ecdd0058 - Managing Transition - How to Avoid the Survivor Syndrome

MANAGING TRANSITION: HOW TO AVOID THE SURVIVOR SYNDROME

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCY

Response - Personal Flexibility and Effectiveness [Change Management]

Managing transition during organizational downsizing often means guiding employees through the "survivor syndrome" -- a post-traumatic disorder linked to survivors of major crisis situations. In order to avert the survivor syndrome, remaining employees must feel they are valued by management. Survivors tend to react more favourably when they believe that downsizing is being handled fairly.

It is up to management to maintain that perception of fairness during times of transition. Providing employees with reasons for downsizing helps solidify trust between employees and management. Open and frank discussion is also crucial. To this end, managers are encourage to adopt a three-stage approach when dealing with transition.

All affected individuals should be notified well in advance. In preparing employees for life after downsizing, it is important to recognize the fundamental distinction between change and transition. While change is circumstantial and takes place outside the person, transition is a psychological process which occurs within. Change is event-based, result-oriented and can occur rapidly. In contrast, transition is experience-based, process-oriented and always takes time. Recognizing the difference between change and transition will help managers to better prepare employees for the road ahead.
Managers should provide workers with as much information as possible, to alleviate employee insecurity. Making senior management more accessible to employees plays a crucial role in the communication process.
Managers are encouraged to solicit employee participation to ensure the new workplace is productive. Eliminating useless work, and ensuring that survivors recognize the new opportunities in their job environment is equally important in ensuring employee job satisfaction.
Transition must, therefore, be managed effectively, in order to allow change to take place as smoothly as possible. In dealing with the difficult realities of downsizing, management's responsibilities increase considerably, and interpersonal communication becomes an essential tool.

(Source: Pony Express, May 1997, p. 31)