Rebooting the Library Organization: non-library ... - ALIA conferences

Rebooting the Library Organization: non-library tools and techniques for leading
systemic organizational change
B. Mathenia 1 , A. Nussbaumer 2
1 Associate University Librarian, Client Services, Facilities & Collections, University of
Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, brenda.mathenia@uleth.ca
Abstract
2 University Librarian, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
alison.nussbaumer@uleth.ca
Library leaders know change needs to happen, that our organizations in some cases need to
reboot and rediscover a new way of being, and expand our approach for supporting our
parent organizations.
This paper guides readers through, and explores the application of, two key strategic change
management theories. Both theories were developed outside of libraries yet are relevant to
many of the change challenges facing libraries today. The authors believe grounding in
these theories, and judicious application of change management and transition techniques,
can help library leaders be more successful as they embark on their next change effort.
The authors begin with an introduction to the concept of “Managing Transitions” by William
Bridges (Bridges, 2009), an important, though often overlooked, piece of the change
management puzzle that addresses the human/psychological change processes associated
with, and critical to, successful systemic organizational change. Next, the authors delve into
Kotter‟s “Eight-Stage Change Process” (Kotter, 1996) which provides a specific and ordered
framework for successfully leading strategic organizational change using case study material
to bring the application to real life library situations. As appropriate, examples from actual
change “challenges” will be included to help readers visualize and frame how these theories
can fit into library specific situations. As libraries continue to reinvent themselves to meet
user demands, and rediscover their potential for supporting users and parent organizations,
change management will become a key skill set that library leaders must have to be
successful.
1. Introduction
Change happens. We can be surprised by it, resist it, get tossed around by it, or we can
lead, direct and manage it. According to the 2011 report Redefining the Academic Library, “a
confluence of shifts in technology, changing user demands, and increasing budget pressures
are now forcing academic libraries to either adapt or risk obsolescence” (University
Leadership Council, 2011, p. viii).
This paper explores the application of two key strategic change management theories that
can help library leaders understand how to make their next change effort successful. The
theories were developed by John Kotter and William Bridges, experts in business and
organizational change. Readers are led through an exploration of Bridges‟ “Managing
Transitions” (Bridges, 2009) and the application of Kotter‟s “Eight-stage change process”
(Kotter, 1996). There are other change management theories and theorists (Doppelt, 2010;
Kouzes & Posner, 2002; Schein, 2010; Senge, 2006; Quinn, Faerman, Thompson &
McGrath, 2003; Whitney & Trosten-Bloom, 2003) that address organizational change.
Comparing and contrasting the benefits, similarities and differences of these theorists is the
subject of other papers. Factors to consider when selecting a model and/or theory to assist

leading change in your own organization include leader experience, organizational culture,
scope of the change and staff change readiness. We selected Kotter and Bridges based on
the previous experience and familiarity of the University Librarian in using these models and
in studying change theory during completion of her MA Leadership degree.
While the theories of Kotter and Bridges have broad application, the examples that we use
come from our own experience of leading systemic change in a medium sized Canadian
university library. The process of leading considerable organizational, operational and
cultural change began in 2008 and continues to the present (2012).
Why change? Change, whether incremental or systemic, is a costly enterprise. As we will
see through Bridges and Kotter, it involves letting go of current practice, accepted roles,
traditions, patterns of communication and for some, a sense of self. It requires people to shift
from what they know into areas that are unfamiliar. It may be messy, non-linear, emotional,
energizing, stressful, and rewarding. It takes commitment, “doggedness” and time. Staff
must continue to reinvent themselves to meet user demands and rediscover their potential
for supporting users and parent organizations. Change management is a critical skill set that
library leaders must have to ensure success.
This paper is written from the leadership perspective. While staff input and feedback has
been actively solicited on various aspects of specific changes initiated, we have not, at this
point, solicited feedback on the overall change process.
2. Context
The University of Lethbridge, founded in 1967, is a medium size comprehensive university
with an enrollment of approximately 8,400 students and 1,188 employees. Between 1967
and 2008, the Library had ten different University Librarians; a high turnover rate at the top
most level within the Library. In other areas, including staff and professional librarians, there
is a very low rate of turnover. Professional librarians (11 in total) are tenured faculty,
governed by a faculty association and handbook and have been employed at the University
an average of 14 years. Staff (24 full & part time), are unionized and average 19 years of
service to the University. Throughout this paper, unless otherwise specified, the word “staff”
or phrase “library staff” refers to anyone working within the library including union and nonunion
staff, faculty and administration. In addition, the use of “I” refers to the University
Librarian (UL) in the first year of her term (2008). The use of “we” refers to the UL and the
two Associate University Librarians (AULs) who since 2009 form the senior library leadership
team.
Using a multi-faceted process - review of key internal documents, discussions with library
staff, conversations with senior administration and knowledge and experience from working
in other academic libraries - it became clear to the University Librarian that the library was
“stuck” (Nussbaumer & Merkley, 2010, p. 678). The library‟s operations, organizational
structure and aspects of organizational culture were layered with self-made barriers that
limited the library staffs ability to be responsive to user needs and transform into a 21 st
century academic library.
Operationally there was a staffing model based on the concept “everyone does the same
thing”, discouraging workforce differentiation. (Huselid, Beatty, & Becker, 2005). The benefit
for unionized staff was a high degree of cross-training. However, the overall outcome was an
organizational culture that discouraged flexibility, innovation, expertise and risk. The
organizational structure had flattened to the degree that no one was responsible or
accountable. Service was a “bad word”. Power was held by a few highly influential
individuals who were deeply vested in the status quo. (Nussbaumer & Merkley, 2010, p.
679).

