Lesson 2 — Bridges: Change Is Not the Same as Transition
The deciding distinction
Change is the external new situation.
Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with that situation.
An organization can announce a new stewardship model on Monday. People do not all psychologically arrive at the new normal on Monday.
The three phases
1. The Ending
People are letting go and may feel loss of status, relationships, competence, familiar routines or informal power.
Change-leader response: - explain why change is necessary; - identify the subjective losses people believe they face; - respect the past and previous contributions; - say clearly what is ending and what is not ending; - repeat information because people under stress may not absorb it once.
Trap: Do not argue that a loss is irrational just because the future design is objectively better.
2. The Neutral Zone
The old way is no longer intact and the new way is not yet normal. Old and new practices coexist; confusion, testing and uneven adoption are expected.
Change-leader response: - involve people in refining the new way; - allow experimentation and PDSA-style learning; - provide feedback and recognition; - reinforce that people remain valued; - keep communicating.
Trap: Messiness is not automatically proof the change is failing. Failure to manage the Neutral Zone can, however, cause a slide back into old habits.
3. The New Beginning
Roles, policies and priorities become clearer; the new way becomes workable, established and normal.
Change-leader response: - clarify roles, policies and priorities; - do not force the beginning prematurely; - celebrate progress and give credit; - continue communicating so the new way embeds.
Different people move at different speeds
People experience the same three phases at different speeds. A team can contain employees still grieving an Ending while others are experimenting in the Neutral Zone.
Changed-fact discrimination
- Ending → Neutral Zone: loss is no longer the main clue; people have accepted that the old state is ending and are now mixing/testing new roles.
- Neutral Zone → New Beginning: ambiguity disappears; roles/policies/priorities are clear and the new way feels normal.
Retrieval check
Q: Old stewardship meetings are gone, new forums work inconsistently, and teams are testing new escalation paths. Which phase?
A: Neutral Zone.
Source: pp. 542–545.