How to Understand the Kubler-Ross Change Curve

The Kubler Ross Change Curve represents six people's moral changes when change happens: shock, denial, frustration, depression, experiment, and decision. The curve predicts people's reactions and guides change managers to deal with people's emotional responses to achieve change quickly and successfully. Let me share some experience on planning the change management in each phase. 

Shock We have to reduce the surprise in the first place. We can give heads-up, build consensus or gradually make changes. However, for changes with urgent needs when shocking news has to be delivered, we need to set an engaging environment with the audience. We provide the meeting with a detailed explanation of why the change is necessary and collect feedback and concerns. 

Denial People would question when something new showed to them. Please don't take it as a denial. The most toxic case is that they don't express an opinion but act against the change. If anyone provides objections, understand them more and then make the plan to influence. 

Frustration is usually caused by not understanding the change, especially on what needs to be done. Making the changing instructions easy to follow, patiently answering questions, and hosting handholding training sessions will help.

Depression We don't usually see this in practice, so we typically handle it along with frustration. The goal is to resolve the problems with the audience so they know we are helping and they are not alone going through the change. 

​Experiment When the changes experiment starts, it's essential to share short-term wins and success stories. The goal is to establish social momentum, so more and more people say, "It works!". 

Decision This is when people accept the change. But it's not the end. We need to design precise measurements to monitor the result and continue building cultural influence, such as sharing experiences and successful tips to sustain the change. 

Focus on helping people and show empathy. The reward is the trust from the team plus helping our organization stay competitive in the dynamic market environment.