Many of the initial challenges, individual and collective negative responses to change, and
tough measures implemented by the library leadership team in years one and two, were
presented in detail in a previous paper, “The path of transformational change” (Nussbaumer
& Merkley, 2010). This paper does not reiterate those experiences, focusing more on the
positive changes and results that we are realizing in our third and fourth year of
transformational change.
What follows is not a recipe for change. It is an example of how we were able to learn, apply
and benefit from the work of change management theorists Kotter and Bridges in our
organization. It demonstrates how you can use these tools to effect change in your own
library.
3. Managing Transition for Successful Change
According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online (2012), transition is defined as “a passing
or passage from one condition, action, or (rarely) place, to another; change”. Change is
defined as “the act or fact of changing; substitution of one thing for another” (Oxford English
Dictionary, 2012).
William Bridges (2009) provides a guiding framework for managing transition; the human
perception of change that works in tandem with other change theories such as Kotter‟s.
According to William Bridges‟ (2009), leaders may not fully grasp the difference between
change and transition and why it is so important to manage transition.
Bridges (2009) tells us that change is situational; it‟s what happens, whereas transition is
psychological. “It is a three-phase process that people go through as they internalize and
come to terms with the details of the new situation that the change brings about” (p. 3).
When most people refer to change, they are talking about an event that happens - you move
to a new house, a colleague retires, or the library outsources the processing of books.
Transition on the other hand is how people experience the event or the change. As the
library begins to outsource the processing of books, those individuals involved in that
activity, either directly or indirectly, will experience the change on a psychological and often
very personal level. This is one reason library leaders sometimes witness strong, seemingly
illogical, responses from staff when change is introduced. These responses can include fear,
anger, disinterest, disengagement, anxiety and loss of identity. The transition process is an
emotional, scary and deeply personal experience for each individual involved in the change.
“Transitional environments are rife with questions, uncertainty and fear of the unknown.
What will happen next? How will I fit in” (Dewey, 2012, p. 136)? To ensure success, change
leaders must try to manage the transition process from start to finish. Leaders must be
prepared for the fact that no two people will transition in the same way and there may be
individuals who will never fully transition and for whom the change will remain a feared or
dreaded outcome.
Bridges (2009) outlines a three-phase process that begins with ending, moves people into
what he calls the “neutral zone” and ends with a new beginning. Managing transition is quite
simply a process to help people through these three phases (p. 4). Because transition is a
process by which people unplug from an old world and plug into a new world, we can say
that transition starts with an ending and finishes with a beginning (Bridges, 2009, p. 4-5).
Phase 1: Letting go of the old ways and the old identity people had.
This first phase involves ending old ways and is a critical time to help people deal with their
losses. During this phase library staff will be asked to stop doing something – usually in
preparation for implementing something new. It is important during this phase to clearly

