Most change plans are written as if the story starts at the new state: the new structure, the new system, the new way of working. William Bridges, a scholar of organisational transition, argued the opposite – that psychologically, every transition starts with an ending, and skipping that stage is why so many changes stall before they ever reach the new beginning.

Three phases, and the first one is loss

Bridges’ model has three phases: Ending, Losing, Letting Go; the Neutral Zone; and the New Beginning. The critical distinction he drew is between “change” – the external event, which can happen quickly – and “transition” – the internal psychological process of coming to terms with it, which takes longer and cannot be mandated by an announcement.

The neutral zone is not wasted time

Between the old way and the new way sits a period Bridges called the neutral zone: uncomfortable, unproductive-feeling, and exactly the phase most leaders try to rush through. But this is where old habits genuinely get replaced and new ones take hold. Compressing it does not speed up the transition – it just pushes the discomfort underground, where it shows up later as disengagement or quiet resistance.

The practical takeaway

Before announcing what is new, name what people are being asked to let go of – a role, a way of working, a team, a sense of competence – and give that loss explicit acknowledgement. Leaders who skip the ending and jump straight to the pitch for the new beginning are usually the ones who cannot understand, months later, why the change never quite took.

We help leadership teams plan the transition, not just the change. Talk to us if your organisation is about to ask people to let go of something.

References

Bridges, W. and Bridges, S. (2017) Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. 4th edn. Boston: Da Capo Lifelong Books.