The Change Curve for Business

Beyond their initial hiring and eventual retirement, employees of prior generations faced little change in their work lives. In today’s global economy, however, employees face continual change to achieve business results. For changes to be successful, businesses must manage attitudes and emotions about the change.

Change is often met with resistance. A key part to managing change is understanding that resistance is a normal, predictable response that we can proactively navigate. The Change Curve explains the predictable pattern of how people react to change. It generally involves the following stages:

  1. Neutral
  2. Initial Excitement
  3. Denial
  4. Resistance
  5. Acceptance
  6. Commitment

Note that people will not move through the stages of the Change Curve at the same pace. It is important to identify where key stakeholders are at in the change curve and manage accordingly.

Watch the video for more detail on the Change Curve, the importance of being prepared for a difficult time, and how to ultimately achieve success.