acknowledge what is ending, and help staff consider what it is that is being lost. It might be
helpful as well to find out just how happy they were with the status quo. Leaders need to
consider carefully how to get employees to embrace the change, to eliminate, or manage,
their fear and how best to help them develop a new identity and renewed sense of purpose
associated with the change (Bridges, 2009, p. 23).
Phase 2: The Neutral Zone.
The neutral zone is an in-between time when the old is gone but the new isn‟t fully
operational. It is a sort of limbo when critical psychological realignments and repatternings
take place. It is during this time that individual and group anxiety will rise, motivation will
decrease, staff may become resentful of the changes being “thrust upon them” and may
increase their defensiveness and try to protect their “position in the organization” ever more
forcefully. The neutral zone is intentionally ambiguous. There needs to be time for old ways
to fade before new ways can take hold (Bridges, 2009, p. 39).
The neutral zone is the longest of the three phases and the most varied. When staff are in
the neutral zone, confusion reigns, individuals feel overloaded and important tasks likely go
undone. This is a time when some turnover of staff may happen. Some individuals will
prosper as they find that with old ways gone, and no new path set, they can use their
creativity to reassess or re-establish their role within the organization. Others will have a
more difficult time, and leaders may be inclined to push them through quickly or
accommodate them in different ways. It is important that each individual spends whatever
time is necessary and natural for them in the neutral zone. Without a natural progression
through the transition, old habits will come back and true transition will not occur. The neutral
zone is also an appropriate time to provide training that reinforces the new goals of the
organization. Set short term goals and take advantage of opportunities such as pilot projects
to try new things and achieve small successes (Bridges, 2009, p. 39).
Phase 3: The New Beginning.
The new beginning is when staff come out of transition (the neutral zone) and develop their
new identity, experience new energy, and discover a new sense of purpose for themselves
and their organization. This is when the changes begin to work. Change will root when new
beginnings are in place (Bridges, 2009, p. 57).
Bridges‟ focus on the impact of change on people weaves its way throughout Kotter‟s stages
for leading change.
4. Strategies for Systemic Change
Kotter identifies 8 key errors that are frequently made when leading change and he provides
an 8 stage process to circumvent these errors. Table I shows the errors and the related
stages for leading change.

Table I
Summary of Kotter’s 8 Key Errors and 8 Key Stages for leading change
Errors Stages
Allowing too much complacency
Failure to create a guiding coalition
Underestimating the power of vision
Under communicating the vision
Permitting obstacles to block the new vision
Failing to create short term wins
Declaring victory too soon
Neglecting to anchor changes firmly in the
corporate culture
Source: Kotter, J. Leading Change. (1996, pp. 1-21).
Establishing a sense of urgency
Creating a guiding coalition
Developing a vision and strategy
Communicating the change vision
Empowering broad based action
Generating short term wins
Consolidating gains and producing more
change
Anchoring changes in the culture
Kotter (1996) is clear that for successful change to occur his eight-stage model for change
must proceed in the order given (p.23). He warns that if you race through steps or skip them
entirely, “…you rarely establish a solid enough base on which to proceed….and without step
eight you never get to the finish line and make the changes stick” (Kotter, 1996, p. 23).
4.1 Establish a sense of urgency
The first error Kotter (1996) identifies is allowing too much complacency (p. 4). He asserts
that leaders, “… underestimate how hard it is to drive people out of their comfort zones” (p.
5). Wheatley (1999) states that, “Change is prompted only when an organism decides that
changing is the only way to maintain itself” (p. 20). Essentially individuals resist change
unless the consequences of not changing are more compelling than living with the status
quo. Therefore, if leaders want to initiate change, they must establish a sense of urgency
(Kotter, 1996, p. 21).
In 2008 when I (University Librarian) first identified the need for systemic change in the
library, I was the only one who felt a sense of urgency. I employed several strategies to
create a broader sense of urgency amongst library staff. I decommissioned all current
internal operational and organizational committees. This was done to open the door for new
ways of thinking, communicating and interacting. The immediate impact was as varied as the
individuals affected by this change. It included a shift in the balance of power, a sense of
destabilization, a sense of loss, a fear of the unknown, a hope for the future, and an
uncertainty about how things would get done. The loss of a familiar structure created a
sense of urgency.
The responses we witnessed by staff to the changes - the feelings of destabilization, sense
of loss, fear of the unknown and general uncertainty - are earmarks of Bridges (2009) neutral
zone. The ending of the old committee structures (phase 1), was a disruption of “the way we
do things around here” and acted to push everyone into the neutral zone (phase 2). This
critical step of ending the old without immediately replacing it with something else is
necessary if new ways of thinking and being are to be formed. It was nearly a year before
any new groups were created to once again provide familiar, though not the same, structure
related to certain library efforts. A year in the neutral zone creates a lot of anxiety and fear
on the part of staff. It also serves to create a desire for structure, for a little bit of what is
familiar (i.e. groups to do work) and it allows for the creation of a new framework for a new
library organization. By creating what could be considered a void in our processes and
structure, and by being patient, we were able to fill that void with more functional and
appropriate groups/structure that our organization would need to move ahead toward lasting
organizational and cultural change.

