The Phases of Change

In this article, we will present a phase model developed from the comparison of numerous “life cycles” of change projects we have worked on. The model also incorporates the experiences we have gathered as business
partners and managers of the change processes within our own consulting firm.

Our description of the typical “route” taken by a transformation is meant to:
1. provide orientation and suggestions for possible interventions to managers or consultants,
2. provide a checklist – much like aircraft manuals for pilots, who rely on their experience and intuition, but also consult the handbook to make sure they haven’t missed anything.

The model is not meant as a list to be worked through from top to bottom. As systemic practitioners, we know that these phases cannot be treated as sequential, linear slots, but that each individual phase shows traces of the others. For example, the persons concerning themselves with “creating an image for the future” will always have an eye to implementation. And when, at a late stage in the change process, it is a mater of consolidating successes, those initial images for the future can re-emerge and be cause for a full-blown controversy.
The phases follow an iterative, fractal course, and each individual phase reproduces the others at some level. However, their emphases are by no means interchangeable. Phase models provide orientation by indicating “universal regularities” and typical dynamics. They are particularly helpful when dealing with the high lev2047. The Phases of Change model of emotional strain that prevails in many transformation processes. They reduce tension, enable comparison and help set milestones.