6/28/12 Managing Transitions
1
ANN MERRIFIELD, KAISER GROUP
MAWD CONFERENCE 2012
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Words of Wisdom from My Daughter:
2
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
1 6/28/12 Introductions
3
—  How did it feel to be asked to change seats?
¡  Did you view it as a way to sit with someone new or was it an
uncomfortable change
—  Why are some people resistant to change?
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Introductions
4
—  Why is it difficult to maintain changes once they are
made?
—  What kind of support is necessary to maintain
changes?
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
2 6/28/12 It’s Not the Change, It’s the Transition
5
—  Change is situational
—  Transition is psychological
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
The New
Beginning
Neutral Zone
Ending, Losing,
Letting Go
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
6
3 6/28/12 Accepting Change
7
—  Changes of any sort finally succeed or fail on the
basis of whether the people affected do things
differently
—  With a change, you naturally focus on the outcome
the change produces
—  Transition means to let go – it starts with an ending
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Accepting Transition
8
1. You must understand and expect the confusion
2. Don’t try to escape
3. Don’t escape from the neutral zone prematurely
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
4 6/28/12 Are You Good At Change
9
—  Take the Quiz
—  Add up the points for each question to find your
change quotient
—  Interpret Your Score
—  Discuss with your small group
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Questions for Discussion
10
—  How does change make you feel?
—  Think of a change you’ve gone through, either
personally or professionally. What was it? How easy
was it to let go? Are you “on the other side”? How is
the new reality?
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
5 6/28/12 My Examples
11
—  My job
—  My church
—  My sister
—  What are your examples?
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Helping Others Let Go
12
—  Identify Who’s Losing What
¡  Describe it
—  Accept the Reality and the Importance
¡  Don’t argue
—  Don’t be Surprised at Overreaction
—  Acknowledge the Losses Openly and Sympathetically
¡  Pretending it doesn’t exist stirs up the trouble
—  Expect and Accept Signs of Grieving
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
6 6/28/12 Signs of Grieving
13
—  Denial
—  Anger
—  Bargaining
—  Anxiety
—  Sadness
—  Disorientation
—  Depression
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Letting Go
14
—  Compensate for the Losses
¡  What can I give back to balance?
—  Give People Information, and LOTS of It
—  Define What’s Over and What Isn’t
¡  Leaders must put into words what’s time to leave behind
—  Mark the endings
¡  Cortes burned the ships
—  Treat the Past with Respect
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
7 6/28/12 Letting Go
15
—  “Yesterday’s ending launched today’s success, and
today will have to end if tomorrow’s changes are to
take place. Endings are not comfortable for any of
us. But they are also neither unprecedented breaks
with the past nor attempts by those in power to make
people’s lives miserable.”
—  Change Management – understand desired outcome
—  Transition Management – get people to leave home
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Leading People Through the Neutral Zone
16
—  Normalize It
¡  Moses took the people out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get
Egypt out of the people.
—  Redefine It
—  Structure It
—  Communicate It - ALOT
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
8 6/28/12 Encourage Creativity
17
—  Take time to step back and take stock
—  Provide training
—  Encourage experimentation
—  Embrace losses as entry point to new solutions
—  Brainstorm new answers to old problems
—  Accept ambiguity and disorganization
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
Launching the New Beginning
18
—  explain the
—  paint a
—  lay out a
—  give each person a
Purpose
Picture
Plan
Part
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
9 6/28/12 But Ann, We Deal with Change Non-Stop!!!
19
There is one fault that I must find
With the twentieth century.
And I’ll put it in a couple of words:
Too adventury.
What I’d like would be some nice dull monotony,
If anyone’s gotony.
ODGEN NASH, AMERICAN POET
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
The New
Beginning
Neutral Zone
Ending, Losing,
Letting Go
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
20
10 6/28/12 Dealing With Nonstop Change
21
—  Postpone “Extra” Changes
—  Foresee as Much as You Can
—  Do Worst-Case Scenarios
—  “Change as the Norm”
—  Clarify YOUR Purpose
—  Rebuild Trust
—  Unload Old Baggage
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember
anything.” Mark Twain
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
22
Nelson Mandela
One of the things I learnt when I was negotiating was that
until I changed myself I could not change others.
Mahatma Gandhi
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
11 6/28/12 And in the words of my daughter:
23
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
24
Ann Merrifield
Curriculum Developer
General Manager
Training Coordinator
Director of Assimilation
Director of Procurement
Business Development Coordinator
??????????????????????
573-864-1839
[email protected]
Kaiser Group, Inc., MAWD 2012
12