The difference between change and transition
"It isn't the changes that do you in, it's the transitions."
Some commentators are calling 2024 the year of democracy. With 40 countries and around 1.5 billion people going to the polls in 8 of the 10 most populous countries in the world, it will undoubtedly be the biggest year for democracy in history. Coincidentally (I think!) as I sat at my laptop to write this piece today, the UK Prime Minister called a general election for the first week of July.
Democracy itself may not always be the winner in every election, of course. Some of the ‘victors’ may seem troublingly familiar, but in many countries a critical mass of voting people will create seismic shifts in the political and social landscape.
2024 is just another example of how change is always with us. As the famous saying goes, it’s here to stay. From sudden ‘shocks’ like the Covid pandemic, or the war in Ukraine to slower-burning - but highly impactful - changes like technological advancements, or economic pressures, we are all regularly presented with the challenge of adapting to a ‘new normal’.
For organisations too, navigating change is an everyday part of life. Organisations must change to survive, and yet periods of transformation are often when companies are most likely to fail. As leaders it is vital that we develop ways to help our people anticipate and adapt to changes that will, someday, inevitably come.
William and Susan Bridges state how important it is to understand that change is not the same as transition. Change is situational: the new site, the new boss, the new government or another external event. Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is external, transition is internal.
In order to accept external change, organisational leaders and team members must first go through the three-step emotional (internal) process of transition. Recognising the Endings, the things that will be lost; embracing the Neutral Zone which will be filled with uncertainty but also opportunity; and being clear about the Beginnings – what the new world will look like and how to enter it positively. They outline a set of person-centered management strategies that enable leaders to support their teams through the necessary transition to emerge more stable, cohesive, and purpose-driven.
I (Tim) must confess, I love this model and I use its principles a lot. To quote one of the executive endorsements at the front of the book, “It's a handbook in life for dealing with endings, new beginnings, and the disruptive neutral zone in between…. A pathway to human and authentic leadership and a way to gracefully navigate through the changes we all face in life.”
Ask yourself:
What actions could you take to help people deal more successfully with change in your organisation - now or in the future?
What could you do today to get started on these tasks?
How change resilient are you yourself? What could you do to get better?
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“The single biggest reason organizational changes fail is because no one has thought about endings or planned to manage their impact on people. Naturally concerned about the future, planners and implementers all too often forget that people have to let go of the present first. They forget that while the first task of change management is to understand the desired outcome and how to get there, the first task of transition management is to convince people to leave home.”
― William Bridges, Managing Transitions, Making the Most of Change