The stage model of transition
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== Big idea == | == Big idea == | ||
| − | A project has a set budget, timeframe, deliverables and have a unique objective as its goal. Especially in long, complex projects, many things can change, for example, deadlines can be altered, budgets can be cut, and management can change. During changes in a project, it is an important part of | + | A project has a set budget, timeframe, deliverables and have a unique objective as its goal. Especially in long, complex projects, many things can change, for example, deadlines can be altered, budgets can be cut, and management can change. During changes in a project, it is an important part of people management to make sure that all stakeholders are guided through changes properly. If people are mismanaged during changes, it can result in lowered productivity and feelings of resentment towards the management. Moreover, creativity and innovation can be abated, if employees do not feel involved in the changes, as the feeling of ownership and inclusion in the project is important for morale. |
| − | This article will describe and discuss The Stage Model of Transition, which is a model of the seven stages stakeholders must go through when a change is announced and undergoes, and how self-efficacy develops throughout the stages. It is claimed that the person experiencing a transition must go through all seven stages in order to eventually accept the change. It is therefore essential for the People aspect of project managent, that the project manager is aware of the stages, and allows each individual to work through them (Kreye, 2020) ( | + | This article will describe and discuss The Stage Model of Transition, which is a model of the seven stages stakeholders must go through when a change is announced and undergoes, and how self-efficacy develops throughout the stages. It is claimed that the person experiencing a transition must go through all seven stages in order to eventually accept the change. It is therefore essential for the People aspect of project managent, that the project manager is aware of the stages, and allows each individual to work through them (Kreye, 2020) (O’Connor and Fiol, 2006). |
| − | + | In this paper, the employees in a project team are considered to be stakeholders, as they have a vested interest in the success of the project. The project could potentially pave the way towards a goal in their career, or be added to their personal portfolio of consultant work, and their engagement and motivation is therefore important for the success of the project (Dansk Standard, 2021). | |
| − | + | Also, "organisational change" is a broad term used in this paper to describe organisational changes in a project. This is due to the fact that projects can be considered a temporary organisation (Turner and Müller, 2003). | |
| − | + | === Alternative models === | |
| + | There are many variations and adaptations of the phases in people management of organisaitonal change. Rashford and Coghlan have presented a four-stage model, which is based off of the Kübler-Ross stages of grief (Rashford and Coghlan, 2007). The four stages are; | ||
| + | * Denying; ”This does not affect us.” | ||
| + | * Dodging; ”Ignore this. Don’t get involved.” | ||
| + | * Doing; ”This is very important. We have got to do it now.” | ||
| + | * Sustaining; ”We have a new way of proceeding.” | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | [Figure of the model coming soon] | |
== The stages == | == The stages == | ||
A walk-through of the stages, and how the level of self-efficacy correlates. | A walk-through of the stages, and how the level of self-efficacy correlates. | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | From the reading material for the course 42543 (Kreye, 2020). | + | From the reading material for the course 42543 Management of organizational change (Kreye, 2020). |
====Shock==== | ====Shock==== | ||
| − | * | + | * Employees are informed of the change that will be happening, or is perhaps already underway, and are unable to grasp the reality of it. This phase may be most predominant in more significant changes, but may also occur in a milder form when informed of a smaller change. Employees are temporarily paralysed from the information, and become unable to work. |
| − | * Self-efficacy falls | + | * Self-efficacy falls, as the employees attempt to grasp what the change will actully mean. |
====Denial==== | ====Denial==== | ||
| − | * Employees wish to ignore the fact that change will be happening and go about their work as though the change will not be happening. | + | * Employees wish to ignore the fact that change will be happening and go about their work as though the change will not be happening, or at least not affect them as an individual. |
| − | * Self-efficacy rises, as employees go about their regular work, or may even work even harder in the old ways in attempt to | + | * In Rashford and Coghlan’s four-stage process, the theme of this phase is ”This does not affect us”. Employees have the mentality that the change will not affect them, and deny that they will have to adapt to the change. The second stage in Rashford and Coghlan’s model is dodging; ”Ignore this. Don’t get involved.” This phase is similar to the denial phase in that employees still do not believe that the change will affect them directly, but differs in the sense that they begin to realise that a change will be happening. Rashford and Coghlan suggest that employees can get creative in this stage, and become active in finding ways to dodge the change. This element of it leads into the next stage, depression, where employees are no longer in denial. |
| + | * Self-efficacy rises, as employees go about their regular work, or may even work even harder in the old ways in attempt to dodge the change. | ||
====Depression==== | ====Depression==== | ||
| − | * Employees begin to realize that a change will be happening, and that it cannot be stopped | + | * Employees begin to realize that a change will be happening, and that it cannot be stopped. At this point, individuals have very different reactions, but in general the morale is low. |
* Self-efficacy falls, as moving into the unknown in some fashion means that their skillset may or may not apply directly | * Self-efficacy falls, as moving into the unknown in some fashion means that their skillset may or may not apply directly | ||
