Transition: Navigating the Human Side of Change
Discover strategies to manage the psychological impact of change in both personal careers and organisational shifts
Change management is crucial not only for organisational transformations but also for individual career transitions and personal growth. While operational aspects often take centre stage, the human impact of change—the psychological transition people experience—is frequently overlooked.
As a society, we are obsessed with change: planning it, implementing it, and discussing the next change after that. This focus is evident on both individual and organisational levels. The change management industry is massive, yet it often neglects the human transition, despite change being closely linked to occupational ill health and work-related stress.
That's why I've committed to publishing a series on transition. With so much happening in the world of work and health, it's rare that I dedicate airtime to unpacking a topic over multiple weeks. However, this feels important to give time and space to, particularly to connect transition with what we know about organisational change and the tools that can support it. Before the year is out, I will deliver at least four articles in this series. And here is the first one!
Understanding the Human Impact of Change
Working with individuals and organisations, change is something I frequently see as a catalyst for coaching. The human side of change, known as transition, involves the internal emotional journey of letting go of the old and adjusting to the new.
In change that is a choice, it can be easy to skirt over the ‘endings’ of one chapter before moving on to the next. In forced change, it can be difficult to let go of the old and face up to the new.
Most of all, the transition period can be disorienting, confusing, and uncomfortable, especially during the ‘in-between’ stage where any stability feels elusive.
Here are some dimensions of change that affect the transition process:
Voluntary Change: When change is a choice, it's tempting to rush through the ending of one chapter to begin the next.
Involuntary Change: When change is a necessity, accepting the new reality can be significantly more challenging.
Anticipated Change: Sometimes, expected changes lead individuals to recognise the benefits of having a reflective space. Which path will I take? What will I do next?
Unanticipated Change: Other times, the fallout from unexpected changes triggers the need for reflection. How did I end up here? Things are moving on; where does that leave me?
Regardless of the circumstances, navigating the middle ground as ‘A’ changes to ‘B’ is inevitable and often the hardest aspect of transition.
Despite its significance, the transition process is discussed less frequently than change itself. We often lack the framework or language to address it effectively.
Change by Choice vs. Necessity: Real-Life Examples
Individual Level
Change by Choice: Seeking a new role driven by a desire for reinvention or career growth.
Change by Necessity: Being forced out of a current role due to organisational restructuring or layoffs.
Organisational Level
Change by Choice: Choosing to develop a new product line or service, hiring new talent to drive innovation.
Change by Necessity: Responding to market pressures by shutting down unprofitable product lines and downsizing staff.
Uncovering Opportunities During Transition
In both individual and organisational changes, resource constraints often lead us to focus solely on immediate obligations. Needing income to pay the bills is one side of this. Not having the physical energy or mental bandwidth to zoom out on life is the other. This narrow focus can cause us to miss out on valuable opportunities that arise during transition.
The discomfort of the middleground period often prompts people to rush through it. However, dedicating time and attention to this phase can help fully leverage potential opportunities.
Key Questions to Explore
What do I truly want?
Why do I want it?
Even when change is imposed, you can exercise agency over your path forward. Maintaining an open mind is crucial but can be challenging due to a narrowed perspective during times of change, holding on to what has worked before, what seems practical or what feels safe.
The Power of Reflection and Coaching
During transitions, the immediate temptation is to dive into action—updating resumes, ticking off competency frameworks and applying for jobs. However, reflection is essential to gain a broader perspective and make intentional decisions. Coaching can be a useful tool in facilitating this.
Without deep reflection, we can default to the same old pathways. For instance, professionals may unintentionally become subject matter experts by accumulating experience over time without deliberate decision making. This is something I come across fairly frequently in medical careers! While this can open doors, it's important to ensure that such progression aligns with your true aspirations.
Strategies for Navigating Transition Effectively
Create Space for Yourself: If you need to secure a new role quickly, try to view it as a stepping stone rather than a permanent destination.
Buy Out Time and Headspace: If you can, consider taking on a less demanding role or reducing working hours temporarily to focus on your transition.
Schedule Regular Reflection: Allocate specific times for self-reflection, even if it's just 15 minutes a day, to assess where you are and where you want to go.
Cultural Rites of Passage and Personal Growth
Anthropological studies on rites of passage reveal that in many cultures, individuals were taken to desolate places during significant life transitions. These experiences challenged them to reevaluate their societal values and personal identities, away from everything they thought they new. Similarly, during career transitions, dismantling established perceptions of our personal and professional worth can feel unsettling but can be necessary for personal growth and exploring new directions.
Lara’s take
Being intentional about the human impact of change is key to successful change, whether sought out or incidental, anticipated or unexpected. But as our lives get busier, as the responsibilities on us increase and as we become more accessible to others round the clock it is more challenging to dedicate time and energy to transition, which can seem low down on the list of priorities when trying to get through the day to day.
Compartmentalisation ‘I need to pay the bills’ and separately ‘I need to spend more time with friends/family’ and separately ‘I need to be more active’ is so often the way we deal with the complexity in our lives nowadays. Compartmentalisation and boundaries have a role in helping us manage logistics and context switching. But compartmentalisation can be the enemy of transition, blocking us from taking an overarching view of where we are, what we want and why.
I believe that to fulfil our potential as individuals as well as on a wider organisational level we need to keep transition top of mind in change. This means having the tools and language to recognise transition when it is taking place, and articulate our position in it. But also, and this is even more challenging, being disciplined about not rushing through and instead finding ways to make space for transition to play out as fully as possible when change happens in our lives.
