Mexico observes Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, where traditions include building private altars and fixing favorite foods to honor the deceased. As a society we allow the grieving process to occur as a reaction to losing a loved one, but rarely do we consider what happens when someone leaves a company due to a layoff or the aftermath when entire organizations are rearranged, leaving a wake of people confused and at a loss.
The same grief process occurs in the business sector as change happens. Understanding and identifying the loss is a good first step, as most have never considered applying the Stages of Grief to anything other than the loss of a loved one. Change Management models are recognizing the stages similar to those outlined by Elizabeth Kuebler- Ross in her 1969 book Death and Dying. However Birgitt Williams founder of the Genuine Contact Organization has developed a slightly different approach to the phases by adding categories such as the event, memory sharing and the moving forwards of creating as well as arranging them in a circular rather than linear pattern to allow greater flexibility and potential revisiting of phases as needed.
The stages are as follows:
The stages are as follows:
1. Event: What caused the upheaval
2. Shock: Often only sinks in when people begin to realize what this means to them personally
3. Anger: Feelings of rage, envy, normally outraged it is happening at all
4. Denial: Defense mechanism based on disbelief, "it may not affect my department"
5. Memories: Desire to remember how it was before, both good and bad, helps put things in perspective
6. Acceptance: Understanding that the new structure is inevitable and will affect them
7. Letting Go: Moving beyond the ordeal, not harboring anymore feelings
8. Creating: Process of beginning to deal with the change and creating new attitudes that embrace it
2. Shock: Often only sinks in when people begin to realize what this means to them personally
3. Anger: Feelings of rage, envy, normally outraged it is happening at all
4. Denial: Defense mechanism based on disbelief, "it may not affect my department"
5. Memories: Desire to remember how it was before, both good and bad, helps put things in perspective
6. Acceptance: Understanding that the new structure is inevitable and will affect them
7. Letting Go: Moving beyond the ordeal, not harboring anymore feelings
8. Creating: Process of beginning to deal with the change and creating new attitudes that embrace it
Recognizing that members of your organization may be experiencing grief due to change could be the first step towards rebuilding damaged, stressed out teams of employees. Allowing employees to express their feelings in a Whole Person Process style meeting or through storytelling ensures that #8 Creating can take place to move beyond the shift they have experienced.
Contact Becky Arrington to learn more about how to work through the grief process in your organization and move down the road to recovery.
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