The Change Curve

When I wrote about change management some time back someone asked me what I felt were the emotional impact and reactions when something changes at the workplace in a major way or appears to be going away forever.

That got me thinking about the change curve conceived by renowned psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in the late 1960s and detailed in her book “On Death And Dying”. Although it was designed by her from a psychological point of view on the stages a person goes through when death is inevitable and near, it has been adopted to the corporate world whenever change is announced that can affect your career, even your life.

Her original thoughts after studying terminally ill patients were that the patient would go through five stages of grief once s/he was made aware of impending death. She said even at that time that her model was applicable to any dramatic life altering event. Several years later her model was being applied in the change management impact and understanding in the workplace.

Leaders, especially change management practitioners, can; thus, predict and prepare for what the employees will be going through and have policies and strategies in place to lessen the impact whenever change of any sort is about to be announced or implemented.

The change curve by its definition lists five stages that a person goes through. Medically, these are five stages of grief but when applied in the corporate world they can be termed five stages of reaction or response. These five stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Over the years there have been slight adaptations and redefinitions to the five stages. For instance, some will say shock and denial as the first stage and acceptance and integration or acceptance and commitment in the end. Some have even simplified it for the change management function to just three broad categories: denial, doubt and acceptance. Within that they sub-classify denial as blaming others and blaming self; doubt as uncertainty and confusion; and acceptance as rationalisation, problem solving and moving on.

The website world of work project has taken it to a new level, as it applies it to the workplace by making a graphical representation and charting morale and performance on the Y-Axis and time on the X-Axis.

It lists shock and denial as a status quo stage and the next three stages under disruption finally classifying the acceptance stage under exploration. More important it includes commitment alongside acceptance under rebuilding. It is a new way of thinking beyond the five stages of the change curve.

So if you’re responsible for a smooth transition of whatever change is taking place that is sure to have an adverse effect on the team’s morale and productivity, whether justified or not, how do you utilise this information so that the impact is lessened, even returned positive?

The first is that you have to ensure that you have a change strategy that takes people beyond the early stages of denial by lessening the shock and making them move forward from that stage willingly and with confidence in the helping hand put forward by you.

How do you do that? Well, it goes without saying that you have to anticipate and plan for each of those five stages and calculate when each will occur. Having said that, remember that different people will react different at each of the five stages.

Let’s take them one at a time and discuss what you should be doing.

 Shock and denial

To go back to the old and tired cliché, watch out for the first step. You stumble there and it is difficult to recover, at least without some long-term hurt.

Make sure they have all the information they need immediately you announce the change, whether it is automation that raises the fears of functions becoming redundant, moving out of the city or even announcing that the company is to be sold to a competitor.

That information must be communicated but do not overload them with it; give what is relevant to ease their minds. Tell them why it is happening and its long-term benefits to all. Do it with compassion and empathy. Remember these are all human beings fighting personal battles, as well as professional.

In your plan remember to give this time. The more time you give the more the shock will lessen and denial will be mitigated. However, during this time, you must interact with your employees and the more face-to-face (if it is a large organisation, have change agents (who must be fully briefed of the full picture) do that.

Tell them constantly it is not their fault or any individuals. Say and do things that will not lead them to blame themselves or anyone else.

 Anger and frustration

This will happen regardless of how well you handle the first stage. There will be employees who will not believe you and come up with the conspiracy theories that will rile up others. If nothing else they will feel angered at having to get out of their comfort zones or do tasks that will have to be newly-learned for possibly no increase in their benefits.

Not much you can do here if you have been honest with the relevant information and have communicated well. However, what you can still do is take out time to listen to everyone. A lot of anger is lessened when they see the management is listening. Take notes and attend to points you may not have thought of or considered relevant.

 Bargaining and resistance

Some experts classify this as a time of resistance, as employees look at alternatives and resist what they are being offered. They find ways to convince the management to maintain the status quo and offer other options that will not lead to the change being announced.

Again, listen to each offer. Tell them you will consider it. If you are good at what you do, you will have already taken it into account at the time you were rethinking of making the change. Give them the reasons why what they say cannot happen. You may though find a middle path as long as it does not affect drastically what you have announced.

Depression and confusion

While depression here is not used in the classical sense as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was of course considering it in the literal sense in her psychological diagnosis and mental effects of impending death, it is near to it. The employees, especially those who feel they cannot adjust to the change announced, will despair. This will happen more with those who have worked a long time in the organisation and feel they have been betrayed.

Others may find the process of adjusting difficult and beyond their capabilities or means. This can happen when the company begins the preliminary process of implementing the change and some employees cannot cope with. They become confused as to their future role.

The way to handle this phase is to be both helpful and honest. Have training programmes and realignment sessions, as many and as one to one as you can. Encourage to the end those who are finding it difficult to adjust. See how you can mitigate their fears for the future. Again the key is to listen and keep in mind they are one stage away from accepting the change.

 Acceptance and commitment

This is the phase you have been waiting for since you announced the change. Keep in mind not all will have mentally transitioned to optimism for the future. There will still be lingering doubts and that is where you have to capitalise from all that you have built up over the past four stages.

This is where they have accepted, rationalised and moved on. However, this is where you have to be most active. Keep in mind several of your employees may fall back on the previous stages, even to the earlier stages of shock or anger and worse depression, which will affect productivity.

At this stage, acknowledge them wholeheartedly. Appreciate how hard they have tried, how much they have struggled and how much some may have sacrificed. Again communication counts. You do not have to overdo it as the quicker they forget thinking about the past the better.

Most important, start telling them about the positive results that have come out of the change. Find a way to reward them though sincere appreciation can also go a long way.

Those then are the five stages and how to plan for and handle each. Your understanding of them will help the gravest of changes being handled well. Just keep in mind that a lot of the time change can be to an employee what impending death is to a terminally ill person.

(The writer is a corporate consultant and coach and former CEO with over 35 years of experience in leadership, building brands and organisational strategy. He now advises on business strategy, marketing, HR and media management)