"Managing Transitions" presented at Summer 2013 NCLGBA Conference (July 12, 2013)

1. MANAGING TRANSITIONS
NCLGBA SUMMER CONFERENCE
Our moral responsibility is not to stop
the future, but to shape it…to channel
our destiny in humane directions and to
ease the trauma of transition.
– Alvin Toffler, American futurist

2. CHANGE VERSUS TRANSITION
Change
To make different, To make radically different
Transition
To make a transition (verb)
A passage from one state, subject, or place to another
A movement, development or evolution from one form,
stage, or style to another
Transition is necessary to get from Mountain A to
Mountain B.

3. COMPARISONS AND LANGUAGE
Paint a picture
Visual representation of thoughts and feelings
Can be metaphors or similes

5. TABLE DISCUSSION –
IDENTIFY CHANGES
Identify two or three changes that are taking
place within your organization.
Were you part of the change decision or was the
change done to you?

6. STAGES OF TRANSITION
1. Let go of the old way and old identities
2. Go though an in‐between time
Old is gone ‐‐ New isn’t fully operational
This is called the Neutral Zone
3. Come out of the transition and make a new
beginning

7. CHANGE PROCESS
Take a moment to look out the window…
How do you get through a change?
Study? Research?
Make lists?
Preparation?
Head first? With a blindfold?
Create an action plan?
Communication?
If you don’t decide how you want your New Beginning
to look – you will struggle to get out of the neutral zone.

8. LETTING GO OF THE OLD…
Identify who is losing what
Accept the reality and importance of subjective losses
Don’t be surprised at overreactions
Acknowledge losses openly
Expect and accept the signs of grieving

9. GETTING THROUGH THE NEUTRAL ZONE
How are people feeling?
Lost and confused – what are the rules? who is in charge?
In the nowhere between two somewheres
People are searching for ways to (CUSP):
Get more control of their situation
Understand what is happening
Recover the feeling of being supported
Clarification of priorities
Step back and take stock
Communicate – hear what others have to say
Reorientation and redefinition

10. TABLE DISCUSSION:
TRANSITIONS
How are the transitions within your organization
being managed?
If the transitions are not being managed,
identify the outcomes of unmanaged transition.

11. NEW BEGINNING
What will the future hold?
Changes in organizational strategy, priorities, business
practices, cultural values
Create a purpose – a picture – a plan – and a part
“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man
contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
‐ Antoine de Saint‐Exupery, French Novelist

12. WILLIAM BRIDGE’S MODEL
Performance Curve
Endings
• Denial
• Anxiety
• Shock
• Chaos
Neutral Zone
• Curiosity
• Uncertainty
• Highs/Lows
• Instability
New Beginnings
• Hope
• Optimism
• Clarity
• Purpose
Empathy
Validation
Vision
Information
Communication
Plans/Structures
Roles
Participation
Recognition

13. MAJOR CHANGES AFFECTING OUR COMMUNITIES
Economic Development
Job creation
Demographic shifts
Climate Change
Sustainable Development Patterns
Public heath Issues

14. EMPHASIZED THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE
78 million baby boomers (1946‐1964) will start exiting
the workforce.
The graying of America will be followed by the browning
of America. By 2042, the U.S. will become a minority
majority country.
By 2025, the number of single person households will
equal family households. By 2050, the overwhelming
majority of households will be single.
Sources: Brookings Institution, Dr. James Johnson, UNC ,
Christopher Leinberger, US Census Bureau

15. EMPHASIZED THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES
The graying of America
The browning of America
The rise of the single person households
Change in the traditional family
Changes to labor force
The rise of the “millenials”
Shift is market preferences for livable communities
Sources: Brookings Institution, Dr. James Johnson, UNC ,
Christopher Leinberger, US Census Bureau

16. Budget = strategy
Moving forward –
Major investments planned for years in advance e‐ pay attention to
the subtle changes taking place around you?
Ex. Atlanta
How are they going to fix the sprawl? Transportation is a major
issue/concern.

17. THE GENERATION GAP
Name: Born Between:
Greatest Generation 1901‐1924
Silent/Chosen Generation 1923‐1945
Baby Boom Generation 1946‐1964
Generation X 1965‐1981
Generation Y 1982‐1995
Generation Z 1996‐Today

18. PROJECTIONS ON AGING AND HOUSEHOLDS
By 2030, one in 5 Americans will be over the age of 65.
The U.S. birthrate will drop from 1% to .25% by 2035.
Life expectancy will increase from 76.0 years in 1993 to
82.6 years in 2050.
By 2050, the number of Americans over the age of 85
will triple from 5.4 to 19 million.
By 2025, the number of single person households will
equal family households.
By 2050, the overwhelming majority of households will
be single.

19. IMPLICATIONS OF AN AGING POPULATION
Land use patterns and transportation choices will
change as millions of aging Americans realize they can
no longer drive.
There will not be enough workers to take care of the
aging population.
The younger generation will demand different lifestyle,
housing choices and transportation choices.
The size of homes and lots will get smaller.
Tax base for local governments may be challenged as
seniors seek property tax relief due to their fixed
income.

20. GENERATION GAP (2009 ACS)
Raleigh
Greatest Generation 1.1%
Silent/Chosen Generation 6.8%
Baby Boom Generation 20.7%
Generation X 25.0%
Generation Y 26.8%
Generation Z 19.6%
Median Age 31.9

21. IMPLICATIONS OF THE GENERATION SHIFT
Generation X and Y will be moving into leadership and
decision‐making positions. Their values will begin to
shape laws and public policy.
The 2020s will be the decade when single person
households will surpass family households for the first
time in American history.
There will be tension over the next 10 years as
generations transform to American attitudes and values.
The 2020s will be dramatic in terms of cultural and
political values as the last of the boomers retire.

22. SETTING THE PLANNING FRAMEWORK
1. Understanding the problem (what are you trying to
solve or what are you trying to accomplish).
2. Regional context – the big picture, setting the
framework
3. General plan – community vision, values, identity
4. Specific plans – executing the vision and values
through codes
5. Place making and the experience of place
6. Understanding your market – who are you planning
for?

23. TABLE DISCUSSION –
IMPACT OF CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
What kind of demographic changes are occurring in your
community right now?
What strategies are being funded in your budget to
specifically address the demographic changes?

24. 5 TAKE‐AWAYS FROM THE PRESENTATION
1. Change is constant
2. Manage organizational change
3. Pay attention to your community profiles
4. Fund strategies for long term community solutions
5. The better you plan – the faster you get through
transition