I stopped at our local pharmacy’s new location to pick up a prescription. The owners had moved into a brand-new medical clinic, which includes a wellness space, physical therapy, and a Subway in addition to doctors’ offices. Their space now has a drive-through plus a lot more room to store medicine and for staff to move around.
As I waited to receive the prescription, I asked the pharmacist about the change. “It’s a nice building,” she said. “Definitely has its benefits. It’s also taking some getting used to.”
My initial thought was How can this new space need any getting used to? But I acknowledged that change can be difficult. The building the pharmacy moved from was built in the 1800s. The pharmacy had been a family-owned business in that space for many years.
If I had been wearing my educator/coach hat, and the pharmacist hadn’t been trying to do her job, I would have gone into an explanation about why change is not the same thing as transition.
The difference is important.
In his book Managing Transitions, organizational consultant William Bridges defines change as an external event. It is more technical, sometimes physical. When the pharmacy moved locations, it was a matter of packing up and transporting all their tools and supplies to the new building.
In the context of education, we experience change all the time. For example, many schools have selected a new curriculum connected to recently passed state reading legislation.
Transition is different. According to Bridges, transition is internal and psychological. It’s typically a slower process than change. Part of transition is recognizing the loss as we strive to move forward. Our pharmacist misses the building she called home for her work; memories and artifacts remain there that a new facility can’t replace.
Within an educational context, I have observed teachers struggle to accept a new literacy curriculum. Maybe they believe the old one was just fine. Maybe they lack some skills that the new resource demands of them to effectively teach students. Maybe they have legitimate concerns about how the implementation is rolling out, such as administration expecting faculty to deliver the curriculum like a script. In this latter situation, it might be the leaders who have not yet transitioned to a more equitable and responsive approach to literacy instruction.
The gap between an external change and internal transition is what leads to frustration, resistance, fear. The world has moved forward but the person has not. How can we help our colleagues fully engage in this process and come out of the experience with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment?
Strategies for Supporting Transition Within Change
Recognize the Loss. Bridges notes that people struggle to move forward without first recognizing what they are leaving behind. For example, a leader might host a reception for the resource or practice that is being let go. He or she could invite the faculty to say a few words for the “departed.”
Acknowledge the Challenge. Help staff appreciate that improvement involves some growing pains, and that if there weren’t any struggle, there would likely be no gain. At the same time, leaders don’t need to fix anything. Simply acknowledging that this process is difficult can be enough support.
Encourage Innovation. Remind staff that times of uncertainty are great opportunities to introduce new ideas. The old rules are dissolving; how can we operate differently and create new rules? Leadership is wise to recognize risk-taking while shielding innovators from those satisfied with the status quo.
Invite Feedback and Celebrate Progress. A challenge with curriculum initiatives is the lack of agency teachers may feel with the acquisition. Instructional coach Mary Brower finds giving teachers opportunities to share publicly what they have found successful and challenging while implementing a new resource to be empowering. Faculty are recognized and valued when their voices have an audience.
Check In with Everyone. Leaders who don’t hear concerns might falsely infer that the rollout for a new initiative is going well. It’s wise to check in personally with everyone to ensure there has been an opportunity for each staff member to express any concerns. One way to facilitate this is to create what Bridges calls a Transition Management Team: a temporary group of staff who listen to concerns and ensure this feedback travels accurately to positional leaders.
How we manage change is a test of our leadership skills. How effective are we at helping people let go of their previous beliefs and practices in favor of new ones? Replacing a literacy curriculum doesn’t erase the years of habits and routines that a resource reinforced. How do we help our teachers let go of something known in favor of what is new?
Transitions have a longer timeline than change. We can accelerate this process by building trust, providing clarity, and understanding the process that comes with renewal.
