The Change Curve

The change curve is a model that looks at the emotions people feel when experiencing a change. It shows that people who go through a change experience a set of emotional responses, regardless of who they are. 

Though the model is typically associated with negative changes, it applies to people who experience positive changes as well – but we tend to move through the stages much more quickly or skip some stages altogether if the change is seen as positive.

‘The change curve is typically associated with negative change but can also happen for positive change!’

The original change curve model by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross studied how people responded to the prospect of death. In her initial work, “On Death and Dying”, she focused on the five stages of grief that people go through as they approach death. This work was highly acclaimed, and the stages of change model that she proposed were adopted by the corporate world and used to define how people respond to all different forms of change.

So what are the stages of change?

There are seven stages we go through – all the way from denying the change is happening to accepting and moving forward.

Lets take a look at the stages in some more detail:

Denial

In the immediate aftermath of a change, we often experience a stage of shock and denial. Information takes a while to sink in and it can be as if the change isn’t taking place. At this stage we are in denial, and sometimes we simply carry on as if nothing has happened, or if what has happened affects other people, but not us.

Realisation

After a little while the change starts to sink in. Before we can move towards accepting the change we often feel lost and uncertain and experience a period of self-reflection. When we are in this stage of the change curve we find it hard to focus or achieve flow in work but eventually we realise that the change is happening.

Resistance/Anger

At this stage most of us start to resist what is happening, particularly if it’s a negative change. Individuals may become angry and divisive and will normally start blaming other people for the changes taking place!

Letting Go

As time passes, we generally come to accept the change is happening and we let go of the anger as we start to move forward. Letting go can feel good but we then start looking for reasons why the change is happening.

Searching

We need a reason for something to happen however as people we tend to be able to change our expectations to fit the new situation. We accept the change that we’re facing and start to realise that we must look into the possibilities going forward and make the best of it.

Understanding

Having decided to move into accepting the change we start to explore the new future ahead of us and begin to understand what it means for us. We start to project ourselves into it and visualise what the future could hold, start to plan for the positive scenarios and solve any problems so that we can create the best outcome for ourselves.

Once individuals have fully accepted, visualised and started to plan for the new way things are going to be, they can commit to that future. The post change reality becomes normal for them, it’s just the way things are now, and they increasingly work towards making it a good outcome.

‘The Change Curve is a very useful tool when managing individual or team change.’

The Change Curve is a very useful tool when managing individual or team change. Knowing where you or your team is on the curve will help when deciding on how and when to communicate information, what level of support someone requires, and when best to implement final changes. Providing individuals with the knowledge that other people understand and experience similar emotions is the best way to return, with as little pain as possible, to optimal performance.