Change and Transition: 4 ways leaders can help their people




Change and Transition: 4 ways leaders can help their people

We're experiencing great change in my organization right now and I don't think we're alone in this. We prepared our leaders for this by sharing the "J-curve" model for managing organizational change. While helpful for the organization it did not help the individuals who were being asked to change. Organizations can determine a "go live" date when they flip the switch and have a new system or organizational structure take effect. People don't work like that. When the switch is flipped the organization sees this as the end of change (or at least the middle). This "ending" starts a longer transition for our people. 


Organizations change, people transition
William Bridges (Managing Transitions)points out; "every transition begins with an ending." Organizations need to plan for change and also help people deal with the disruptions that come along with any change. When the switch is flipped subtly or even secretly people find it hard to identify the ending and tend to cling to the past. 
 
1. Leaders can help their people end well by creating an opportunity to celebrate (or mourn) what is ending. 
 
That ending leads to, what Bridges politely calls, the neutral zone. The change calls into question all the methods, habits, rituals and practices that usually work. The neutral zone feels uncomfortable, unstable and ambiguous and each person reacts differently during this time. Some feel disempowered or a loss of control. Some will grasp for anything they may be able to control while others may take a passive "wait and see" attitude. There are even some people who really take the change in stride and move gently through the neutral zone. 

2. Leaders help their people by helping them clarify and understand what they are feeling and how it impacts their life and work.
 
To get through the neutral zone people experiment with new perspectives and behaviors that work in this new context. Leaders often mistake micromanagement for setting clear expectations. Clear and agreed upon expectation are essential in transitions. Command, control and strong direction may get in the way of people discovering new habits and extend the chaos of the neutral zone. 

3. Leaders can assist people through the neutral zone by helping them identify old habits and behaviors that still work and building new strategies and methods that work in this new context.   
 
Every transitions ends with a new beginning. As people discover new best practices and  settle into a new set of habits the chaos of the neutral zone begins to diminish. The fog that often accompanies change begins to clear as people find their footing and gain stability in the new situation. This happens at a different rate for each individual. There may be individuals who's new beginning is with a different organization. New beginnings cannot be scheduled or demanded by leaders. 

4. Leaders can encourage new beginnings by listening to their people, creating opportunities for people the share best practices and reward successes. 
 
"If you don't like change you'll like being irrelevant even less." - Tom Peters 
 
 Organizations need to change to stay relevant and competitive. Understanding and planning for change is essential and models like the "J-curve" are helpful. People are an essential part of every organization. Leaders can tend to people and the transitions created by change as intentionally as they plan for the change itself. When this happens people walk out of the transition energized and engaged rather than frustrated and resistant and the change can be a powerful improvement rather than just a change in course.     
 
 

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