Change and Transition, Collective Emotional Capital & Negative Capability

“Is there another way beyond our traditional understanding of managing transitions while change happens?”

Kushagra Patwa, Head of Spiritual Advisory

Introduction

Three leadership skills explored that have resonated deeply with me: ‘Change & Transition’, ‘CEC-Collective Emotional Capital’ and ‘Negative Capability’

We aim to explore the correlation between these concepts.

On a collective level, the recent captaincy change event of the Mumbai Indians cricket team (Part of the Indian Premier League) is a pertinent example of how CEC-Collective Emotional Capital can seemingly get lost if the transition is not managed with change.

Ultimately, we will also hypothesise on the efficacy of managing transitions. Is there another way beyond our traditional understanding of managing transitions while change happens?

Change and Transition

“Change refers to external events or situations around us or an organisation. Transition is an individual’s or collective’s internal psychological process to adapt to these changes.”

Change and Transition are fundamental concepts in understanding organisational dynamics and personal development. While often used interchangeably, they represent distinct processes.

Change refers to external events or situations around us or an organisation. These can include structural shifts, new policies, leadership changes, or modifications that alter the status quo. Change is situational and often happens quickly, requiring immediate adjustments to operations, roles, or strategies.

Transition is an individual’s or collective’s internal psychological process to adapt to these changes.

William Bridges extensively discussed this concept in his seminal work, “Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change”. Bridges emphasises that transition involves three stages:

Ending, Losing, Letting Go: Individuals must first acknowledge and let go of the old ways and identities.

The Neutral Zone: This is a period of confusion and uncertainty, where old ways have ended, but new ways are not yet fully integrated.

The New Beginning: Individuals start to embrace new identities, roles, and ways of operating.

The distinction between change and transition is crucial because while change is often imposed and can be rapid, transition is a gradual process that involves emotional and psychological adjustments.

We will also explore the transitional approach to change.

Collective Emotional Capital

“Collective Emotional Capital (CEC) refers to the emotional resources within an organisation that drives motivation, resilience, and collaboration among its members.“

CEC encompasses the shared emotions, values, and emotional capabilities that influence how organisational members interact and work together. It plays a crucial role in facilitating or impeding organisational change and performance.

Key components of CEC – Collective Emotional Capital.

Emotional Energy: The collective enthusiasm, motivation, and drive of the organisation’s members. High emotional energy can lead to increased creativity, commitment, and performance.

Emotional Resilience: The ability of the organisation to withstand and adapt to challenges, stress, and adversity. This involves the collective capacity to bounce back from setbacks.

Emotional Harmony: The alignment and synchronisation of emotions among organisational members, fostering cooperation, reducing conflict, and enhancing collective action.

Collective Emotional Capital is essential for creating a supportive and dynamic organisational environment. It affects how individuals within the organisation perceive and respond to change, manage stress and uncertainty, and collaborate effectively towards common goals.

CEC involves nurturing a positive emotional climate through emotionally intelligent leadership, supportive organisational culture, and practices that promote emotional bonding and trust among members.

Application: Mumbai Indians Captaincy Change

“The team finished last in the standings, and the new captain was consistently booed, even in their home games.”

Background Story

In the recent IPL (Indian Premier League) season, the Mumbai Indians (MI), one of the most successful teams in the league’s history, underwent a significant leadership change. (Abhishek Singh, 2024)

The team management decided to replace the beloved and highly successful captain, Rohit Sharma, who is also the captain of the Indian team, with a new captain, who is the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team.

This decision was aimed at rejuvenating the team and bringing fresh perspectives. However, the sudden change backfired, causing disruptions within the team dynamics and among the fanbase.

The team finished last in the standings, and the new captain was consistently booed, even in their home games.

The backlash on social media and TV channels was huge, and even die-hard fans turned haters.

“The team and fans had to let go of Rohit Sharma’s leadership. The team members and fans were left in emotional turmoil. The new captain did not have the necessary emotional capital to transition into his role smoothly.”

William Bridges’ Transition Model

In the context of William Bridges’ transition model, the MI captaincy change represents a classic example of how managing transitions is crucial for the success of organisational changes.

Ending, Losing, Letting Go: The team and fans had to let go of Rohit Sharma’s leadership, which was associated with the success of five championships and the emotional associations of being a local Mumbai lad and the Indian cricket team captain. This stage was completely botched up, with a press announcement just before this year’s tournament started.

The Neutral Zone: The neutral zone, a period of ambiguity and uncertainty, was not adequately navigated. The team members and fans were left in emotional turmoil, not knowing how to relate to the new captain and what to expect from the new leadership.

The New Beginning: The new beginning was rushed. The new captain did not have the necessary emotional capital to transition into his role smoothly, leading to a lack of acceptance and cohesion within the team and among the fans.

Amado and Ambrose’s Transitional Approach

Amado and Ambrose’s transitional approach emphasises the importance of understanding and managing individuals’ emotional and psychological journeys during transitions.

Incomplete Transition: The transition was incomplete because the emotional journeys of the players and fans were not adequately addressed. The sudden change disrupted the emotional stability and trust built under Rohit Sharma’s leadership.

