Navigating Change: Understanding your strengths and your role within the R3 Project

Posted on Tuesday, July 19th, 2022

Bridge at Algonquin College

If there’s one thing that we can say about the R3 Project, it’s that it will bring a lot of exciting changes to the Algonquin College Community.

But, with change comes… well, change.

Within any organizational shift, we know that while the long-term gains coming from this change will be worth it, there’s a period of transition we all go through—and at different times throughout the Project’s journey.

To navigate this change, it’s always great to have some tools in your toolkit. By gaining awareness of your strengths during change—as well as your colleagues’ strengths—you’ll gain a good understanding about how your team may respond to change during the R3 Project.

Let’s break down how people generally shift through changes, and then we’ll look at how people adopt different roles throughout the journey.

A bridge analogy for personal transition during change

To best explain how personal transition works, we’re using a bridge analogy, which was created by William Bridges (yes, we swear that’s his real name). Here’s how it goes:

The change process has three states: Current, Transition, and Future.

The Current State—the beginning of the bridge—is when things are ending. We’re letting go of the current process, and roles and identities are changing. Employees will have different reactions to moving from the familiar, such as excitement or anxiousness.

The Transition State is when we’re crossing the bridge—when things are neutral. This is when we’re putting in lots of effort by designing and learning new things. This is a very ambiguous time, so employees may react with creative energy or even scepticism. It’s fair to say we’re currently going through this phase with the R3 Project.

The Future State is a time for new beginnings. Even though we’ve crossed the bridge, we’re continuing to learn. It might take a while to master or understand the full scope of change, so naturally, we’ll have different reactions. Here, employees may be frustrated by the unfamiliarity, or they may feel relief if they know what needs to be done.

It’s also important to know that people cross the bridge at different rates—and that’s okay! Let’s discover how people respond to change and how their strengths shine at different points of the change process.

Transitioning through change together

When it comes to the different roles people take on during change, we’re going to outline four different groups that help give context about when they usually jump on board with change. Take a look:

  • Cheerleaders are innovative and build excitement. They really shine at the beginning of the Project and usually jump on board pretty quickly.
  • Companions walk with you. Their strengths come in handy during the Transition State, as they ensure that others feel supported and heard.
  • Engineers design, test, and assure you that it will work. We’re going to soak up the engineers’ insight during the Testing Phase of the R3 Project, which is when they’ll be most interested.
  • Coaches explain, teach, and show you how to do it. Once coaches have clarity on how it will all look, they’re keen to get going and implement the change. They’re who you want at the project’s finish line.

Each of these groups have different perspectives and strengths. Considering how your colleagues feel will help with the overall change process. It’s good to know WHY a colleague may not jump with excitement at the beginning of the project (they’re engineers who will be involved later) and so on.

Take some time to consider which category you fall under. Once you have a better understanding of where you—and your colleagues—stand, you can use your strengths and cross that bridge collaboratively as a team!

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If you’re wondering where you can find more information about the Project, then the R3 Project FAQ and Glossary sections are great resources!

Additionally, don’t miss our next R3 Showcase Event to receive important updates and learn more about the R3 Project. We’ll also be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

The next R3 Showcase is set for Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 10 a.m.


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