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Being aware of the stages of adjustment to change can help in a transition

by Stephen Hawley Martin
for Virginia Business
June 7, 2006

If you've ever tried to institute major change in an organization or business, chances are you know how hard it can be. The reason is it's human nature for people to resist change, and most people require time to adapt. I'm not a psychologist, but I've been told that people pass through predictable stages when they deal with a loss or a change in status quo. It can be helpful to know about these stages in order to help guide people through them and speed up the process of acceptance.

Stage One is denial, as in, "There's been a mistake. I'm sure I never ran that red light." Yet there is a photo of a car with your tag number taken by a surveillance camera.

When you tell a manager about changes in his department or to the company as a whole, he may think you are not really serious. He may believe that after a while you'll forget about it and life will go on as always. "If the boss thinks we're going to do that, he's nuts. Ahh. Give it some time. In a week or two he'll for get all about it."

Let's say you stick to your guns. Next will be anger. "The boss can't mean it. That's not what I want to do, and I'm valuable to this organization. I can't be forced into this."

You stick to your guns. Bargaining follows. "Okay, I understand, now. But, some customers aren't going to like it. We're going to have to make some exceptions."

Once more, you hold your ground. The fourth stage is depression. You may notice a change in body language. slumped shoulders. dark circles under the eyes. It's as though the person was saying, "I've tried to tell them, and they won't listen. No wonder I can't sleep."

Once he has reached this stage, you're closer than you think to a conversion. Try to coax this person on to the next stage.

"Chin up, old buddy, and let's get on with it."
Once he moves on to the fifth and last stage, which is acceptance, you've got yourself a player.

Forewarned is forearmed. In your briefings before the start of a transformation, it will be helpful to tell managers and workers it's normal for them to pass through the stages just described, so that they'll understand what's happening. It will not circumvent the process of adjustment, but it will help speed it along.

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Stephen Hawley Martin is a former principal of The Martin Agency in Richmond and the author of more than half a dozen books including his newest, Lean Enterprise Leader: How to Get Things Done Without Doing It All Yourself. He is editor and publisher of The Oaklea Press, a book publishing business dedicated primarily to helping business executives increase productivity.