Phases of Individual Transition and Change Within Organization Transformation

Hello?there!

I hope that you are safe and well. Today is a very exciting day because we are kicking off a 4-part series of Transformational Change! This is obviously a monumental moment whereas the entire world is amid the transformation. On a global level, the world is in the positive direction of our pandemic transformation. On a country level within the United States, that is the same. Most organizations are on the uptick, while some, unfortunately, are not. On an individual level, the pace of the transformation looks quite different from person to person. This is true, even within organizations.

Our 4-part series of Transformational Change will include:

1. Individual Transition & Change
2. Steps to Develop an Effective Change Leadership Strategy.
3. The Pitfalls to Avoid to Lead Change Successfully.
4. The Ways to Increase Change Maturity Throughout your Organization.

Today, we will address?Individual Transition and Change. Usually, within an organization and/ or team, change is deemed as necessary for one or more of the following reasons:

• In response to the world and/ or marketplace demands
• To save money
• To save time
• To provide better quality or
• To create better service and/or products

An organization of 300,000 or ten might decide for the sake of the organization to transform or change; Though the individuals within that organization have independent needs, capacities, and desires that often vary among each other.

Your organization may be working to adapt to telecommuting due to Covid, must change processes to be compliant or need to cut costs to save money or survive. Regardless of the reason for your organization’s transformational change, all individuals in your organization will not respond the same way.

Now, I would like to share with you what the change process looks like on an individual level. In creating this process, I have included elements from the ADKAR and Transtheoretical Models of Change.

Once an organization has decided to move forward with a change, the leaders make the individuals within the organization aware.?This is the Awareness phase. It is a particularly important phase because obviously, individuals cannot choose to participate if they are not made aware of the desired change. This awareness phase can be done well, and it can be done poorly. Individuals may receive a lot of information regularly or a little information with hardly any regularity. The bigger the change the more information and the more regularly, individuals should receive communication.

Once individuals receive awareness, they all will go into the Contemplation phase.?During contemplation, individuals are deciding whether to participate in the change. They are contemplating whether it’s in their best interest and/ or they think it is in the organization’s best interest. Of course, the level of effectiveness in implementing the Awareness Phase will influence the outcome of the Contemplation phase.

After the Contemplation phase,?individuals will either choose to engage or disengage?from the change. Those who?choose to disengage will either go into a full rejection or avoidance phase.?The?rejection?phase is evidenced by verbal or non-verbal defiance and/or criticism of the new way to come.?Avoidance?is harder to identify, initially. The avoidance entails a more passive-aggressive phase. The individual is not assertively rejecting the new way and related actions. However, they are avoiding it as long as they can. This can manifest by not making the transformation a priority and they may continue to do things status quo.

The rejection and/or avoidance phases ultimately lead to the?Ultimatum phase.?In an organization transformation, individuals will eventually need to adapt to survive and thrive within the organization. In the ultimatum phase, the individual may have rejected and/or avoided the new way as long as they could. They now know that to be successful in the organization, they have to adapt. At this point, they choose to stay disengaged or decide to engage with the organizational change.

If they continue to disengage, it often leads to?dissolution. The relationship that the individual has with the organization or role is dissolved. If this is only on an individual level, then the individual reaches their final phase,?Failure to Adapt.

Individuals who choose to engage?will then go through a?process of saying goodbye or letting go of the old or current way that things are done. The level of emotion required in doing this will depend on a lot of factors including how long it has been that way, how much they enjoyed it, how much of the people's interaction is shaken up, and a myriad of other factors. The process of letting go of this attachment may continue even going into other phases of the change.

The next phase is the?Novice or Learning phase.?This may require a new process, new skills, and earning new relationships. Essentially, the individual may become or feel like a novice all over again. This brings anxieties in and of itself.

Once the individual can effectively learn the new skills, processes, and/or relationships, they are able to start doing the?New Action?effectively. The ability of the individuals to learn and prepare effectively will be largely influenced by the guidance and resources provided by the organization.

As the individuals continue operating in a new way with new actions and behaviors,?the individuals enter the Habit phase. Their performance in the new action improves, they gain confidence and comfort in a new way and can contribute successfully to the organization’s transformation. They officially reach the final phase,?Successful Transformation.

Those are the phases of individual transition and change within the organization's transformation.

Thank you for joining us on this journey of Transformational Change. I hope that you will stay for parts 2-4 in the following weeks.

I hope these help you or someone you know. If you think it's going to help someone you know, feel free to share.

If you need coaching or know someone who does, do take advantage of a complimentary consultation with me to explore fit for leadership transformation.

https://calendly.com/drlepora/15min

Have a great day!

Dr. Lepora