Whatever the transition, it always begins with an ending, as William Bridges reminds us. Too often in organisational change, we focus on the destination without adequately addressing the baggage people carry and how this load shapes their ability to operate in the future state.
It can sound overly psychodynamic, but it is not. There are simple techniques that shift what is often labelled “change resistance” into a natural human response—one that, if understood properly, can help shape and improve the change itself. This is where the change practitioner becomes a reflective practitioner and begins to add real value.
Surface the Late-Stage Status Quo
Leaders often assume employees understand the late-stage status quo they are operating in. This assumption has significant implications for how change and transition are experienced. Employees rarely see the strategic thinking behind a change, and by the same token, change leaders do not experience the late-stage status quo in the way employees do.
The picture is further complicated by the dissonance of a late-stage status quo. Low energy, unclear direction and diminishing performance are often felt but not named. Where they are identified, they represent problems requiring high levels of management skill—capability that is not always available or consistently applied.
It is in this context that the late-stage status quo needs to be surfaced. Change leaders act as catalysts for dialogue about the current reality and how it impacts individuals and the broader organisation. This can take the form of coaching conversations, where individuals and groups are asked reflective questions about their experience of the current context.
This process functions as sensemaking. It supports the decision to change and provides a foundation for meaningful change impact assessment.
Announce the Ending and the Foreign Element
Every meaningful change introduces both an ending and a foreign element. Regardless of efforts to make sense of the context with employees, these need to be clearly communicated. PROSCI links awareness and desire to this moment, and both depend on clarity.
Communication needs to be consistent and sustained over time, allowing employees to process the ending and align it with their experience of the late-stage status quo. This does not mean everyone will respond positively, but it does mean people have more time to understand what they are being asked to let go.
Consideration can also be given to transition management support at this stage. While communication is being delivered, transition resources can begin to understand how people are responding and how this aligns with their experience.
Communication of this kind goes beyond written announcements. It involves cascading messages delivered in person, in writing, and importantly, inviting feedback. Where employees have been engaged in developing a shared understanding of the context, the messaging must align with that discussion. The change should clearly respond to the issues that have been identified.
Some changes require confidentiality until formal announcement. There is little value in pretending this will not influence employee response. In these cases, change leaders need to work deliberately to align the pre-change context with the proposed change once it is announced.
Understand What Is Being Let Go and What Is Carried Forward
The fundamental difference between change and transition lies in what people believe they are losing. It is very difficult to move forward when the change is experienced only as a loss of identity, status, income, convenience or relationships.
Change leadership needs to understand these losses—not to negotiate them away, but to clearly articulate the opportunities that sit alongside them. Virginia Satir observed that people will often choose the familiar over the comfortable. This highlights the importance of helping people see what can be carried forward into a new sense of familiarity.
These conversations need to be detailed and sustained. Listening, empathy and reframing are essential to creating the conditions for genuine dialogue—dialogue that treats employees as adults capable of making their own assessments.
Respect the Past
Respecting the past is critical. I once worked with a change leader who failed to acknowledge the contribution of a senior manager with 39 years of service. The implications were far-reaching. Employees felt that their own efforts over many years had been disregarded. The proposed change became linked to the unresolved impact of past experiences, and goodwill quickly diminished.
Throughout sensemaking, communication and understanding what is being let go, change leaders need to actively respect the past. This requires an empathetic understanding of both the internal and external dimensions of change. Zygmunt Bauman suggests that modern life is increasingly liquid—constantly changing—while organisations themselves are slower to respond. This dissonance is not the fault of employees.
People come to work to do the right thing, and drift in this context is more often a process than a conscious choice.
Symbols and rituals can help here. Marking endings, recognising contributions and creating space for closure supports people to process what has occurred. In many cases, people are asking a simple question: was it worth it?
Wrapping Up
Endings are hard. They are often made more difficult by a lack of attention to the simple practices that help people understand what change means for them.
When endings are handled well, people are better able to enter the neutral zone with clarity, maintain a sense of identity and begin to stabilise. When they are not, risk increases, resistance hardens and change efforts falter—not because of strategy, but because transition has been neglected.
William Bridges was clear that transition management is not optional. Investing in understanding the late-stage status quo, aligning it with the proposed change, building dialogue, respecting the past and helping people decide what to carry forward is a critical feature of successful change.
This is the work I do with leaders—helping them understand endings, stabilise their teams and navigate change with greater clarity. Contact me directly at theodorehastings@208transition.com.au for more.
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