The Five Stages of Change (or “Wait, What Are We Doing?”)

Many of us know the five stages of team formation, or the five stages of grief, but how many of us know the five stages of change's emotional processing?

Join me for an exploration of the journey teams go through during organizational change.

Stage 1.  Optimism (or “Oh, This Sounds Great!”)

In this stage, the team expresses initial optimism and excitement for the change that’s coming.  They imagine the benefits and make assumptions about what it’s going to take, how great/bad it’s going to be, and envision themselves at the end of the change with all the hard work behind them.  When you, as the leader, discuss the need for the change and announce its arrival, you’ll see everyone nodding enthusiastically.  And the leader(s) leading the change is excited, especially if it’s a change that is “finally” happening and has been something they’ve spent months lobbying for.

Please note:  Enthusiasm does not equal buy-in.  Your team can be excited about something they know little about.

Stage 2. Questions (or “Wait, What Does That Mean?”)

In this stage, the who, what, where, when, why, and how questions start rolling in.  People will want to know if they’re expected to still do things the old way.  And if so, for how long?  And will that work with the new system/process/person/change?

This is the time that your team will start trying to understand how the change affects them, personally.  What work habits will need to change?  Will they be separated from their work wives or husbands?  How much time will they have to spend in training on top of the work they’re already doing?

This is also the time that you may realize your announcement wasn't quite as clear as you had intended (and you may have to answer the same questions repeatedly).  This may leave you thinking “I just said this,” while the team thinks “you didn’t answer MY question”

Please note:  Repeated questions aren’t necessarily resistance.  People just need a little more clarity, insight into the implications, or certainty.

Stage 3. Confusion and/or Frustration (or “Wait, What Are We Doing?”)

In stage 3, the rubber meets the road, and you may start to see the skids.  Your team will likely experience some confusion, frustration, and resistance.  They may need to go through the five D’s of change - disengagement, dismantling, disenchantment, disidentification, and disorientation as the old ways collide with new expectations.  You may hear a different flavor of questions in this stage, like:

• Who decided this?

• This is my job now??

• Can’t we just go back to how we used to do it?

  
  

This is all natural (and if you’re not hearing it, it might be worth talking to a trusted team member about whether or not the team is saying it, just not in your earshot). 

Please note:  Frustration isn’t (necessarily) a lack of commitment.  Change creates friction, and people have to identify and name what’s not working in order to fix it and work their way through it.

Stage 4. Adaptation (or “Okay… I Guess We Are Doing This.”)

Eventually, people start adapting, but only if the change doesn’t go away or get mitigated.  A mistake I see leaders make is caving to their employees’ complaints and changing the change.  If you hold true to the change (which, realistically, most of us have to do, right?), your team will figure out what works and what doesn’t.  (It’s also good to note when the change really doesn’t work and take in enough information to change your mind about it.)

In stage 4, early ownership and problem-solving emerge – you may even hear people saying things like, “I didn’t know it could do this” or “This part is easier now!”  Encourage the team to keep owning their engagement and, for those who are now onboard ask for their help in getting others aligned.

Change isn't successful when everyone stops complaining. It's successful when people understand it, adapt to it, and eventually make it their own.  The goal is to help them move through change without getting stuck.  And, importantly, sometimes the answer isn't “We need to communicate the change better;” sometimes the answer is, “The change itself needs work.”

Please note:  In this phase, you should switch from selling the change to encouraging ownership of it.  If the change is your idea or your process, it won’t stick as well as if it’s theirs.

Stage 5.  Normalization (or “This Is Just How We Do It Now.”)

At some point, the change becomes the new normal; it isn’t change anymore.  People stop talking about the transition, and the new way becomes “the way we do things.”  

Please note:  Once the change becomes just “the way we do things,” people stop questioning if it’s the best/right way to do it.  Keep those questions alive to make sure you’re really addressing the root cause or need, not just creating a band-aid change.

It’s worth noting that, despite this amazing model, change isn’t linear.  People will move through the stages at different speeds for different durations.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking questions or frustration are resistance.  They may be, but they may also be your team’s way of digesting the change and making it their own.

The leadership job is to help people navigate the messy middle, not pretend it doesn't exist.