Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change (Third Edition) (Book)
William Bridges, Susan Bridges, Authors.  Boulder, CO: Perseus Books, 2009.

Managing Transitions offers strategies for minimizing the disruptive aspects of workplace change and steps for managing the transition process well. The authors, William and Susan Bridges, contend that the desired change itself is situational; therefore, it differs from the psychological transition processes people experience as they grapple with how the change affects their lives. The Bridges also argue that the most important aspect of managing a workplace transition is to work through its psychological effects on employees.

The first two chapters outline a model for handling transitions well and demonstrate the model with a test case. The next three chapters cover steps in the transition process: letting go of the doing things the old way and the old identities people had, going through an in-between time when the old ways are over but the new ways aren’t fully operational, and launching a new beginning.

Subsequent chapters and appendices explore the stages of organizational life; dealing with nonstop change; assessing your transition readiness; planning for a transition; setting up a transition monitoring team; and coping with unmanaged or mismanaged transitions, which leave a trail of resentment, anxiety, stress, and self-absorption. A practice case is also offered to help readers test their understanding of the material.

While this book is directed at managers in business settings, its principles can be applied in any organization attempting to effectively make change while caring for the people it affects.

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