KÜBLER-ROSS’S CHANGE CYCLE
Use to track people’s journey through any significant change and remember that until everyone has reached acceptance your job isn’t done.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s five-stage change cycle was intended to help people deal with bereavement but has since been adapted to reflect the stages of any major change event including changes at work.
Denial: This is the initial stage of numbness and shock provoking a sense of disbelief. It can produce either a conscious or unconscious refusal to accept what is happening.
Anger: When acceptance of the reality of the situation takes place, denial turns to anger, either through self-recrimination or anger with others.
Bargaining: This is intended to either resolve the problem faced by the person or put off the inevitable.
Depression: This stage is reached if bargaining has failed and it is at this point that the reality of the situation sets in and emotions such as sadness, regret and loss are felt.
Acceptance: Dealing with sadness and regret is a necessary pre-requisite for acceptance. Acceptance is reached once the individual realises that the change is permanent.
Kübler-Ross warns that people don’t move through the stages in a well-ordered sequential manner. They may stall at a particular stage or even regress to a previous stage. Such regression may be an essential part of the process before the ultimate state of acceptance is reached.
HOW TO USE IT
- Discuss the proposed change with staff as early as possible. This will give them a sense of ownership and control over events and build trust between you and them.
- Remember change may be exciting for you but for many it’s terrifying. People fear the unknown and worry that they will lose status and won’t be able to cope in the new world. To help staff overcome their fears provide support at every stage of the process by providing opportunities for staff to discuss their fears, options and opportunities with you or another supervisor.
- Remember, people move through the change cycle at different speeds. They may even get stuck at a particular stage or be thrown back to an earlier stage by events. Be on the lookout for such people and offer support and assistance.
- Communicate with staff every which way you can. Don’t restrict communications to formal meetings. Use MBWA (see Theory 7) to find out what staff feel and think. Answer questions fully. If you don’t know the answer say ‘I’ll get back to you within 24 hours’. Always deliver on your promises and don’t try and bluff your way out of a problem. Staff don’t trust managers who spread organic fertiliser for a living.
- Appoint change champions (see Theory 59) from frontline staff. They can respond to queries instantaneously, stop rumours and misinformation from spreading and act as a link between you and the front line.
- Allow staff opportunities to discuss their fears and concerns openly and provide all staff with training as early as possible. This will reduce the fear of the unknown and build confidence.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
- Who can I rely on for help and support?
- Who is likely to oppose me?