Transition Management

Transition Management

Cathy Smith

Transition management: report from a workshop by Mary Lakie held on 7th August 2003

Abstract

This article looks at the key principles of transition management, it addresses how it differs from change management and considers some ideas for implementation of the theory into practice. The article is based on a study day led by Mary Lakie and drawing on her former work as an Associate with Davis & Dean Inc (www.davisdean.com).

Introduction

Anyone working in the NHS will be familiar with change. Come to that, anyone working in libraries will be familiar with change. Like it or not, change happens all around us, all the time. Sometimes it even happens to us, and that’s where the problems begin… Whether you see change as a positive or a negative thing (and even the optimists among us have to admit that not all change is positive), it affects us in ways we don’t always understand or acknowledge. Transition management is about understanding change on a personal level, about understanding what happens to us, as individuals, when things around us change. This article looks at the key principles of transition management, as presented by Mary. Understanding change and understanding transition William Bridges1 describes the difference between change management and transition management thus: “Change happens whenever something starts or stops in our lives - or one thing stops and another starts up in its place. Marriage stops and a separation starts. A job stops and unemployment starts. A position as a lab technician stops and a new one as the lab manager starts. In each case, the circumstances of the person’s life are different in some way, and that is a change. Transition on the other hand, is the psychological process that the person must go through to unplug from his or her old identity and become reoriented to the new one.” So change is something new, clearly defined, often with a starting point or a stopping point. It can be sudden or it can be something that has been known about for some time. Whatever the timescale, it marks a difference from the old routine and may require new ways of acting or thinking and the development of a new routine. It is often external to us as individuals and may be thrust upon us, or we may initiate it ourselves. Transition, however, is internal and transition management looks at managing the “psychological process” that we need to undertake to successfully make a change.

Coping with Change

There are a number of ways that people react to change, many of which are negative, such as denying that change is happening or withdrawing into oneself. In extremes, some people may seek comfort in substance abuse, alcohol or drugs (or in my case chocolate) or by blaming others. Some responses are more positive, for example talking about change, seeking help or even celebrating it. In reality the individual concerned is likely to react in a combination of ways, and in the seminar the group drew comparisons with the grief process, suggesting a journey of some kind.

The Transition Journey

Diagram 1 shows the Transition Journey as most people experience it. The journey is defined by a series of stages starting with the current, familiar routine. The transition is triggered by a change event. This change event starts a process of decline where the individual undertaking the transition is rejecting the change. The “letting go” point is the moment at which the individual accepts the change and this starts a period of confusion and creativity. This period is where the problems and thought process about change happen, where the individual asks him (or her) self what solutions are required to bring about the change successfully. This period ends with a moment of illumination or revelation where the path ahead becomes obvious. This in turn starts the process of renewal where problems are overcome and the individual emerges triumphant from the transition process into a new routine. At least that’s the ideal. It’s worth noting that not everyone can make the transition and some people get stuck in the decline or confusion/creativity phases, unable to accept or understand the change process. It’s also worth noting that not everyone emerges from the transition “higher up” than they were when they started as suggested in the diagram. Sometimes that doesn’t matter as long as the transition is completed. No-one can avoid making the journey, although the shape of the transition curve may be different than that shown above. One phase may be significantly longer or shorter than the others, or the decline significantly shallower for one than another. The journey is different for every individual, dependant on personal coping skills and the nature or significance of the change. An individual may be going through more than one transition at a time, each of which may have a different profile and timescale. Change in one’s personal life and change in one’s working life inevitably interact and affect our coping skills in one or other area. It’s worth highlighting as well, that in any one change that affects more than one individual the transition journey profile will be slightly different for each individual affected. These journeys may interact, with one individual remaining longer than others in denial or blame while another is already at the renewal stage and appears to be “coping better”, or one being stuck in the confusion/ creativity stage while others are moving on into renewal.

Making Personal Transition Easier

At the workshop, Mary demonstrated a tool for helping the transition process. This tool works on the premise that the only time for action is now and that action is informed by the past and the possible future. Diagram 2 shows the “Positioning for LEVERage” slide used by Mary to demonstrate the point. The LEVER acronym indicates 5 action points necessary to make transition:

• Let go of what you don’t have anymore

• Embrace the present moment

• Visualise your future as you’d like it to be

• Energise your creativity

• Realise your vision

Effective application of the LEVER tool promises a shallower profile for the transition journey, a more rapid transit through the process and a more rewarding renewal as a result. It also recognises the “point of no return” described as the fulcrum, which is the point at which you let go of the numerous options open to you and choose to discard courses of action open to you. By having fewer alternatives the burden of decision is easier and by making decisions final, the option of returning to a previous stage in the process is closed. It also recognises that this is not easy and requires a good deal of courage.

 

Assisting Group Transition

While transition is a personal journey, there may be times when it needs to be managed at a group level. Those working in NHS libraries in Scotland at the moment will be aware of the huge changes in structure, not just to the NHS, but also to NHS Libraries. Transition management theory suggests that change cannot be successful until each individual involved in the change completes his or her personal transition. This means that to successfully manage change we also need to successfully facilitate the transition of staff through that change. The LEVER tool can also be used with groups to stimulate discussion of the change/transition process and to help people to plan as a group how they would like to make the transition. If you are trying to facilitate transition in others you need to be aware of the questions/problems they need to solve to make the transition, to be aware of where they are in the transition journey and to allow them to make the transition at their own pace. The group leader can find creative ways to encourage more effective transition for the group as a whole, for example, focusing on speaking in the present tense with individuals who insist on focusing on the past. Mary quoted the example of one leader who, frustrated by meetings which held everyone wallowing in denial and frustration, instituted a rule as follows: each member of the group was allowed to voice one grump (ie an expression of doubt, discomfort or regret) at the beginning of each meeting, provided that they each also identified something, however small, which was going well, and then participated fully in the days business. Soon the successes outweighed the fears and doubts and the group was able to move forward enthusiastically.

Discussion

Understanding transition is all very well, but how to put the theory into practical use may not be immediately obvious. One of the key things I took away from the seminar is that change cannot be successful until everyone involved in that change completes their own personal transition. This means that transition, as well as change, can benefit from being properly managed. In fact, it needs to be properly managed in order to facilitate change. This suggests that at least one individual within a change project needs to be aware of and to facilitate transition management. While there are tools for doing this, it may not be easy to implement. The “great British reserve” means that we are unlikely to be willing to share our feelings about the issues that affect us most strongly, particularly if the individual facilitating the transition is also leading the change or is a manager to the individual concerned. This may not be easy to avoid. Since the ease of transition is influenced by personal coping skills, perhaps the emphasis on training for staff should be on “soft” skills such as emotional intelligence and dealing with stress as well as the more traditional library skills. Again this is easy to say, but where, in the midst of all this change, can we find time for more training? But do we really have an option about this? If transition needs to happen to bring about change then not providing the training needed to facilitate transition may prolong and complicate the change process. I don’t think there are easy answers to these questions, but I do feel that understanding the process of transition will help me understand why I feel the way I feel about the changes I have to make as a librarian working in the NHS at the moment.

Cathy Smith
Information Officer
Fife NHS Board

Reference:
Bridges, W. (1987) Dealing successfully with personal transition. Mill Valley, California: William Bridges and Associates