Situation Description
I was married to my lovely wife for six years where we were blessed with two sons. I was working at the Minnesota National Guard and my wife and the two sons lived in Minneapolis. Our marriage was according to some of our friends and even relatives awesome. However, there were significant issues that kept on creeping and tearing the marriage apart. For a long time we worked hard to reconcile and mend any issues that were tearing the marriage apart and for many instances we were successful. We sought the help of marriage councilors in situations when the two of us could not resolve the issues. It was in the middle of last year that we agreed with my wife that we should have a diverse. It was my wife who came up with the idea but since we have tried our best to salvage the marriage to no avail, we had to start the legal process for the divorce. It was early in the year that the process was complete.
The divorce created a new dilemma as my two sons were still young and I was given their full custody. I was torn between leaving my job or moving the kids to Minnesota where they could start a new life. I had an uphill task of deciding the best course of action. I ended up opting to quit my enjoyable job of training infantrymen and moved to Minneapolis so that I could be close to my two sons. I sold my house in the country including all my toys and opted for an office job. The situation was different from other milestones because it forced me to leave my training job which was not only enjoyable but also fulfilling. Similarly, it forces me to sell my house in the country and the toys which included
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Situation Analysis
This situation can be analyzed using William Bridge model of transition. According to the author, there are three stages of transition and change; ending, neutral zone and a new beginning. The ending stage involved a decision to discontinue my job as an infantry. Choosing to discontinue my job and sell my house and the toys was a hard decision that led to denial, shock, anger, frustration, and ambivalence. I realized that I was losing and the losses were great. I was in denial that such a change could occur and I never imagined the repercussions of the divorce. I was angry because I could not understand how a divorce could lead to such losses. I had to let go which was a difficult choice (Bridges & Bridges, 2009). I remember mourning the loss I was about to encounter but I managed to vent the anger which enabled me to transition and move beyond this stage.
Ending
The transition began with an ending where I had to let go of everything that I had and to start a new phase. There was disengagement from my old past and from some of the aspects of life that I was familiar with. There were three significant issues in this case; divorce, quitting my job and relocating. It involved moving away from a known situation into the unknown. Disidentification followed where ending the connection with the known impacted my sense of self as my confidence became shaky due to the unknown. It took time to let go of the old roles. Disenchantment followed in which case old memories and experiences could creep in including being disappointed. The old started to fade away as I tried to figure out the new. Leaving Minnesota and the old led to a feeling of disorientation (Bridges & Bridges, 2009). I experienced a feeling of loss and was undecided on the next course of action.
The completion of the ending phase led to uncomfortable and growth-filled neutral zone. I felt like everything was up for grab. I could take any job and I was not sure of what to do or who I was. I also was unsure of how to behave in the new environment (Bridges & Bridges, 2009). I could, however, feel like I was regaining some direction and decision making was highly improved by this phase. Everything was new and there was no routine work or timelines to follow.
The new beginning started when I got used to the new environment which included having my two boys around. It was also the time I got a job at an office and established new networks with the other staff and people in the neighborhood. I was skeptical at the initial stages but I had to accept the situation. I realized that all the steps were important to me and it is then that I build on hope and was enthusiastic of a new beginning which occurred after all the steps were completed.
Reflective Analysis
The reading and writing activity has a significant insight on how William Bridge model can be used in real life situations that we face. The different steps identified by the model are essential in helping an individual to transition from one phase to the other. The inevitability of change makes it critical to understand the different stages and how an individual can cope with the new environment and overcome any challenges that might occur throughout the process. The model can be useful in facilitating change in an organization since gives the managers an opportunity to understand the different phases individual undergo and how they adapt to the changing environment. It also ensures that the managers can deal with some issues if it is evident that change is leading to the undesirable outcome or is taking too long.
Reference
Bridges, W., & Bridges, S. (2009). Managing transitions: Making the most of change (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: DaCapo press.