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The examples and description of the stages above are exaggerated to promote understanding, and may not be so prominent in smaller changes. This model in particular is created in the context of organizational change, but it can be argued that it can also be applied in project management, and here’s why; projects are a temporary organization (Turner and Müller, 2003), and changes are bound to occur in any project. Therefore, stakeholders (employees) must be managed through the changes to ensure their participation and continued interest. | The examples and description of the stages above are exaggerated to promote understanding, and may not be so prominent in smaller changes. This model in particular is created in the context of organizational change, but it can be argued that it can also be applied in project management, and here’s why; projects are a temporary organization (Turner and Müller, 2003), and changes are bound to occur in any project. Therefore, stakeholders (employees) must be managed through the changes to ensure their participation and continued interest. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Self-efficacy == | ||
| + | |||
| + | ”…a person's estimate of his or her capacity to orchestrate performance on a specific task” (Gist and Mitchell, 1992). | ||
| + | |||
| + | Self-efficacy, the belief in one's capability to perform at work, is essential for the output of work that is done. An individual's likeliness to succeed in a task is directly correlated to their self-efficacy, so it is important to the success of tasks, and hence of an entire project, that members of the project team are taken care of. Self-efficacy and self-confidence are related, and building up an employee's confidence in their skillset and competencies is greatly beneficial to their ability to make decisions, creativity, and overall motivation and well-being in the workplace. | ||
== Stakeholder management == | == Stakeholder management == | ||
| − | + | The importance in this model for stakeholder management is that managers must realize that employees must go through these stages to some extent, and accept that it may take some time and effort, rather than attempting to rush through to the acceptance phase. Kreye argues that ”the person experiencing the transition will have to work through all the stages if the transition is to be successfully completed.” For this reason, it is essential that a manager is aware of the stages, so that they themselves do not lose hope that the change will at some point be accepted. | |
| + | |||
*Methods for people management | *Methods for people management | ||
*Application of stage model of transition | *Application of stage model of transition | ||
| − | |||
== Limitations == | == Limitations == | ||
This model has many different names (”Stage model of transition” (Kreye, 2020), adapted from Adams et al. (1976), ”The seven stages of change” (Manion, 1995), and many more), and there are many different terms used for the stages. There is therefore not one clear-cut model that is tried and tested to be the best. Moreover, people are different, as are their reactions to changes and management styles, so perhaps it is not possible to create a one-size-fits-all model. O’Connor and Fiol (2006) compare the emotional phases employees go through during a change to the seven stages of grief, describing how human reactions to change follow similar pattern, even under very, very different circumstances. | This model has many different names (”Stage model of transition” (Kreye, 2020), adapted from Adams et al. (1976), ”The seven stages of change” (Manion, 1995), and many more), and there are many different terms used for the stages. There is therefore not one clear-cut model that is tried and tested to be the best. Moreover, people are different, as are their reactions to changes and management styles, so perhaps it is not possible to create a one-size-fits-all model. O’Connor and Fiol (2006) compare the emotional phases employees go through during a change to the seven stages of grief, describing how human reactions to change follow similar pattern, even under very, very different circumstances. | ||
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== Bibliography== | == Bibliography== | ||
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Revision as of 12:20, 7 April 2023
Contents |
Big idea
A project has a set budget, timeframe, deliverables and have a unique objective as its goal. Especially in long, complex projects, many things can change, for example, deadlines can be altered, budgets can be cut, and management can change. During changes in a project, it is an important part of people management to make sure that all stakeholders are guided through changes properly. If people are mismanaged during changes, it can result in lowered productivity and feelings of resentment towards the management. Moreover, creativity and innovation can be abated, if employees do not feel involved in the changes, as the feeling of ownership and inclusion in the project is important for morale.
This article will describe and discuss The Stage Model of Transition, which is a model of the seven stages stakeholders must go through when a change is announced and undergoes, and how self-efficacy develops throughout the stages. It is claimed that the person experiencing a transition must go through all seven stages in order to eventually accept the change. It is therefore essential for the People aspect of project managent, that the project manager is aware of the stages, and allows each individual to work through them (Kreye, 2020) (O’Connor and Fiol, 2006).
In this paper, the employees in a project team are considered to be stakeholders, as they have a vested interest in the success of the project. The project could potentially pave the way towards a goal in their career, or be added to their personal portfolio of consultant work, and their engagement and motivation is therefore important for the success of the project (Dansk Standard, 2021).
Also, "organisational change" is a broad term used in this paper to describe organisational changes in a project. This is due to the fact that projects can be considered a temporary organisation (Turner and Müller, 2003).
Alternative models
There are many variations and adaptations of the phases in people management of organisaitonal change. Rashford and Coghlan have presented a four-stage model, which is based off of the Kübler-Ross stages of grief (Rashford and Coghlan, 2007). The four stages are;
- Denying; ”This does not affect us.”
