Various psychologists have worked on analyzing the change. One such researcher is Kubler Ross, a Swiss-based psychologist who did research with dying patients who knows their last days. Quite a weird right!
But I feel the biggest change every human denies acceptance is death.
“We have arrived in this world with a return ticket in hand, the only difference being the ambiguity of the return date”,
Well said by a great philosopher Vethatiri maharishi about death.
I feel Kubler-ross would have chosen to research on high denial factor and the journey towards acceptance for optimum results.
Here is the cycle she plotted after analyzing around 100 terminally ill patients. The initial shock is short lived then denial is a long phase which leads to frustration and depression and then acceptance mode starts with experiment, decision, and integration.
So why this change cycle is necessary for an Agile coach. we all know all agile professionals are nothing but change agents. We are introducing change in organization planning to team planning and execution. Industries realized the old model isn’t working hence looking for Agile.
Hence Agile coaches after introducing a change in either management to a team should wait and give some time for them to adapt. Denial is obvious. If we get early convinced that the team is not good with the change then no changes can be made.
Hence provide ample time for the management and Team and inspect and adapt that even after the denial, even after the experiment, even after the decision the change introduced is not working then the coach can withdraw the idea and try to implement another and the cycle goes on.
Hence requesting my agile peers to wait before taking an early decision after a change is introduced to check if the fruits are reaping.
