Companies and their people must deal with change all the time. Sometimes it’s internally created and imposed, but more often corporate leaders are reacting to external forces such as market conditions or customer demands. It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions. They aren’t the same thing: change is situational (change in leadership, the move to a new site, or the re-organization of roles on the team.); transition is psychological. It can be managed successfully to minimize pain and problems and to maximize opportunities and longer term satisfaction. Transitions can be examined in the three phases listed below:

• Endings, losing or letting go of the old ways and the old identity people had. This is where people need help to deal with their losses.
• The neutral zone. Going through an in-between time when the old is gone but the new isn’t fully operational. This is when critical psychological realignments are taking place.
• The new beginning. This is when people develop a new identity, experience the new energy, and discover the new sense of purpose that make the change begin to work.

For many years at Greco Apparel, we were a U.S. domestic cut and sew contracting operation. Our manufacturing needs such as pattern work and trim was provided by our clients. Having this support made our business tasks rather uncomplicated. But over the years our clients began to demand that we provide these competencies as the responsibilities were pushed down the supply chain. Our old ways were comfortable but they were ending. We had to grow and acquire these capabilities if we wanted to continue in operation. Many domestic contractors have closed because they did not make the changes. I made the decision and commitment to do what was necessary to continue and grow a successful apparel manufacturing business. It was costly and painful and took a long time.

Transitions start with an ending. While this sounds paradoxical, think of any big changes in your life: graduation, marriage, having children or changing jobs. Once phase ended before another can begin. When you leave the past situation you have to let go of something. The failure to identify and get ready for endings and losses is the largest difficulty for people in transition. This is why ceremonies are helpful to people to mark the occasion. Recognition of the change is commemorated or celebrated. Here are some ways you can exert leadership to help with endings:

• Help people see what is and what is not different or ended
• Help identify the loss
• Mark endings
• Expect and accept feelings of grief
• Help others see what they might be gaining

At the request of a client in 1985, Greco Apparel started to manufacture in the Dominican Republic. I had to expand or close the business. There were many uncertainties in this neutral zone. Foreign cultures are different and the sophistication level of the off-shore factories was not as developed as that in the United States.

The second step that comes after the letting go is the neutral zone. This is the psychological no-man’s-land between the old reality and the new one. The external change has probably happened very quickly. You moved into a new home or started a new job, for example. But the internal change, the psychological transition, happens much more slowly. This can be a type of emotional wilderness, a time when it wasn’t quite clear who you were or what was real. If you understand what is happening to you and others you can resist the normal temptation to rush through this time.

Remember to:

• Accept that people will be stressed and uncertain
• Help people move from complaining to problem solving
• Set short term goals
• Allow people to get support from others. Don’t expect people to be perfect
• Help others see themselves as competent to meet the change
• Encourage experimentation
• Look for opportunities to brainstorm new answers to old problems.
• Resist the natural impulse to push prematurely for certainty and closure.

I wish that I was aware of some of these principles when I started to source offshore. We continue to make changes and expand our service offerings to include full package sourcing on a global basis. Now my understanding and recognition of these transition principles has helped reduce frustration and enable better performance more quickly with my associates. I have increased patience and seek to provide the psychological support required to inculcate the necessary changes.

Since opportunity usually accompanies difficulty this neutral zone has the seeds for expressions of creativity. As you accept the challenge to design the future things can be done differently with different staff members than in the past. Since you are paying the price for change you may as well enjoy the price and improve the potential rewards and benefits for yourself, your organization and your clients.

New beginnings are marked by a release of new energy in a new direction, and they are the expression of a new identity.

• Recognize that it is not easy to let go-for yourself and others.
• Recognize that letting go triggers feelings of other losses
• New beginnings take time
• Different people will need different amounts of time to adjust
• Provide training and support

Possibly, this discussion of transition will help put some of your experiences in perspective. “Only in growth, reform and change, paradoxically, is true security to be found.” notes Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

The above concepts come from the book, Managing Transitions , by William Bridges, De Capo Press, 2003, and from The Successful Manager’s Handbook, 2004.

Joseph Greco is president of Greco Apparel. Visit them on the web at www.grecoapparel.com