Managing Transitions

Transformation | Change

Managing Transitions
By Bob Moore, CMC, The Effectiveness Coach®

Word Count: 369 Words
Reading Time: About 3 minutes

Regardless of what label you put on the next decade, there is evidence it will surely be the decade of transition. As mentioned in one of my recent newsletters, Seth Godin calls the 2010's "the Frustration Decade". A recent OfficeMax survey found that family, personal development and self-discovery will define the next ten years. Whatever the label or whether from a business or personal perspective, 2010 forward will be characterized by transitions.

Just like change, transitions must be managed. William Bridges, the foremost authority on transitions and author of the book,Transitions, says, "The difference between change and transition can be illustrated with the example of a geographical move. The change is the relocation itself; it involves packing dishes, getting a mover, selling your home, and taking an airplane trip. The transitionchanges are always unique to the situations in which they take place, transitions show a remarkable similarity, one to another.

First, transition always starts with an ending. Even though change can be initiated by something new, the internal, psychological process that accompanies it always starts by separating from, getting closure on, or bidding farewell to the old.

According to Bridges, a beginning is only possible after the ending has been made. However, it takes time because you must go through an in-between state that there is no accepted name for-a time when the old reality and the old identity are gone, but the new ones have not yet taken root in your mind and heart. In his writing, Bridges calls this the "neutral zone," to capture the neither-this-nor-that quality.

It is out of the neutral zone that the third and final phase of the transition - the beginning - emerges. The beginning is when people really buy in, get on board, and feel at home with the new.

Whenever a change occurs, those affected by it go through all three of these psychological phases as they come to terms with the new situation. To learn more about how to apply Bridges' concepts, I recommend you obtain a copy of his book, Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes, available from Amazon for only $11.48. involves all the confusion, distress, and excitement that you and your family go through. Whereas

Enthusiastically,

Bob

Bob Moore, CMC®, President
Effectiveness, Inc/The Effectiveness Coach®
Aligning Human Capital with Strategic Objectives

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