Destructive metaphors used by one state's agency directors in describing the executive transition experience justify the initial anxiety typically felt by employees during periods of leadership change. Awareness of the words leaders use to grasp and deal with phases of organizational disruption can lead to an understanding of the dysfunctions of organizational change—and possibly to the substitution of metaphors leading to greater organizational health.
This article calls attention to the destructive potential of current transition metaphors and suggests some substitute metaphors. It also provides an example of metaphorical analysis.
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