And just like that 2021 was almost over (sorry couldn’t resist the Sex In The City Reference). I’ve been reflecting on the last year, and any words I try to pin down feel either cliched or utterly inadequate. My reflections did get me thinking about William Bridges Transitions Model though, which is all about how we make sense of life’s changes – something we could all do with right now.
If you’re not familiar with the model Bridges differentiates between the change itself, which is the external event or situation and the transition we go through to make sense of the change happening, that is the inner psychological process.
The model explains the three stages involved in transitions, which are ending, the neutral zone and the new beginnings. Any transition begins with an ending, which sounds strange at first but it’s true. We have to understand and identify what we are losing, grieve and then learn to manage the loss. If you are involved with managing change at work this is well worth a further look, bridges share some practical tips on how to help people manage endings such as:
- Identify who’s losing what – what is going to be different when the dust settles? Who is going to have to let go of something?
- Accept the reality and the importance of their losses – listen and don’t argue with what you hear.
- Don’t be surprised at ‘over-reaction’ – it is normal and expected if you have something important at stake.
- Acknowledge the losses openly and sympathetically – encourage managers to talk about the loss openly and not to pretend it doesn’t exist.
- Expect and accept the signs of grieving – remember the change curve and allow people time and space to work through these emotions.
- Treat the past with respect – honour the past for what it accomplished.
What really got me thinking about our current mid-pandemic situation though is what Bridges calls the neutral zone. This is the space where the old world or ways of doing things have gone but we haven’t yet reached the new beginnings. The neutral zone is the space between the old reality and the new reality. I’ve always thought that Bridges should rename the neutral zone to the crazy zone, or the headless chicken zone! He argues that this is a place for fertile creativity, and we need to steer the course because new beginnings will come… I am pretty sure this is where we are now, or at least it’s where I am.
And I do think that the time we’re in right now is absolutely a hot bed for creativity, disturbing, ripping up the rule book. I’ve heard this from so many people I’ve worked with over the past year, that suddenly they can get things done, the red tape is (almost) gone, stakeholders are saying yes more. Sure it’s been hard work, there have been many ups and downs but … I’m not sure when we’ll ever have a time quite like this again, so I want to make the most of it before we move onto the new beginnings.
The final stage of a transition is the new beginning, which often involves a release of energy in the new direction and reality. At the moment it might be hard to imagine this time will ever come, but it will. But for now, I’m going to try to live in the present, and use the “neutral” zone to its full advantage.
@Emma
