A change in any business or personal circumstance will burn up vast reserves of emotional energy.
So, a leader implementing a change program, even when that change is considered desirable and positive, must expect a roller coaster ride.
In 1979 Don Kelley and Daryl Conner presented a model of voluntary change: their so-called Emotional Cycle of Change. Over the years there have been many representations of their model and I have drawn on several here.
Anybody who has begun a new job, got married, started university or even taken golf lessons, knows that the way things look at the outset differs greatly from the way things look once the change is underway.
There are two key factors that come into play: the information available and your attitude (optimism versus pessimism). There are 3 assumptions to this model:
- Optimism will often be directly related to the expectations of what will be involved in the project.
- As information becomes available, the more pessimistic you become about your ability or willingness to complete the project.
- Therefore, attitude (optimism/pessimism) about the project is a function of the information available about project requirements.
The authors saw the above 5 stages:
Stage1 Uninformed Optimism (Certainty: The honeymoon) Information level: Low. Optimism: High. After all, voluntary projects are usually welcomed, show potential benefit, and should be rewarding. On paper anyway, things should work out just fine. Initially, optimism is quite high, yet a participant probably does not fully understand what lies ahead. When we see a professional playing golf, it looks completely do-able, but when we slice our first drive off the tee…..
Stage 2 Informed Pessimism (Doubt: “Uh-oh, this is harder than it looks…a lot harder.”) random ship, they gesture at effort and commitment.
This duplicity and passive-aggressive behavior can be a nightmare for a leader trying to steady the ship and see things through. With private exciters, the leader’s goal is to get them to go public, then begin problem-solving. If not, the next option is to enable their departure.
Stage 3 Hopeful Realism (Hope: “I dunno, maybe this can work.”) Information level: High. Optimism: Begins to recover. With steady effort (maybe practice) problems yield to solutions and the project moves forward. Attitudes begin to shift toward hope and optimism based on reality testing. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Confidence builds.
Stage 4 Informed Optimism (Confidence: “We can do this!”) Information level: High. Optimism: High. The project’s usefulness and value become apparent. Energy and enthusiasm build as completion nears. Logistical problems are solved and the last vestiges of resistance disappear.
Stage 5 Rewarding Completion (Satisfaction: “Was there ever a doubt?”) Information level: High. Optimism: High. At close-out, we may celebrate or engage in “lessons learned”. Often the final product may appear significantly different from what was initially conceived. Problem-solving and successful coping require flexibility and the “shape” of the original design may be changed to meet practical demands.
In my experience, there is always a gap between expectation and realization of change—narrowing that gap is the challenge. And does this model also apply to involuntary change? I think so, although the time has taken is longer, depending on assistance provided and the pessimism deeper, depending on resilience.
The implications for the leader are profound, particularly if you have an unpopular change to make. Consider engaging an executive coach with expertise in organizational change.
Change will be emotional for you too.
©ResultsWise 2020
Jeff Bell, Principal, ResultsWise
Arrange a meeting to discuss Change—go to the Contact Us page or phone Jeff on 0439988662