Developed by U.S. consultant and author William Bridges (first published 1979), Bridges’ Transition Model distinguishes between change—the external event, such as a reorganization or new technology—and transition—the inner psychological process people go through to adapt. The model identifies three phases:
- Ending, Losing, Letting Go – acknowledging what is ending and helping people let go.
- Neutral Zone – the in-between period of uncertainty and exploration.
- New Beginning – embracing new identities, processes, and mindsets.
The accompanying diagram visually shows the emotional curve from initial resistance through the uncertainty of the Neutral Zone to renewed engagement in the New Beginning.
Practical Relevance
- Organizations often manage the technical change but overlook the human transition, which is one reason why a significant share of large transformations underperform. Bridges’ model provides a framework to close this gap:
- Strategic – Leaders can anticipate the psychological curve and plan communication and support measures for each phase.
- Cultural – By validating employees’ emotional responses, the model helps create trust and acceptance, crucial for innovation and sustainable change.
- Operational – It integrates with governance and agile routines, aligning people dynamics with milestones and business outcomes.
Evidence of impact – Research (e.g., Prosci) shows that initiatives with strong people-focused change management are many times more likely to achieve their objectives than those without.
Practical Implementation
1. Managing the Ending Phase
- Communicate the purpose of change repeatedly in multiple formats.
- Use symbolic actions or rituals to mark what is ending (e.g., formal decommissioning of systems).
- Clarify which roles and responsibilities will disappear or evolve.
2. Navigating the Neutral Zone
- Create safe spaces for experimentation—innovation sprints, pilots, or design thinking workshops.
- Work in short cycles with frequent retrospectives and feedback loops to address uncertainties.
- Provide strong leadership presence and psychological safety to stabilize the team.
3. Anchoring the New Beginning
- Co-create a shared vision and values for the new state.
- Deliver visible quick wins to build confidence.
- Align metrics, routines, and decision-making structures with the new way of working.
Recommended tools
- Change canvases, structured feedback workshops, and storytelling for meaning-making.
- Delegation Poker or RACI charts to clarify new decision rights.
- Integration into agile events such as Inspect & Adapt to ensure continuous alignment.
Typical Pitfalls
- Skipping the Ending – If people are not helped to let go of the old, hidden resistance persists.
- Underestimating the Neutral Zone – Treating it as wasted time instead of a creative incubator leads to confusion and disengagement.
- Mixed messages and inconsistent communication – Fuel rumors and erode trust.
- Overloading with parallel initiatives – Creates change fatigue and makes it harder for employees to focus on the transition.
- Failing to anchor the New Beginning – Without embedding new habits and metrics, old behaviors quickly resurface.
Real-World Examples
Manufacturing – An automotive supplier used Bridges’ phases to manage a major restructuring. By staging formal closure events, providing a year of pilots in the Neutral Zone, and establishing shared values early, productivity recovered significantly faster than in previous reorganizations.
Financial services – A bank combined the model with agile practices. During the Neutral Zone it ran rapid innovation sprints to test new digital services, building engagement and reducing the risk of customer attrition.
Public sector – In a government agency merger, the three phases guided communications with employee councils and shaped a multi-step onboarding of new organizational units, ensuring compliance and emotional alignment.
CALADE Perspective
CALADE applies Bridges’ Transition Model to connect emotional dynamics with organizational design. We embed the three phases into Transformation Increments, ensuring that structural change and cultural adaptation progress hand in hand. This approach provides measurable outcomes and sustained behavioral change rather than superficial reorganization.
Related Terms
- Beckhard’s Change Model
- Kotter’s 8-Step Model
- Prosci ADKAR
- Change Fatigue
- Organizational Resilience
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