Transition Management

In his insightful book Transitions, William Bridges tells us that the crucial role we must play in any change management process is to manage ourselves and the people around us through the change.

When we are reinventing ourselves and/or our business, managing these transitions is critical for our success.

When we are moving through the change, whatever the scale, he reminds us that we need to prepare people and support them through three major phases.

Each phase has within it a level of risk, as well as opportunity that must be closely monitored.

Phase One involves helping people say goodbye to the old identity. We do this by acknowledging the feelings of loss that everyone in our business experiences, as we move from the old identity toward the envisioned one.

Phase Two requires us to support people through what he calls the 'neutral zone'. This is the vulnerable time when we are traversing the 'in between time'. This is the time when the new identity has not yet been properly formed. During this time in our business, it is important to reinforce the vision we hold out for the new. During this phase, we have the opportunity to introduce many of the other changes we would like our business to have, as well as address any threats to our business.

Phase Three is when we have arrived at the change that was envisaged.

When we handle transitions in our business well, we create the kind of business culture and mindset that thrives on the new. At the same time, we build lasting value, by recognizing the contributions others have made in getting us to where we are today. As a business, we are more likely to develop high trust business environments when we do this process well.

I encourage you to buy his book. It is a must read if you are involved in any sort of change process, either at the personal level or in your business.

You can visit William Bridges at www.wmbridges.com