptions and working relationships no longer apply, so you need to create a new foundation. It feels like you’re a trapeze artist and you’ve let go of one swing and are free-falling toward the new one – except you don’t know what the new one looks like or where it is! (And you’re not sure it’s even there!) If the ending is scary, this is scary on steroids. But it’s also where you create your new way of being and working, so it’s the most essential phase, and it’s also the one that brings forth all your creativity and passion and dreams.
The New Beginning. This can be an “aha!” moment, or it can be so gradual that you don’t even realize that this is your new beginning. Or somewhere in between. You’ll probably have several “false” new beginnings. This is not a failure; it is part of the learning and creating process. Eventually, you’ll settle into a new way of working and being. Your new routines will become comfortable.
Important! Transitions are NOT LINEAR! You start with an ending, then slide into the neutral zone, then back to the ending, then into the neutral zone, then a new beginning, (which does not work out), then back to the neutral zone, then the ending, and then the entire process repeats and repeats and repeats.
A person or team in transition will iterate between phases from moment to moment. Literally! That is normal. In a team, different members might be in different phases at the same time, making team dynamics “interesting”.
That is normal. Please educate each team member on the transitions process so they will know their feelings are normal.
Transitions also take MUCH longer than you want. Think in terms of many months or more. The Neutral Zone seems endless, and “false” new beginnings can be disheartening. They’re not actually false – “failures” are a normal part of the process of creating something new. During a transition, you and your team need to take care of yourselves, be gentle with yourselves, and understand that this process is not only normal, but it is required for successful change and growth.