- Dodging; ”Ignore this. Don’t get involved.”
- Doing; ”This is very important. We have got to do it now.”
- Sustaining; ”We have a new way of proceeding.”
[Figure of the model coming soon]
The stages
A walk-through of the stages, and how the level of self-efficacy correlates.
From the reading material for the course 42543 Management of organizational change (Kreye, 2020).
Shock
- Employees are informed of the change that will be happening, or is perhaps already underway, and are unable to grasp the reality of it. This phase may be most predominant in more significant changes, but may also occur in a milder form when informed of a smaller change. Employees are temporarily paralysed from the information, and become unable to work.
- Self-efficacy falls, as the employees attempt to grasp what the change will actully mean.
Denial
- Employees wish to ignore the fact that change will be happening and go about their work as though the change will not be happening, or at least not affect them as an individual.
- In Rashford and Coghlan’s four-stage process, the theme of this phase is ”This does not affect us”. Employees have the mentality that the change will not affect them, and deny that they will have to adapt to the change. The second stage in Rashford and Coghlan’s model is dodging; ”Ignore this. Don’t get involved.” This phase is similar to the denial phase in that employees still do not believe that the change will affect them directly, but differs in the sense that they begin to realise that a change will be happening. Rashford and Coghlan suggest that employees can get creative in this stage, and become active in finding ways to dodge the change. This element of it leads into the next stage, depression, where employees are no longer in denial.
- Self-efficacy rises, as employees go about their regular work, or may even work even harder in the old ways in attempt to dodge the change.
Depression
- Employees begin to realize that a change will be happening, and that it cannot be stopped. At this point, individuals have very different reactions, but in general the morale is low.
- Self-efficacy falls, as moving into the unknown in some fashion means that their skillset may or may not apply directly
Acceptance
- Acceptance that the change will be happening, accompanied by an all-time low self-efficacy. This is because the benefits of the change are not yet realized, yet things are changing
Testing
- Finding a way of working with the change is necessary, which may bring with it some creativity and experimentation of how to perform even better. Self-efficacy generally increases, but may go up and down, as testing can bring small failures as well as successes with it
Consolidation
- People are feeling more confident of their capabilities of dealing with the change and a new way of working, increasing self-efficacy
Internalization, reflection, and learning
- When people are feeling more distanced from the turbulent first stages of the change, they can more rationally reflect on the change, their own performance and feelings, and how it was managed. Self-efficacy returns to a ‘normal’ level
Application to project management
Project managers must be aware of the stages, so that they can keep track of which stages their team have gone through and manage them as they go. It is also important for project managers to be aware of the stages, so they do not try to force the team to skip any of the stages, for example the “awareness/shock” stage. When a team receives the news of a significant change being made to their project, they may have a difficult time continuing work right away, and it is important that each individual is allowed time to process the information without feeling pressured to move on as though nothing has happened. The examples and description of the stages above are exaggerated to promote understanding, and may not be so prominent in smaller changes. This model in particular is created in the context of organizational change, but it can be argued that it can also be applied in project management, and here’s why; projects are a temporary organization (Turner and Müller, 2003), and changes are bound to occur in any project. Therefore, stakeholders (employees) must be managed through the changes to ensure their participation and continued interest.
Self-efficacy
”…a person's estimate of his or her capacity to orchestrate performance on a specific task” (Gist and Mitchell, 1992).
Self-efficacy, the belief in one's capability to perform at work, is essential for the output of work that is done. An individual's likeliness to succeed in a task is directly correlated to their self-efficacy, so it is important to the success of tasks, and hence of an entire project, that members of the project team are taken care of. Self-efficacy and self-confidence are related, and building up an employee's confidence in their skillset and competencies is greatly beneficial to their ability to make decisions, creativity, and overall motivation and well-being in the workplace.
Stakeholder management
The importance in this model for stakeholder management is that managers must realize that employees must go through these stages to some extent, and accept that it may take some time and effort, rather than attempting to rush through to the acceptance phase. Kreye argues that ”the person experiencing the transition will have to work through all the stages if the transition is to be successfully completed.” For this reason, it is essential that a manager is aware of the stages, so that they themselves do not lose hope that the change will at some point be accepted.
- Methods for people management
- Application of stage model of transition
Limitations
This model has many different names (”Stage model of transition” (Kreye, 2020), adapted from Adams et al. (1976), ”The seven stages of change” (Manion, 1995), and many more), and there are many different terms used for the stages. There is therefore not one clear-cut model that is tried and tested to be the best. Moreover, people are different, as are their reactions to changes and management styles, so perhaps it is not possible to create a one-size-fits-all model. O’Connor and Fiol (2006) compare the emotional phases employees go through during a change to the seven stages of grief, describing how human reactions to change follow similar pattern, even under very, very different circumstances.
