When confronted with a period of change, we will first have an emotional response to it. This is understandable when we consider neuroscience. We are primarily not rational beings.

The information we learn about the world comes into the cognitive areas of our brain through our limbic system, the emotional centre of our brain. While we might be able to rationalise the nature and need for change, our reaction is often visceral and emotional, and sometimes irrational. There is a process we experience when we go through a period of change (as shown in the figure below).

This is often called the change curve or Fischer's process of change. It is also known as the grief curve as it is similar to the process we go through when grieving. We leave something behind that we have an emotional attachment to and then start to deal with something new.

When change is announced, we can go through an elation phase: we are excited at the thought of some change and the possibilities it might bring. We then move into a phase when fear takes over. We realise that this might present challenges and we have to give up the way it is now.

We become frightened of the unknown. As we become more concerned about the unknown and the scale of what we need to do, this leads to a period of 'depression'. We lose the belief that we can achieve the results we want and that initial enthusiasm is lost.

But we start to see a chink of light at the end of the tunnel and then move into a stage of hope where we start to believe we can achieve the results. From here it can go in two directions. More small successes build up until we become confident that we can achieve the results.