William Bridges, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. 3rd Edition. De Capo Press, 2009.
Referenced in: Leading Change and Transition
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This book builds upon the material from Bridges’ best-selling book on personal transition, Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes. It applies Bridges’ model to the corporate arena. These insights made Bridges one of the most sought after business consultants of the 90s through his organization, William Bridges and Associates. Most materials on congregational change adapt Bridges’ insights, particularly his helpful distinction between change, the actual alteration of circumstances, and transition, the inner psychological reorientation persons must make in adjusting to change. He argues that it is not so much change people resistance, but the difficult internal adjustments associated with change. These adjustments have do with grieving losses (endings), dealing with the confusing period following endings and before the new changes have set in (neutral zone), and controlling fears about the new world that will result (new beginnings). These three phases of transition constitute the human side of change, which Bridges argues is commonly forgotten in change efforts. This book equips organizational leaders to help people let go of what was, manage the neutral zone successfully, and launch a new beginning. He also advises leaders on how to help people deal with nonstop changes in organizations and life, with a strong interest on self-care.
From the Publisher
The business world is transforming. Stories of layoffs, bankruptcy, mergers, and restructuring appear in the news every day. When these changes hit the workplace, the actual situational shifts are often not as difficult for employees and managers to work through as the psychological components that accompany them. Indeed, organizational transitions affect people; it is always people who have to embrace a new situation and carry out the corresponding change.
The job of managing workplace change can be difficult; managed poorly, the result can be disastrous to the morale and stability of the staff. As veteran business consultant William Bridges explains, successful organizational change takes place when employees have a clear purpose, a plan for, and a part to play in their changing surroundings. Directed at managers on all rungs of the proverbial corporate ladder, this expanded edition of the classic bestseller provides practical, step-by-step strategies for minimizing the disruptions caused by workplace change. It is an invaluable managerial tool for navigating these tumultuous, uncertain times.
About the Author
William Bridges, PhD, is an internationally known speaker, consultant, and author. For nearly three decades, he has shown thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations how to deal productively with change. He lives in Mill Valley, California, with his wife.
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Related Areas
See Other Resources on Change and Transition in Churches:
- Change and Transition in Churches, Intro
- Change Concepts and Theories
- Overcoming Change Resistance, Creating Change Receptiveness
See Resource Guides on Over 100 Areas of Ministry Leadership: