William Bridges,
managing the transition: machine, organism, flux and transformation
Bridges (1991) makes a clear distinction between planned
change and transition. He labels transition as the more complex of the two, and
focuses on enhancing our understanding of what goes on during transition and of
how we can manage this process more effectively. In this way, he manages to
separate the mechanistic functional changes from the natural human process of
becoming emotionally aware of change and adapting to the new way of things.
Bridges says:
Transition is about letting go of the past and taking up new
behaviours or ways of thinking. Planned change is about physically moving
office, or installing new equipment, or restructuring. Transition lags behind
planned change because it is more complex and harder to achieve. Change is
situational and can be planned, whereas transition is psychological and less
easy to manage.
Bridges’ ideas on transition lead to a deeper understanding of
what is going on when an organizational change takes place. While focusing on
the importance of understanding what is going on emotionally at each stage in
the change process, Bridges also provides a list of useful activities to be
attended to during each phase (see Chapter 4 on Leading change).
Transition consists of three phases: ending, neutral zone and new
beginning.
Ending
Before you can begin something new, you have to end what
used to be. You need to identify who is losing what, expect a reaction and
acknowledge the losses openly. Repeat information about what is changing – it
will take time to sink in. Mark the endings.
Neutral zone
In the neutral zone, people feel disoriented. Motivation
falls and anxiety rises. Consensus may break down as attitudes become polarized.
It can also be quite a creative time. The manager’s job is to ensure that people
recognize the neutral zone and treat it as part of the process. Temporary
structures may be needed – possibly task forces and smaller teams. The manager
needs to find a way of taking the pulse of the organization on a regular
basis.
William Bridges suggested that we could learn from Moses and his
time in the wilderness to really gain an understanding of how to manage people
during the neutral zone.
New beginning
Beginnings should be nurtured carefully. They cannot be
planned and predicted, but they can be encouraged, supported and reinforced.
Bridges suggests that people need four key elements to help them make a new
beginning:
-
the purpose behind the change;
-
a picture of how this new organization
will look and feel;
-
a step by step plan to get there;
-
a part to play in the
outcome.
The beginning is reached when people feel they can make the
emotional commitment to doing something in a new way. Bridges makes the point
that the neutral zone is longer and the endings are more protracted for those
further down the management hierarchy. This can lead to impatience from managers
who have emotionally stepped into a new beginning, while their people seem to
lag behind, seemingly stuck in an ending (see box).
Our view
This phased model is particularly useful when organizations
are faced with inevitable changes such as closure of a site, redundancy,
acquisition or merger. The endings and new beginnings are real tangible events
in these situations, and the neutral zone important, though uncomfortable. It is
more difficult to use the model for anticipatory change or home-grown change
where the endings and beginning are more fluid, and therefore harder to
discern.
We use this model when working with organizations embarking on
mergers, acquisitions and significant partnership agreements. In particular, the
model encourages everyone involved to get a sense of where they are in the
process of transition. The image of the trapeze artist is often appreciated as
it creates the feeling of leaping into the unknown, and trusting in a future
that cannot be grasped fully. This is a scary process.
The other important message which Bridges communicates well is
that those close to the changes (managers and team leaders) may experience a
difficulty when they have reached a new beginning and their people are still
working on an ending. This is one of the great frustrations of this type of
change process, and we counsel managers to:
-
recognize what is happening;
-
assertively tell staff what will happen while acknowledging
their feelings;
-
be prepared to answer questions about the future again and
again and again;
-
say you don’t know, if you don’t know;
-
expect the neutral zone to last a while and give it a
positive name such as ‘setting our sights’ or ‘moving in’ or ‘getting to know
you’.
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