The ‘Kübler-Ross’ Change Curve, can it help us understand our feelings around Covid-19?

Many of you may have seen or heard of the Kübler-Ross model; it is used often in organisational training and change programmes. I first heard of this model in the early 90s when I was project managing large-scale corporate restructures; we would use the model to help clients explore and understand where they were emotionally within the change process. Over the years, I have used it with clients to help them move through a range of emotional challenges, from dealing with uncertainty at work to, anxiety and personal loss.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a Swiss-American psychiatrist and an international best-selling author. In 1969 she presented her theory on the five stages of grief, known as the ‘Kübler-Ross model’. The five stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The image above is based on her model and further expanded. 

I have been trying to make sense of what has been happening on an emotional level to myself and my clients during lockdown. Personally, it feels similar to sudden loss. Three years ago, I had to deal with the sudden loss of a family member. At the time, I noticed how pragmatic I became in the initial stages with the knowledge I would need to process my feelings further along. I was solution-focused; I started thinking like a project manager, and it felt similar just ahead of lockdown. As we headed into lockdown, I upgraded my software, adding MS Teams, WebEx alongside Zoom. I ordered a 32-inch monitor to make working from home more comfortable, I sent off for a new iPad, as a backup for client video calls. I ordered printers and extra toner and my work moved forward almost seamlessly. Now, what about my feelings? Where am I on the change curve?

The above-expanded model covers ten areas of change for consideration; shock, denial, anger, fear, sadness, helplessness, bargaining, understanding, acceptance and new status quo.  I can find myself moving along the curve and back again. I move from sadness to understanding, and if I think for too long, I can see myself slipping back to sadness as I miss some of the things I took for granted before lockdown. However, it is helpful for me to remember that change is a process and not an event. For me, at this stage acceptance is moving closer; the new status quo is still some way off. That said, I do find it helpful to glance at this model at times. I see this in the same way as I would an emotional road map, and I like to understand where I am on the journey. I wanted to share this model with my LinkedIn network in the hope some of you might find it helpful.