A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by the late chairman emeritus and founder of the Levinson Institute — Psychologist Harry Levinson, Ph.D. The workshop focused on the topic of organizational change. While much of that workshop’s exact content has long faded from memory, one thing Harry said has always remained fresh in my thinking. Talking about the process of change, Harry advised us to always remember that “all change involves loss and all loss must be mourned”.
The more you think about this nugget of insight, the more powerful it becomes. Although we often associate the grieving process with death, humans emotionally experience change induced feelings of loss, sorrow, and grief — sometimes profound — at a great many other times in their lives.
At work, the changes are often significant — a two company merger or a substantial reorganization — and sometimes they are quite small — the departure of a close colleague or having to exchange an office for a cubical. The changes can be positive — a promotion or a coveted new assignment — or negative — an unwanted re-assignment or having to find another job.
Whatever the magnitude, quality, or scope of the change, for the individuals involved something will inevitably be lost; the familiar, their job, a friend, their sense of safety. And that loss must be acknowledged and dealt with effectively before any of us can fully appreciate and exploit anything new that is in the offering. Dealing with that sense of loss is what Harry Levinson meant when he said “all loss must be mourned”.
For managers, a critical part of their job is dealing with the inevitable reaction of employees to changes large and small. The case made in favor of a specific change is generally INTELLECTUAL, well-reasoned, logical, with emphasis on advantages and gains. The reaction to change, however, is invariably EMOTIONAL, and often fixated on what is being lost. People simply need time to deal with loss before any emotional adjustment can take place.
For a manager to deny the existence of this reaction to change betrays ignorance. To insist that everybody gets over their feelings in 48 hours is foolish. To ignore people’s need to process, psychologically react to, and come to grips with the consequences of change is simply disrespectful. The more substantial the change, the longer the likely adjustment process will take.
The best managers are those who openly acknowledge and embrace the human reality of how we confront change. They acknowledge their own participation in the adjustment process and partner with others in working through it. By openly acknowledging what is being lost, they gradually help others and themselves balance their outlook with consideration of the possibilities ahead. By helping others undertake the adaptive work the change will require, these managers are leading not just managing those around them.
But at what point is it time for everybody to move on? Now here is a question I am often asked to which I wish I had a specific answer. Like many things in management, the moment for”moving on” is more one of “feels right” rather than “now”. The fact that not everybody moves through the adjustment process at the same speed further complicates the matter.
Eventually for the sake of an organization’s success, allowing resistance to a change to persist beyond reason is just as damaging as demanding an immediate attitude adjustment. As a manager, you will need to decide when you believe it is time for full implementation to begin. In this regard remembering the following two things will help.
Statistically speaking, about 20% of individuals will embrace most changes rather quickly, while roughly 10% will resist until the cows come home. So concentrate on the 70% in the middle for signs that they are prepared to move on. Second, because the best managers are those who have joined fully in the adjustment process, acknowledging openly what is being lost not just gained, their leadership provides powerful motivation for others to begin engaging the new reality.
UPDATED April 2026
Categories: Exercising Responsibility, Managing & Leading, Managing People
What Best Mnagers Know & Do 
Leave a comment