Seven Tools for Helping Others Through Change
What you’ll find in this guide:



Summaries of seven effective change tools that can help you embrace change and help you lead your employees though it as well.
Tips that normalize the change process to help you manage expectations.
A list of what is expected of our company’s people managers during times of change.

Seven Tools for Helping Others Through Change
1) Organizational response to change
 Performance normally drops as significant change is introduced
 Lowest level of performance = “Valley of Despair”
 Performance stabilizes and begins to increase
 Performance reaches a new higher level
 Managed change = smaller Valley of Despair
3.) Organization Level Misalignment Over Time:
 People move through their change curves at different times and rates
depending on org. level.
 Leaders often start and complete their change curves earlier than others
because they often were involved much earlier in the change process.
 Different levels can forget others are at different places in their change curve.
2) The Change Curve
 People typically go through change in these phases in order: Denial,
Resistance, Exploration, Commitment. Phases aren’t usually skipped. A
setback can make people move backward through the curve.
 Managers should help employees move through the curve appropriately; too
fast = resistance, too slow = change won’t occur
 In first two phases, people need communication (vision, goals, conceptual
‘what’ and ‘why’ things will change); in last two phases, people need to
understand the concrete changes that will impact them.
4) Realms of Change
 Change has three dimensions or realms: Rational, Emotional, Political
 Effective change management satisfies all three realms. They don’t have to
be addressed equally, but ignored realms can pop up via negative reactions.
 Most change management addresses the Rational realm; ignoring Emotional
and Political realms can make employees feel undervalued and stressed.
Seven Tools for Helping Others Through Change (con’t)
5.) Fair Process
Fair process is the idea that the way you go about making a decision or
implementing a change must be seen as fair

If people feel the process by which a decision is made is fair (or the way a
change is designed and managed) is
reasonable, they will have greater
acceptance of the results and greater
willingness to implement the decision (or
change) and make it work. This is true even
if they personally disagree with the
decision or the change that is made.