Psychological Support: There was a lack of psychological support for the new captain, the team, and the fans. The absence of structured emotional and psychological support mechanisms led to a deterioration in team performance and fan support.

Collective Emotional Capital

“Rohit Sharma’s sudden replacement depleted the collective enthusiasm and motivation leading to internal conflicts and a disjointed team effort.“

In the case of the Mumbai Indians, the captaincy change disrupted the CEC in several ways:

Emotional Energy: The emotional energy within the team and the fanbase was negatively impacted. Rohit Sharma had built a strong emotional connection with the team and fans, and his sudden replacement depleted the collective enthusiasm and motivation.

Emotional Resilience: The team’s emotional resilience was weakened. Without proper management of the transition, the players struggled to adapt to the new leadership, leading to decreased performance and increased stress.

Emotional Harmony: Emotional harmony was disrupted. The alignment and synchronisation of emotions among the team members and between the team and the fans were lost, leading to internal conflicts and a disjointed team effort.

Perceived Impact

“Decline in team performance. Fans felt a loss of identity and trust in the team. The team struggled to cope with the challenges of the new leadership and the competitive pressures of the IPL.”

Team Performance: The disruption of CEC led to a noticeable decline in team performance. The players were not emotionally aligned with the new captain, leading to poor coordination and lacklustre performances on the field.

Fan Loyalty: The emotional disconnection between the team and the fans resulted in decreased fan support and loyalty. Fans felt a loss of identity and trust in the team’s new direction, which affected their emotional investment in the team.

Organisational Resilience: The Mumbai Indians’ overall resilience was compromised. Without strong emotional capital, the team struggled to cope with the challenges of the new leadership and the competitive pressures of the IPL.

Learnings

“Transition requires careful management of the emotional and psychological aspects of change. Leaders must be trained in emotional capital building.“

Cognitive: In managing organisational shifts, it is crucial to distinguish between change and transition. Understanding that transition requires careful management of the emotional and psychological aspects of change is crucial.

Behavioural: Effective communication and psychological support are needed during transitions. Leaders must be trained in emotional capital building to guide their teams through the emotional turmoil of significant changes.

Emotional: The role of collective emotional capital in sustaining team cohesion and performance. Maintaining emotional energy, resilience, and harmony is essential for navigating transitions successfully and ensuring long-term organisational health.

The Mumbai Indians’ captaincy change event highlights the critical role of managing transitions and leveraging collective emotional capital in organisational change.

By understanding and addressing the emotional and psychological processes involved, organisations can maintain cohesion, performance, and stakeholder support during times of significant change.

Theory Vs Reality

Mumbai Indians are owned by one of the wealthiest conglomerates- Reliance Industries. This family empire’s majority shareholders and board of directors were personally involved in this sudden change.

So wouldn’t it be too presumptuous of us to assume they have no idea about managing change?

Let’s dig deeper, shall we?

Reliance Industries, led by one of the world’s richest individuals, has a reputation for disrupting industries and sectors without emphasising transitions.

Conversations with executives revealed that the organisation’s culture is trained to be comfortable with uncertainty and change, aligning with negative capability.

Negative Capability

“To become comfortable with uncomfortable & uncertainity is Negative Capability.”

The capacity to be comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity (Keats, 1817). In the context of systems and psychoanalysis, it involves embracing the unknown and maintaining composure without immediate resolution.

Cultural Training: Reliance Industries’ emphasis on being comfortable with uncertainty suggests a strategic cultivation of negative capability among its members.

Minimal Transition Phase: By strengthening the negative capability muscle, the organisation potentially reduces the transition turnaround time. Employees accustomed to constant change may require less psychological adjustment, thereby minimising the traditional transition phases outlined by Bridges and Amado & Ambrose. (Bridges, 1991) (Amado & Ambrose, 2001)

Implications for Change Models: If negative capability is effectively ingrained, it challenges the necessity of prolonged transition phases. The organisation’s readiness for any change with minimal transition aligns with its disruptive business model.

Conclusion

“Flexing negative capability may prepare individuals and organisations to handle rapid changes. The strength of CNC- Collective Negative Capability within an organisation might mitigate the need for extended transition periods.”

Flexing Negative Capability: Reliance Industries’ approach suggests that flexing negative capability may prepare individuals and organisations to handle rapid changes with less need for extensive transitional processes.

Reevaluating Traditional Models: This perspective invites reevaluating traditional change and transition models. While the transitional approach remains significant, the strength of negative capability within an organisation might mitigate the need for extended transition periods.

Reflective Insights

Cognitive: The distinction between change and transition is critical, but understanding negative capability adds a layer of depth to how transitions are managed.

Behavioural: Developing the ability to stay comfortable with uncertainty can improve both personal coping mechanisms and collective resilience.

Emotional: Embracing negative capability allows for genuine emotional processing, leading to more Authentic and Resilient CEC – Collective Emotional Capital.

“The stronger the CNC – Collective Negative Capability, the more resilient would be CEC – Collective Emotional Capital”