THRESHOLDS OF CHANGE

Reynolds offers a self-help guide for navigating any kind of change.

In this nonfiction work, the author, a business consultant, addresses the unsettling nature of change and provides readers with strategies to understand and embrace it. “Change is a distinct phenomenon taking place all the time,” she writes. “However, despite change’s pervasiveness and constancy, the change process itself is largely unseen.” To better comprehend change, one must first understand the content (what the change is about), the context (where the change is taking place), the reach (how many people will be affected), and the time frame (how long-lasting the change will be). By analyzing these four aspects, one can assess the scale of change. Reynolds introduces a framework called “Thresholds of Change” to help readers move through changes. The four thresholds include Instigation (an inciting event that leads to disorientation and destabilization), the Liminal (a gestational period that “takes place in the dark of the knowing mind” and involves letting go and processing grief), Metabolization (the state in which individuals acclimate to change by integrating and practicing it), and Manifestation (when the change is finally complete and fully embodied; euphoria, pride, and a sense of accomplishment are high in this phase). Eventually, the cycle begins again. Reynolds’s framework successfully simplifies a complex process into manageable parts: Her model, which emphasizes owning one’s power and taking a proactive role in the change process, is practical, easy to apply, and will be accessible to a wide audience. However, the book may be overly optimistic in its scope; Reynolds claims that her model “can be universally applied to all change, no matter what is changing, how lasting, the number of people involved, or the setting; no matter how minor or profound the associated loss, or whether the change is invited or foisted upon us.” Additionally, her model’s efficacy is purely anecdotal; those seeking research-based methodologies to approach change will not find scientific support here. Still, this book is a solid primer for those seeking a “Change Companion” in literary form.

An insightful and encouraging guide to adapting to change.