Managing transitions - William Bridges

Am working on a project related to restructuring, and thought that I should continuously try to learn as much about change management as I can. This was one of the key books that were highly recommended online, so I decided to have a look at it.

The author seems to be very experienced in this field, and it is reassuring to see that the issues faced in times of change were broadly similar (in terms of their causes) and faced by many different organisations too. This book gave a useful framework to understand how changes impact on people and what can be done to make the process more fruitful and less painful. It also gave the author's view about what were the better ways to manage change - this was a very useful part of the book that I liked.

Here are my key learning points:

1. The author differentiated "change" from "transition". Change is what occurs on the surface - moving people into different places, moving towards a new policy, etc. Transition is the deeper set of emotions that people feel that have to be addressed properly as the change occurs. Many changes fail because the transition was not well done.
2. Transitions start with an ending. This is a simple concept but it took me a long time to grasp. The organisation has to find ways for people to let go of their present situation, job or expectations before the transition can start. To do so properly, first we need to clearly identify who is losing what, and then engage each group differently. "Overreaction" is often the sign of something deeper - historical issues related to the ending that were never resolved properly. They are to be expected and should be treated with due care.
   
3. Often, emotions such as anger, fright, depression and confusion are signs of grieving, which are very normal when one understands that transitions start with an ending. Never should we mistake them for bad morale.
   
4. Acknowledgment about these losses should be done openly, simply and directly. The next question to ask is, what can we give back to balance the loss that has occurred?
5. Give people information, and do it again and again. Don't imagine that the grapevine is not already churning all kinds of rumours to fill up the empty comms spaces, so be open with information during times of change. Also do not assume that just because an email has been sent, the message has been c0mmunciated. Changes need time to sink in. Be very clear about what the changes mean, not just in broad terms such as "we will become more innovative". Otherwise, there will be serious misinterpretations and confusion on the ground.
6. Honour the past for what it has accomplished. Many people have worked hard to bring the organisation to where it is today. Do not belittle these efforts when making the case for change.
   
7. Changes should take place all at once. Machiavelli (not that I support him) said that "in taking possession of a state, the conqueror should well reflect as to the harsh measures that may be necessary, and then execute them at a single blow".
   
8. After letting go, transition proceeds on into the "neutral" zone, where things are in flux and many things are uncertain. Leadership through this zone is critical. The redefinition of objectives and processes is key during this stage.
   
9. It often seems that "nothing is happening" during the neutral zone and people get discouraged. Hence, there is a strong need to put in a temporary structure and give people short-term goes and processes to keep the organisation going. Don't set high expectations and set people up for failure during this period. This is actually the time to manage expectations about what the team can deliver.
   
10. Set up a transition monitoring team, that doesn't make decisions but whose sole purpose is for upward communications. It is a group of about 7-12 people and chosen from a background of as wide a cross section of the population as possible. It also serves as a good way to monitor the grapevine and dispel untruths if they appear. For it to be successful, it will hv to be people who will not taint the reports, e.g. managers may not be the best group in giving feedback from the ground.
    
11. The main output from the neutral zone is to redesign the system and processes so that they can be ready for the future.
12. For the new beginning zone, there are four key things to address: (i) purpose of the new outcome, (ii) paint a picture of the outcome - must make everyone feel it inside out so that they can give their hearts to it, (iii) lay out a step by step plan so that everyone is clear how to get there, and (iv) give each person a part to play for them to feel that they can contribute and participate.
13. Marathoner effect - be careful! As in a marathon, people progress and cope with the change at different paces. As such, the leaders might already be running back to home base while the rest of the organisation are still heading out. Be wary that there are still people who are coping with the loss or are in the neutral zone when the leaders are ready to sell the new change. We need to tie up the loose ends first.
    
14. The transition plan in 12(iii) is focused on the process and timelines and people, while the purpose at 12(i) is focused on clarifying the objectives. As such, the transition plan needs to be very detailed and we need to be able to tell person A and B exactly what is going to happen when and what this means for them.
    
15. To reinforce the new changes, leaders have to walk the talk and show how the new purpose and processes are being lived out. Incentives and rewards will also hv to be restructured to be aligned with the new purpose.
    

The author says that the entire change process can take months or years, and we need some tenacity and determination and belief that things will work out well for change management to succeed. I have quite a lot more thoughts about this wh0le change management thing - how my actual experience relates to what I've read and how there are areas that I'd hv done differently on hindsight. But that shall be the contents of another post, whether online or not. All in all, a very good read that has enlightened me very much, and showed me that there is much for me to learn about working with people and organisations.