I introduced new language into our daily discourse. I spoke of “moving forward” and created
three guiding questions to provide us with a framework for change. The intent was to provide
a new structure using language. The three guiding questions were:
If we built it today what would it look like?
How are we supporting the University‟s Strategic Plan?
How are we adding value to our students, faculty and staff?
The use of new phrases, open-ended questions and a focus on the future contributed to a
sense of urgency.
Bridges (2009) suggests that the neutral zone provides “time to step back and take stock, a
time to question the “usual,” and a time to come up with new and creative solutions to the
organization‟s difficulties” (p. 50). The new language of “moving forward” was introduced and
designed to provide staff with a new way of thinking. The three questions provided a means
for evaluating the role of the library and the roles that individuals play within the library. The
new phrases, used often, were simple and easy to grasp. The simplicity of it made it easy for
some staff to get on board with it quickly and that in turn helped them move through the
neutral zone faster.
Finally, I hired an external consulting firm to work with us to review all of our operations for
materials, from selection to access. The consultants interviewed all staff, reviewed a myriad
of internal documentation and reports, and then made recommendations on how we could
move forward, based on best practices. Their final report, “Workflow Analysis: Selection-to-
Access” and presentation to all library staff was critical in creating a sense of urgency. The
report clearly indicated how antiquated we were technologically, operationally and
organizationally vis-a-vis best practices in academic libraries. The report was used as a
blue-print for change.
Laying the foundation to create a sense of urgency took one year. Two new AULs arrived in
2009 at the beginning of the second year of the change process. Ensuring the
implementation of the recommendations in the “Workflow Analysis” report became the first
assignment of one of the new AULs.
4.2 Create a guiding coalition
A guiding coalition is a group of people who are like-minded about the changes that need to
occur. They can come from anywhere within the organization. The group must include a
balance between individuals with positional power, expertise, credibility and leadership
(Kotter, p. 57).
Just as I felt during my first year that I was the only one with Kotter‟s sense of urgency, I was
also the initial guiding coalition. The coalition consisted of “me, myself and I”. While on the
surface this is humorous, it is not sustainable. Much can be accomplished by charismatic
leaders and strong individuals, but sheer force of personality will only take change so far
(Conger & Kanungo, 1987). A guiding coalition is necessary to move members of an
organization beyond structural change to behavioral change (Kotter, 1997, p. 6).
When the new AULs arrived, the guiding coalition increased from one to three. As the
recommendations in the consultants report were implemented, new teams were created,
staff from different departments began to work together and new reporting structures were
designed. Implementation ended the old ways and laid a path to new ways of working and
new beginnings. During the implementation, the staff were hip deep in the neutral zone as
many unknowns remained and much „finding our way‟ was taking place. This was a time of