Similarly, without perceived fairness in the
process, a positive outcome can be undone
to the point that people will feel negative about the outcome – even if they
agree with it.
7.) Change Adoption Curve
People accept change at different rates.
 Laggards –very resistant to change; continue old ways until forced to change
 Late Majority –know that change is inevitable but prefer to hold on to old
ways for as long as they can
 Early Majority –understand the benefits of the change and will accept it
without too much resistance.
 Change Agents –change is regarded positively and supported; will often offer
ideas and ask to participate
 Innovators –change is good and necessary; will proactively seek out ways to
make change to the organization
6.) Predictable Stages of Transition (a.k.a. “Bridges Model”)
Ending
Letting go of what has gone
before
 Identify who is losing
what
 Define what’s over AND
what’s not
 Don’t be surprised at
“overreaction”
 Acknowledge the losses
openly and
sympathetically
 Expect and accept signs
of grieving
 Mark the endings
(rituals, symbols)
 Compensate for losses
 Treat the past with
respect
 Let people take part of
the old with them
 Communicate3
Neutral Zone
Assess then re-align
with new reality
 Legitimize /
normalize the neutral
zone
 Set realistic goals
and expectations
 Strengthen
relationships and
connections
 Support, encourage,
recognize
experiments and
innovations
 Reward effort
 Find new solutions to
old problems
Beginning
Start operating in the
new world
 Be consistent in
your message and
behaviors
 Match rewards
with new
beginnings
 Ensure quick
successes
 Symbolize the new
identity
 Celebrate
success!
Tips for handling
Laggards
Put little focus
here; they are
the last to
change and
will do so on
their own
terms. Don’t let
them burn you
out.
Late
Majority
Early
Majority
Put lots of focus here. These are
the people you need to win over!
They are the ‘critical mass’ who
will enable your change to get to
the ‘tipping point’ where more
people support the change than
resist it.
Change
Agents
Innovators
Put little focus here; you’ve
already won them over! Don’t let
their enthusiasm give you a false
sense of security about how the
change is perceived by others. .
Expectations as a Supervisor
Supervisors play a unique role in leading change: they need to first internalize (and begin to embrace) the change themselves before they can effectively help their
employees through the change process.
 Make sure you are well on your way to embracing the change before helping others. Be cognizant of the influence you have on those around you.
 Stay as up-to-date as possible on change communications (attend meetings, read announcements and newsletters, talk with your manager, etc.)
 Ask questions, ask questions, and ask more questions until you are clear on content.
 Be a positive role model and ambassador for the change; support it both publicly and privately.
 Share information with your staff as often as you can; try to assess their comprehension
 Dedicate regular times (e.g. in staff meetings) to discuss the change and give updates; relay stories that emphasize important aspects or successes of the change
 Reward positive behaviors as often as possible
 Escalate questions or issues that need addressing
Contact Organizational Development or your HR Manager for more information and additional resources.
12 Quick Tips for Going Through Change
1. Remember that change is not new to any of us.
Change is all around our work and personal lives. Think of the many different changes our company, your team or
you personally have been through. We’ve all survived some significant changes efforts in the past – and we’ll survive
them in the future, as well. If you think about it, we couldn’t survive without change – either corporately or individually.
2. Choose to maintain a positive attitude.
Stay flexible and don’t “brace” for change like it’s a destructive force! Loosen up, keep an open-mind and go with the
flow. Adopt a proactive mindset where you are in control and make things happen (and not a victim mentality where
you perceive that your life is controlled by others.) During change, some things will indeed be out of your control.
However, maintaining a positive mindset is a choice and is something that is always within your control.
3. Think evolution, not revolution.
Going through change is like switching gears in order to continuously improve and build on our past successes.
Change is rarely introduced to tear everything down and rebuild what was there before. It may not always feel like it,
but change is never a conscious choice to make our lives more hectic.
4. Repeat after me: “It isn’t easy!”
Easy initiatives would have been done already. Keep in mind that we don’t pay an admission fee to come to work
(like at an amusement park or movie theater). Rather, the company pays us to overcome problems and challenges.
High-value work is almost never easy – nor should it be!
5. Don’t forget about what is not changing.
Change initiatives or events rarely change everything. Let the stable aspects of the situation give you a sense of
security as you adjust to what is indeed changing.
6. Stay up to date and ask questions, ask questions, ask questions!
Keep yourself informed as much as you can by attending meetings, reading announcements and talking with your
manager. Speak up whenever you have questions and avoid “filling in your own blanks,” since often times your
assumptions may be wrong.
7. Keep doing your work.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in “analysis paralysis.” Many aspects of your job are likely not changing. Keep doing
what you do best. Onward and upward!
8. Focus on shorter-term goals during times of change.
Going through change can be disorienting, and long-term goals may not even be fully identified yet. Staying focused
on your immediate goals is easier and less vague, and helps build momentum and confidence in the “new world.”
9. Use the change as a personal development opportunity.
Change often brings new prospects that weren’t there (or visible) before. Leverage the change to your advantage by
identifying ways to improve your skills, knowledge and abilities to help you with your career goals.
10. Take care of yourself.
Even the best-managed change initiatives can be very taxing. Whether it’s learning new stress management
techniques, getting some extra sleep, or taking a day off, be sure to treat yourself well during times of change. Be
prepared for mental fatigue -- expect it, normalize it and find ways to deal with it.
11. Be forgiving and more tolerant.
Change is often difficult and people are bound to make mistakes. Be more forgiving and lenient—with yourself, your
co-workers and senior management—as we all go through the change together.
12. Ask for help when needed.
Nobody can read your mind. Be vocal about your needs and how the company, your manager or your co-workers can
appropriately support you. Also, reaching out to others who may be having difficulty goes a long way.
Additional Change Tips for Leaders
As a leader, you play a key role in managing our most important asset: our people. By using this information, you can
help lead change more effectively. (Be sure to also refer to the 12 Quick Tips for Going Through Change handout.)
1. As a leader, you go first!
Make sure you fully embrace the change initiative and its implications yourself before helping others. Be cognizant of
the influence you have on those around you.
2. Walk the talk.
Be a positive role model and ambassador for the change. Support it both publicly and privately and demonstrate the
behaviors that you are expecting from others.
3. Over communicate and assess your staff’s comprehension.
Good news or bad, it is critical to share information as often as you can – and always be forthright with the truth. This
is the number one way to maintain trust and employee engagement. Assess your employees’ comprehension of the
change initiative. Do they accurately comprehend the change initiative’s goals and pertinent details? If not, provide
any missing information and clear up any misconceptions.
4. Check-in with your staff and encourage candid feedback.
In your role as leader, it is so important that you check in with your people to see how they are doing – especially
during times of change. Allow and encourage employees to candidly express their feedback and feelings; get
resistance to change out in the open so it can be dealt with.
5. Establish crystal clear priorities.
Going through change can be confusing and stressful. Be ultra-specific with team priorities and staff expectations
throughout the change initiative; remember to focus on shorter-term (rather than longer-term) goals.
6. Delegate.
Get appropriate tasks off your plate so you can focus more on leading change; delegate some new tasks to staff
members (when possible) to further their skills, knowledge and abilities for working in the “new world.”
7. Be there.
Make yourself available to your people. While you’re undoubtedly busy, don’t close your door and stay in your office
all day. Remember: These are times when your staff needs you the most.
8. Make your employees feel valued and give positive reinforcement.
During times of change, it is especially important to proactively motivate your employees and make them feel
appreciated. (Pay extra attention to your top performers!). Reward positive behaviors as often as possible and
celebrate accomplishments often.
9. Re-skill your employees (and yourself) as needed.
Determine what competencies need to be developed for working in the “new world” and provide training &
development opportunities for your team.
10. Cascade information up, not just down.
Be sure to escalate appropriate questions, issues and feedback to your manager or leadership team.
11. Stay sharp!
Leading change is hard work. Keep your change leadership skills finely-tuned by taking advantage of the resources
at your disposal to build your knowledge and abilities in this important competency.