Guide
The Bridges Transition Model: the three stages of change, and what to do in each
The short answer: William Bridges separated change, the external event, from transition, the inner process people go through. Transition has three stages: endings, when people let go of the old way; the neutral zone, an uncertain in-between time; and new beginnings, when they commit to the new way. Each stage moves forward through a few specific conversations.
Change and transition are not the same thing
The most useful idea in William Bridges' work is also the simplest. Change is what happens around people: a new structure, a new system, a new boss, a new office. Transition is what happens inside them as they come to terms with it.1
Organisations plan the change. People go through the transition. And the two run on very different clocks. A restructure can be announced on a Monday. The people inside it may take months to let go of the old way and commit to the new one.
That gap is where most change stalls. The plan is on schedule. The people aren't.
The three stages of the Bridges Transition Model
Bridges described transition in three overlapping stages.
1. Endings. Every transition starts with an ending. Before people can take on something new, they have to let go of something old: a role, a routine, a team, a way of being good at their job. Bridges' point is that people need to name what they are losing and decide how to deal with it.
2. The neutral zone. This is the in-between time, after the old way has gone but before the new way is fully working. It feels uncertain and often unproductive. Energy dips, anxiety rises, and people are tempted to slide back to what they know. Bridges also saw it as the most creative stage, the “seedbed for new beginnings”, because nothing is fixed yet.
3. New beginnings. People start to commit to the new way. They take on new roles, build new habits and begin to feel competent again. New beginnings can't be forced. They follow naturally once the ending has been dealt with and the neutral zone has been worked through.
People move through these stages at different speeds. Some of your team will be in new beginnings before others have even admitted an ending. That's normal, and it explains a lot of the friction in any change.
What the model gets right
It moves the attention from the plan to the people. Most change programmes are built around milestones: launch dates, go-lives, training sessions. Bridges reminds you that none of those milestones tell you whether people have actually made the transition.
It explains resistance. Much of what looks like resistance to change is really people stuck in the ending, holding on to something nobody has acknowledged they're losing.
It normalises the messy middle. Knowing that the neutral zone is a predictable stage, not a sign of failure, helps leaders and teams hold their nerve.
Where the model needs help
The model tells you what people are going through. It doesn't tell you what to do on Monday morning.
That's where conversations come in. Each stage of transition moves forward through a small number of conversations, and stalls when they don't happen. Here is how the six conversations of change map onto the three stages.
| Stage | What people need | The conversations |
|---|---|---|
| Before it starts | A clear, shared picture of where we're heading | Where are we really going? |
| Endings | To know what happens to them, and to name what they're losing | What does this mean for me? and What are we letting go of? |
| The neutral zone | To surface what's really in the way, and to get moving with small steps | What's really in the way? and What will we try first? |
| New beginnings | To keep going when it gets hard | How do we keep going? |
How to use the Bridges Transition Model with your team
Ask where each person is, not where the plan is. In a team meeting, explain the three stages in two minutes. Then ask each person, privately, which stage they feel they're in right now. You'll usually find the team is spread across all three.
Don't skip the ending. It's tempting to talk only about the exciting future. But people can't move on from something nobody has acknowledged. Make time for the letting go conversation before you push for commitment.
Treat the neutral zone as normal. When energy dips and doubts surface, don't panic and don't push harder. Shrink the horizon, agree one small experiment, and keep talking about what's really in the way.
Start with yourself. You go through transition too, even when you're leading the change. Which stage are you in? What are you letting go of? People notice quickly when a leader is asking them to make a transition they haven't made themselves.
Find out where your team is
The Change Readiness Check scores your team on each of the six conversations. It takes five minutes and shows which stage of transition your change is most likely stuck in.
Questions people ask
What are the three stages of the Bridges Transition Model?
Endings, the neutral zone and new beginnings. People first let go of the old way, then go through an uncertain in-between period, then commit to the new way.
What is the difference between the Bridges model and the change curve?
The change curve describes the emotions people feel during change. The Bridges Transition Model describes the psychological transition: what people let go of, the in-between period, and what they take on. They work well together.
How do you use the Bridges Transition Model?
Ask where each person is in their transition rather than where the plan is, make time to acknowledge endings, treat the neutral zone as normal, and support new beginnings by keeping people going when it gets hard.
Sources
- William Bridges Associates, What is transition?. Bridges separates change, the external event, from transition, the inner process people go through, in three phases: endings, the neutral zone and new beginnings.