“reorientation and redefinition” (Bridges, 2009, p.43) for library staff. Workflow improvements
helped reallocate what work would be completed by staff allowing a greater focus in areas
such as support for electronic access to resources and digitization efforts that supported our
“moving forward” initiatives. These organizational changes facilitated the expansion of the
guiding coalition, extending beyond the senior library leadership team to include staff from
across the library.
From our experience there are several key benefits that derive from a guiding coalition. First,
there is a tremendous positive impact on leadership morale. It can be stressful, fatiguing and
discouraging to be the sole voice for change. As others come on board, it is affirming,
encouraging and provides energy to the leadership team. Second, from time to time leaders
can feel like giving up. The benefit of a guiding coalition is that when one is discouraged
others are there to keep focused on the vision. Finally, the ability to delegate and extend
informal channels of communication and influence is strengthened.
We did not officially identify members of a guiding coalition. What we did is nurture, reward
and acknowledge staff who decided to work with us towards positive transformational
change. This occurred formally and informally ranging from position reclassifications,
significant opportunities for training and development, and opportunities to create and work
in new teams. With “coalition creep” the circle of positive engagement increases.
4.3 Developing a vision and strategy
It is impossible to lead change without a vision. Your vision is your purpose, it is where you
want to get to, it is your picture of the future (Kotter, 1996, p. 68). Vision helps you focus
your energy and align your resources to obtain clear goals and it helps you to say “no” to
opportunities that do not move you forward.
Creating a “vision statement” can be a unifying or a divisive exercise. In our library the end
result of previous “visioning” exercises was divisiveness between staff. Knowing this coming
into the position, I did not engage in a visioning exercise. I simply declared that the vision for
library staff was to support the University‟s 2009-2013 Strategic Plan. Our strategy to attain
the vision is encapsulated in the statement “moving forward” and given structure by the three
guiding questions articulated earlier.
A lack of consultation regarding the creation of a vision statement went against generally
accepted practice in the academic context and much of the business literature (Senge,
2006). However, I made this choice as a conscious strategic decision to move us forward
from a previous unproductive and harmful experience. While we have not yet arrived at the
point where a visioning exercise would build unity and cohesiveness, it is something to be
considered by the leadership team in the longer term.
4.4 Communicating the change vision
Kotter (1996) notes that one of the key errors committed during change is under
communication (p. 9). This extends well beyond the change vision. You truly can never
communicate too much. When you are part of the leadership team, you understand why you
are doing things the way you are, you have the end-goal constantly in sight and you have a
high degree of control over the process. Your staff do not. Change leaders typically go
through their transitions before they launch such changes, and have long since put their
“endings” and “neutral zone” experiences behind them and are ready for a “new beginning”
(Bridges, 2009, p. 65). As leaders, we often think that we have stated, restated, shared,
communicated, proclaimed, sought input, given feedback and so on to the point of overkill
and then we encounter someone who doesn`t know, hasn`t heard, or is unfamiliar with
current efforts.

We continue to try a variety of ways to communicate. We endeavor to share, seek input, and
listen. We use: library intranet site, email, staff listserv, staff meetings of the whole, meetings
of different teams, open-door approach, and methods for anonymous input and questions.
The forms and methods of communication are not viewed as adequate by everyone.
Organizational culture often has a huge impact on how and whether communication is
viewed to have occurred and is accepted.
4.5 Empowering broad-based action
There tend to be many self-imposed barriers within our libraries. While not initially designed
to be barriers, many of our policies and procedures, organizational structures, handbooks
and collective agreements can be rife with barriers to change. Our own organizational
culture, attitudes and influence of individuals, and formal and informal mechanisms of
workplace reward and punishment can create significant barriers to change. These barriers
need to be identified, acknowledged and many of them removed in order to empower broadbased
action (Kotter, 1996). Some areas may be beyond the library leadership‟s purview, at
least in the short to medium term, such as handbooks and collective agreements. What is
important is to remove the barriers that you do have control over.
The most useful strategy for us to address barriers was our guiding question, “If we built it
today what would it look like?” This allowed us to look with fresh eyes and to imagine starting
from scratch without having to “jerry-rig” existing policies, operational procedures and
organizational structures. For example, although used as a stratagem under Kotter‟s stage
one, creating a sense of urgency, the removal of our existing committee structure overcame
a huge operational barrier and began to influence a significant cultural barrier. We had many
old policies that were not customer-friendly which we decided to disregard. We did not rewrite
or formally remove these policies which caused some consternation amongst staff that
were trained to “follow the policy”. This was a conscious commitment by the leadership team
to ensure our staff would traverse the neutral zone fully.
Our new approach became “find ways to say yes”. Under the auspices of our Client Services
AUL, staff are empowered to make customer service centred decisions. A commitment to,
and high investment in, staff training was critical to empowering action, as is having a strong
trust relationship between staff and supervisor (AUL). Staff must feel confident and
supported. Training is essential in preparing staff to be knowledgeable in new roles and able
to perform new responsibilities. Various training approaches continue to be used including
online, individual, group, on campus, off campus, conferences, and work toward specialized
certificates.
The most challenging barriers are those which are embedded in the organizational culture.
An organizational culture reflects core shared beliefs, even if not everyone is happy or
satisfied with those beliefs. These workplace norms, values and beliefs are often under
threat during times of significant change. The threat is revealed through staff resistance, fear
and hostility. This response cannot be ignored as it will surface and resurface throughout the
change process. It is here that Bridge‟s work with the human side of change and transition
comes to bear.
4.6 Generating short-term wins
Transformational change takes time. We are in our fourth year of the systemic change
process. People need meaningful feedback, acknowledgement and an opportunity to
celebrate key milestones along the way. Kotter (1996) calls this process „creating short-term
wins‟ (p. 11). Bridges (2009) suggests we “set short-range goals for people to aim toward. . .
give people a sense of achievement and of movement . . . to help counter the feelings of

