A couple of events recently have reminded me of the importance of rituals and ceremonies, whether it is saying goodbye or celebrating success.

We are currently planning a graduation ceremony for a small group of our learners who have recently completed their CMI Level 3 Diploma in First Line Management. It has been really important for us to get the details right and we have involved the learners and their employers in ‘designing’ the event. We have carefully chosen the venue, organised a photographer, the learners have asked our CMI External Verifier to present the certificates and we have encouraged them to bring several guests to ‘witness’ their graduation. We feel that it is really important to acknowledge the hard work that has gone into passing the qualification over the last year and mark the ‘ending’ of the programme.

A similar occasion was held at my son’s primary school at the end of the summer term. It was on his last day at Primary School, as a Year 6 pupil it was the Leavers Assembly. It turned out to be a very emotional occasion, for the children, for the teachers and for the parents and this is a good thing! After seven years attendance for many of the children it was very important to mark the end of that stage in their lives and start to prepare for the next stage. The Year 6 children then ‘hung around’ school at the end of the last day crying and hugging and taking photographs and just hanging around – they really didn’t want to leave!

The work of William Bridges on dealing with change likens it to the bereavement process, his model has three phases that as managers we need to help people work through:

 (1) Ending, Losing, Letting Go - helping people deal with their tangible and intangible losses and mentally prepare to move on

(2) The Neutral Zone - critical psychological realignments and re-patterning takes place. This is all about helping get people through it, and capitalising on all the confusion by encouraging them to be innovators

(3) The New Beginning - helping people develop the new identity, experience the new energy, and discover the new sense of purpose that make the change begin to work.

Perhaps we encourage people to focus too much on the New Beginning and how it will be in the future without attending to the needs of the Ending and Neutral stages. What rituals do you observe to help manage transitions?

Margaret Burnside