Adapting to Organizational Change

The Process of Transition

Transitions are movements from the ending, through the neutral zone, and into a new beginning. Although each stage of a transition occurs during a distinct time period, each phase somewhat overlaps the others. Individuals experience organizational change in a myriad of ways. These experiences depend upon the person's placement within the organization and the give-and-take between what the person feels has been lost and gained, as well as the type of organizational changes and shifts that occur.

The following example illustrates how you might experience an organizational change through each stage of transition. You work as an executive in a long-established telecommunications company with a large number of seasoned employees ...