Change Management professionals regardless of the method they use have the “change curve” (stages of grief from Kubler-Ross) as a tool in their back pocket. Which means their focus and assumptions will be based on the words in the title of this post. And they wonder why they encounter resistance.
My first promise for this blog was to be contrary.
Change is not the same as death, or grief or tragedy. When you received your last promotion did you suffer Shock? Anger? Depression (I sure will be devastated to lose this position…)?
Change and the change management consulting and approaches that address it should be about replacing one thing with another (that is better) or adding something else (that is helpful). With that understanding illustrating the end state as a whole and in its different forms for different stakeholders becomes the focus.
So instead of dragging participants through a tragedy that may not even exist those responsible for change might consider asking Why, to determine Where, so they can figure out Who, which will gauge How all leading to the illumination of When.
Once that pattern is comfortable (are you cringing to see When at the end of the line) you can begin to think of ways to place individual work effort in the context of the whole. It is that distinction and the process of defining that context connection that makes an end to end Enterprise Change Management approach and consulting method have a chance for success (which I think might be the opposite of death).