We Don't Resist Change, We Resist Its Impact

The most common myth about change is that we resist it, but this is a misunderstanding of change.  Change is an event.  Change is a point in time when something old stops and something new begins.  What people resist is not the change itself, but the impacts of change.  Change is external to people, yet the impact of change is not.  The impact is not only personal, it's emotional.  The impact is something that author, scholar and teacher William Bridges named transtion. 

Change is outcome or results-focused, often the consequence of a perceived solution to a problem or opportunity. It is quick and has a well defined start and stop. Yet problems remain unresolved and opportunities are lost when the impact of the change is ignored.

The most significant impact of change and what we are truly resisting is some form of loss and the experience of disorientation. For example, if I have been teaching for a living and I get laid off or quit my job, my identity as a teacher is challenged.  For better or worse, in most cultures our jobs, marital status, possessions, relationships and even our natural capabilities . . . define us and help us make sense of our place in the world.  So when a change occurs it challenges us to redefine ourselves and until we do we experience disorientation.

Even when we are  happy about a change and it's something we've chosen to do, such as getting married or having a child, we leave something behind and take on something new. Transition is a process of letting go of the beliefs, assumptions and expectations we have held in relationship to something else.  Unlike change which is quick, transition is a process that gradually reforms new beliefs, assumptions and expectations in order for us to regain our energy and enthusiasm for something new.

Understanding what this  transition process is and how the process works helps us to understand what we are losing and how to deal with it.  Whether the change you face is simple or complex, it will carry transitional impacts for everyone involved.  Planning for transitions is change is part of creating a successful foundation for change.