cameron and green making-sense-of-change-management

to accept the news and expose ourselves to the heartache that thatwould bring.AngerWhen people allow themselves to acknowledge what is happening theyenter the second stage, typically that of anger. They begin to ask themselvesquestions like, ‘Why me?’, ‘How could such a thing happen tosomeone like me? If only it had been someone else’, ‘Surely it’s thedoctors who are to blame – perhaps they’ve misdiagnosed’ (back intodenial). ‘Why didn’t they catch it in time?’Anger and frustration can be focused externally, but for some of us it isourselves we blame. Why did we not see it coming, give up smoking? ‘It’salways me who gets into trouble.’In some ways we can see this process as a continuation of our notwanting to accept the change and of wanting to do something, anything,other than fully believe in it. Anger is yet another way of displacing ourreal feelings about the situation.BargainingWhen they have exhausted themselves by attacking others (or themselves)people may still want to wrest back some control of the situation or of theirfate. Kubler-Ross saw bargaining as a stage that people would enter now.For those who themselves are dying, and also for those facing the deathof a loved one, this stage can be typified by a conversation with themselves.Or if they are religious, this may be a conversation with God,which asks for an extension of time. ‘If I promise to be good from now on,if I accept some remorse for any ills I have committed, if I could just beallowed to live to see my daughter’s wedding, I’ll take back all the nastythings I said about that person if you’ll only let them live.’Once again we can see this stage as a deflection of the true gravity ofthe situation. This is bargaining, perhaps verging on panic. The person isdesperately looking around for something, anything, to remedy the situation.‘If only I could get it fixed or sorted everything would be all right.’DepressionIndividual changeWhen it becomes clear that no amount of bargaining is going to providean escape from the situation, perhaps the true momentousness of it33