Do you feel that your organization is awash in change? Do you have a hard time keeping up with the shifting demands you face as a leader? You\u2019re not alone. Unrelenting change is becoming the norm. Leaders have no choice but to adapt and to help others to adapt, too.<\/p>\n
Organizational events such as restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, or financial problems force leaders to rethink their work and adapt to a changing workforce. Pressure to achieve results and to satisfy what are often competing demands builds the intensity. External factors \u2014 the economy, industry and market trends, globalization, political and social concerns, and rapid technological changes \u2014 all conspire to make leadership a complex, difficult undertaking.<\/p>\n
Yet as we\u2019ve all heard, \u201cChange is the only constant in life.\u201d And we know that to be resilient, both personally and professionally, we have to face change head on and get to the other side.<\/p>\n
Effective leaders understand that successful change and transition requires more than just coping with change \u2014 and that the goal is not to \u201cget by.\u201d These leaders accept that change is happening; they hone strategies for dealing with the unknown; and they shift their behavior to accommodate new situations and challenges.<\/p>\n
To manage change, first understand that there\u2019s a difference between change and transition.<\/p>\n
Transition involves 3 stages: an ending, a neutral zone, and a new beginning,\u00a0according to William Bridges<\/a>, a leader in the field of change management.<\/p>\n Let go of the past; honor and grieve the ending, but accept it. To fully experience change as an ending, try these 3 strategies:<\/p>\n This may be the most uncomfortable transition stage. This is the time of confusion, of living with a clear ending but having no clear beginning. It\u2019s also the time for clarity to develop and point you to a new beginning. Try these 4 strategies as you navigate the neutral zone:<\/p>\n Utilize the clarity that developed in the neutral zone and accept the challenge of working in a changed environment. Think of this phase as a fresh start. Try these 3 strategies as you settle into your new beginning:<\/p>\n People experience organizational change in many different ways, and the process of transition will vary. As a leader, you must deal with your own personal uncertainty and resistance to change. Recognize that your process of going through endings, neutral zones, and new beginnings will affect your work and the people around you.<\/p>\n Rapid change and constant transition have created a more emotional dynamic in organizations.<\/p>\n Uncertainty can trigger all kinds of behavioral and emotional reactions from leaders and the people who are affected by the decisions of leadership. Faced with a never-ending onslaught of organizational change, those you lead may experience\u00a0change fatigue, so work to equip them with change\u00a0resilience<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n The complexity and intensity of transition is a reaction to change \u2014 and the more frequent or more dramatic the change, the more complex the process of transition. Yet, organizations and leaders commonly overlook or dismiss the human side of change.<\/p>\n As noted in our book\u00a0Leading With Authenticity in Times of Transition<\/em><\/a>, many managers have mastered the structural side of leading change \u2014 creating a vision, reorganizing, restructuring, and so on. They\u2019re rewarded, evaluated, and educated to deal with the structural issues around implementing change, and so have more experience with that side of the issue.<\/p>\n But the stresses and pressures generated by structural or operational change lead to an increased need to pay attention to what\u2019s going on with the people in the organization.<\/p>\n Research shows that 75% of change initiatives fail. Why?\u00a0Managing change successfully requires leaders to deal effectively with\u00a0both<\/em>\u00a0the structural side of leading change\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0the human dynamic of transition.<\/strong><\/p>\n When the skills associated with either side are overplayed, leaders destabilize the organizational culture by eroding trust. Instead of a loyal, productive, and enthusiastic workforce, executives and managers end up leading employees who are insecure, fearful, and skeptical. By failing to gain sufficient buy-in from employees, leaders slow down and undermine their progress toward new goals.<\/p>\n When leaders ignore or minimize the people side of managing change, perfectly good strategies and change initiatives stall or fail.<\/p>\n Our research has found that leading transition involves guiding people though a process of grieving, letting go, building hope, and learning. In many ways, the bigger challenge for leaders is to manage the longer-term, human aspects of change: recovery, revitalization, and recommitment. These are required to\u00a0become a more successful change leader<\/a>.<\/p>\n With greater awareness of the human side of transitioning through change, you and your organization will be become more change-capable and able to move through change with grace.<\/p>\n Build your team\u2019s capacity to adapt to change and transition more effectively with <\/strong><\/em>a customized learning journey for your leaders using our research-backed modules. Available leadership topics<\/a> include Communication, Conflict Management, Emotional Intelligence, Leading Through Change & Disruption<\/a>, Listening to Understand, Resilience-Building<\/a>, and more.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The secret to adapting to change is managing the transition. Learn more about the 3 stages of transition \u2014 and tips for navigating each stage successfully.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":48473,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48469","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-adaptability-agility","categories-change-leadership","categories-resilience-stress","region-global","article-type-leading-effectively-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStage 1 of Transition: Accept the Ending<\/h4>\n
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Stage 2 of Transition: Live in the Neutral Zone<\/h4>\n
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Stage 3 of Transition: Reach Your New Beginning<\/h4>\n
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Leading the Human Side of Change and Transition<\/h2>\n
Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n