eing lost that are common. . . in the neutral zone” (p. 46). Failure to acknowledge key
events can lead to discouraged staff and contribute to a feeling that nothing is getting done
or ever going to change. There is a risk that individuals who are metaphorically “sitting on
the fence” could become detractors rather than supporters of the vision.
Once again, organizational culture has tremendous influence on how short-term wins will be
celebrated. Organizations that are quick to celebrate each others‟ successes will have fun
with this. Organizations where this culture does not exist may be caught between the need
to acknowledge the short-term wins and the fear of drawing attention to specific people or
teams or groups. Lack of comfort with public celebration continues to be part of our culture.
Those of us who have experienced celebratory cultures have to modify our expectations and
move slowly into this area.
It is important for the leadership team to celebrate short-term wins. We catch ourselves
focussing on the future and what else must be done rather than spending time in the present
and celebrating recent accomplishments. It is very important for leaders to stop and
celebrate. Celebration re-energizes, encourages and lets others know what one is proud of.
One of the ways that we celebrate as a leadership team is by speaking at conferences
allowing us to reflect on all of the positive gains while living through the challenges.
4.7 Consolidating gains and producing more change
Kotter warns against celebrating victory too soon. He states that, “until changes sink down
deeply into culture, which for an entire company can take three to ten years, new
approaches are fragile and subject to regression” (Kotter, 1996, p. 13). The key to success is
to generate more change, not less; develop your people and hire more; delegate projects to
the lowest level where there will be success; reduce unnecessary interdependencies and
have senior leadership continue to maintain clarity of shared purpose and a sense of
urgency (Kotter, 1996, p. 143).
We are at this stage within our library. Our changes remain very close to the surface and are
not embedded into our culture. While many endings have occurred, and a few new
beginnings have taken place, our staff remains awash in the neutral zone. The reason they
remain in the neutral zone is that “the outlook, attitudes, values, self-images, and ways of
thinking that were functional in the past have to “die” before people can be ready for life in
the present” (Bridges, 2009, p. 43). That has not yet happened in our organization.
We have had some success in building on change. Changes implemented in our technical
service areas, which we knew would be successful, helped to build a level of trust and selfesteem/value
boost that allowed us to leverage additional change. Specifically, individuals
involved in the technical services changes also work at the library‟s circulation services desk.
The back of house changes created a recharge effect that opened the minds of staff to the
possibility of change, that it could really happen and be successful, and they were a part of
that success. This encouraged further “risk taking”, built desperately needed self esteem and
confidence among staff and established a trust relationship with the library leadership team
(Nussbaumer, Merkley, & Mathenia, 2012, p. 313).
4.8 Anchoring new approaches in the culture
This is the concluding stage of Kotter`s eight stage process for change. Kotter (1996) states
that, “the biggest impediment to change in a group is culture” (p. 155). You will know when
the culture has shifted when what is now feared, questioned, and distrusted becomes,
“that`s how we do things here”. And you will continue to change.

New beginnings “happen when the timing of the transition process allows them to happen”
which is why it is so important to understand the transition process and where your people
are in it (Bridges, 2009, p. 59). Changes only happen once staff have reached their new
beginning.
5. Conclusion
While we believe that Kotter has an excellent model, it is incredibly important to pay attention
to staff as people, not just employees. It is here that the work of William Bridges contributes
to our understanding of the impact of change on people as opposed to process.
Bridges (2009) provides a useful framework that can help leaders manage the transitions
people need to go through for change to happen and be truly lasting. Transition takes time,
patience and a capacity for the unknown by both leaders and those they lead. Long term
successful change can only happen when the change, the “new” way, becomes “our way”.
Kotter‟s (1996) eight stages can provide leaders with a model for moving organizational and
transformational change forward to success. Our experience is that while all of the stages
may be critical, the process is not sequential nor is it linear.
Finally, our experiences show that Bridges‟ framework for helping people manage transitions
should be incorporated as early as possible in the change process in order to realize the
greatest benefit to the organization and the individuals. Additionally, we learned through our
unique experiences that theories such as Kotter‟s are written for, and about, organizations
that need to change but are otherwise healthy or only slightly unhealthy. It is important to
realize that these and other theories may only be moderately effective in a toxic or severely
unhealthy organization. An examination of the application of change theories in a toxic
organizational culture is the subject of a future paper.

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