Change is a factor that is inevitable in the world. More often than not, change brings about positive modifications in a situation, while other times, change can lead to the negative. Most people are uncomfortable with change and will take time to finally adopt any type of new system. During this process of acceptance, a process called transition takes place. The term transition is different from change. Unlike how change takes place outside the individual’s surroundings, transition refers to the steps that an individual undergoes during acceptance of a change and happens internally. Understanding the impact of change on an individual is important to assist them in the process of transition.
William Bridges, an author from the United States, suggests that the transition process takes place in a series of steps. William Bridges of creating the Transition Model, publishing a book, Managing Transition, in 1991 to explain this process. The author recognizes the subtle differences between change and transition and acknowledges that change takes place even though an individual disagrees with it and that transitions are mostly internal feelings reacting to change. Bridges’ model of transition highlights three stages that each individual goes through during change. The author highlights the stages of transition as, the Ending, losing and letting go, neutral zone, and new beginning stage. Transition tends to take longer than changes. Individuals also go through these three stages at their own pace. This period depends on how well the individual accepts and adapts to the changes in life.
The healthcare industry ad environment is one of the cases where transitions constantly take place. Health facilities face pressure to maintain good practices that ensure high quality services, patient outcomes, and staff satisfaction, while still maintaining competitive advantage and financial responsibility. Some of the operations in the health industry are similar to other businesses, hence, it goes through the changes that other companies experience. Transitions in these industries arise from leadership changes, company takeovers, or buyouts in some instances. Changes can be confusing and can cause tension to the staff in most cases. Some of the causes of these feelings are from the staff worrying about job security or changes in company operations. Poor management of changes in health facilities has the probability of causing low job satisfaction, motivation, and turnouts.
The first stage of transition is the ending, losing, and letting go stage, occurring during the introduction of change. Transition begins to take place at the end of a situation. During this stage, individuals start to identify that they are losing a thing or idea with which they are comfortable, and have to develop and learn to help manage and accommodate these changes. Resistance and emotional upheaving are common during this period, as people experience feeling like fear, anger, sadness, denial, uncertainty, disorientation, as they come to terms with the losses. Accepting the loss of something and acknowledging feelings is key to progressing to the next level. Individuals require time to reflect on their current situation and express their feelings of memories, achievements, and what they will miss instead of demanding them to let go of the past. Providing training, education, and other resources to cope with changes gives reassurance and reduces feelings of anxiety.
The neutral zone is the second stage in the transition from William’s model. At this point, the individual can let go of old ideas, yet accepting the new ones does not occur. Individuals at this stage experience confusion, uncertainty, and impatience. The productivity in this period is low as there is little to no progress. The attachment to old mentalities is still present as new psychological realignments and patterns to new roles are in progress. Cases of low morale, low productivity, anxiety, resentment, and skepticism to the changes are common in this period. Other than the negative responses, this stage can also inspire creativity, renewal, and innovation to deal with the new ideas and activities. Individuals at this stage require acknowledgment and reassurance that feeling lost is okay. Guidance and asking for feedback are also crucial during this period, to make assigning new roles easy and more comfortable. It is important to set simple short-term goals to avoid making individuals feel overloaded by assignments. Acknowledging small wins, in the beginning, plays a role in raising morale.
The final stage of this model is the new beginning. This stage involves new values, modes of understanding, energy, values, acceptance, and openness to learning. At this stage, an individual begins to adopt and embrace changes. The person begins to work towards contributing and participating effectively. Being a student studying the Nursing course, stressful changes can occur due to new environments, new ways of learning, and adjusting to learning and workloads. The course in itself is demanding, requiring one to make several changes to assure eventual success in the future. Adjusting to these changes is not easy, and one goes through transitional phases over time. I am currently at the third stage of transition. Going through the previous stages is not an easy task. Strategies like creating study groups, helping one talk and connect with peers are some of the contributors that help reduce cases of anxiety and confusion. Communicating and asking for assistance from educators also helps make learning and understanding easy. It is, however, crucial to take time off and rest and meditate as overloading and burnouts are possible.
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