Why Seek Assistance in Managing Transitions?

Because a well managed transition builds a foundation for growth.

Creag Banta
Braided Systems Incorporated
February 2002

Each step in the growth process requires a different management style.

• The learning step requires the ability to organize existing information and develop new processes and procedures.
• The growth phase requires execution of the plan.
• Stabilization requires the ability to hold together the existing structure as it prepares for the shift to the next stage of growth.
• Successful transition management requires the ability to lead from one known environment through a period of uncertainty to a new known environment.

Transition management is the ability to harness the natural tension between stability and growth.

Successful organizations repeat this process many times as they grow from small and entrepreneurial to a well managed medium size organization to multiple regional offices to national to international to global. Transition management assures that each step in growth builds successfully on the foundation of the previous stage of growth.

We all know this pattern from school: freshman (learn), sophomore and junior (grow), senior (stabilize), new school (transition) process. It is the oft-repeated life process that if successfully practiced leads to life long learning and personal growth. Failure at any one stage leads to a lack of progress. It’s the difference between ten years of experience and one year of experience repeated ten times.

Shifting Competencies

• The learning phase is often a time of great uncertainty when new relationships and new processes are the primary focus. Once the new environment is mastered, rapid growth can take place.
• During the growth phase the importance of successfully repeating patterns and processes is primary.
• As mastery is attained, the fruits of the growth phase are internalized and solidified. This may seem like a time of less progress as much of the effort is focused on preparation for the next step. Moving to a transition prior to stabilization can result in the loss of some of the benefits gained during growth as insufficient time was devoted to stabilization.
• Transition is the process of letting go of the previous process or activity and consciously choosing to move onto the next stage of competency. 
  

Since the new environment will use different relationships and processes, one of the initial results is a dropping back in level of competency. For infants, a fast crawler is at first a pretty slow walker. All transitions have similar challenges of initial mastery of the new environment.

Outcome: Successful Growth

Transition management focuses explicitly on the process of transforming an organization from a mature and stable environment to a new environment that is now prepared to once again achieve rapid growth.

Sticking in the mature and stable environment too long leads to decay. An organization that cannot transform itself in the face of competitive challenges and industrial innovations will gradually lose competency and eventually decline. The toughest challenge of transition management is that just at the point of greatest mastery and most significant success, the transition process needs to be initiated.

In our youth, these transitions are forced by external events such as graduation. Otherwise, some would dream of remaining students forever. In the life of a successful organization, there may be no clear point of graduation or transition The astute manager will identify the necessary time for transition and seek the essentials for managing the transition to growth.

Typically, an organization shifts from entrepreneurial to professionally managed, local, regional, national, international, and global. It often involves a single product transition to multiple products to families of products to lines of business. When there is a common thread to all of these transitions, they build upon each other fueling growth. When they are disconnected, they do not result in growth, just change, or marching in place. The most common example is the conglomerate organization where the relationships between the lines of business are lost and thus the potential advantages of the business combination are also lost.

Transition Management Consulting

Transition management works with executives to identify current areas of mastery and to plan necessary change to achieve the next step. The process of the transition is developed, and specific goals and timeline established. The transition itself lasts as long as it takes to move the organization to the learning phase of the next cycle. Depending on the environment, this can take from six months to two years.

Organizational Change Affects People

One of the most significant challenges of transition management is managing legacy staff. Long term, legacy employees are sometimes referred to as "deadwood" by those not attuned to the history of the organization. This is at best a highly inaccurate characterization. No one is hired as "deadwood." The most common profile of legacy staff is that they were previously competent and respected contributors, but failed to master new skills and processes required by ongoing change in the organization.

Transition management assists in identifying legacy staff concerns and opportunities. In all cases these members of the organization will change. The challenge is to discern and negotiate the appropriate change for each affected person.

Strategies for Managing Legacy Staff

Legacy staff can be categorized as:

• Currently competent with skills required by the organization until the transition is complete. Then the skills will not longer be required.

If such people choose to pursue a personal, professional track rather than an organizational track, they will want to leave the organization for another opportunity as soon as possible. These people should be offered a significant incentive package to stay until the transition is completed and then an attractive outplacement package. Examples would be the staff of a facility that is being closed down or the management of computing environment that is being replaced. The more upfront and aggressive this process is, the more likely these currently key members of the team will honor their commitment to complete their assignment. Failure to be clear about the transition for them can result in critical employees leaving prematurely without adequate backup available.

• No longer competent but well respected for previous contributions and willing to commit to learning and supporting the transition and new environment.

If people choose to stick with the organization and learn the new skills required of the transition, then two steps must be taken. The first is to backfill with contractors for each person’s current role. They can supervise or advise the contractor on the old job, but they should rapidly move into the process of mastering the new environment. The second is to be explicit about training to equip each person with the skills and confidence to master the new environment.

Competent people who commit to stay, but are left with wrapping up and supporting the soon to be eliminated environment, sense they are vulnerable, particularly if new people are brought in to establish the new environment. Self-preservation motivates them to leave as soon as possible, potentially leaving the organization vulnerable to premature departures.

Change is an opportunity for re-energizing a career and reestablishing a strong and competent role. However, this also requires strong guidelines for future performance and a strong commitment to master new skills as quickly as possible. If this can be accomplished then the new environment gains the advantage of legacy knowledge along with current competency.

• No longer competent and not willing or able to adapt to the requirements of the new environment.

One of the major difficulties here is that these people often have long and valued histories with the organization. They are well liked, respected, and may have strong supporters within the organization and potentially among key vendors and customers or clients. Often there is significant pressure to somehow shape the new environment to accommodate these beloved people.

Accommodation of legacy staff will significantly degrade or delay the move to a new environment. The new organization and process begins to warp around the needs of those least able to cope with the new environment. Simple examples are those who refuse to use a new capability such as group calendaring or automated time entry. The effectiveness of the whole workgroup is diluted as an accommodation to those unwilling to adapt the new requirements.

The only realistic action for those no longer competent and unwilling or unable to adapt is rapid separation with attractive severance that will preclude backlash among the remaining members of the team.

• Most difficult are those who are competent, contributing and respected in the current environment but who refuse to adapt to the new environment.

These are the people with an attitude problem. The difficulty is that their negativity depletes the energy of everyone on the team. Although competent and contributing, they are also delaying and disrupting efforts to move to the new environment. These are the most difficult members of the legacy team because their continued involvement without their explicit commitment to managed change slows down and disrupts the process for everybody. The only appropriate action is rapid removal with appropriate severance.

Manage Transitions Aggressively

Aggressive legacy staff management is one of the key requirements for successful transition to a new environment. The management of legacy staff not only deals fairly and honestly with legacy staff members but also establishes a positive transition process for the entire organization. Transition management consulting helps identify legacy staff challenges and to develop the most appropriate strategy for your organization to manage transition requirements.