Lewins Three-Stage Model in Organizational Change

Kurt Lewin theorizes that organizations are systems which are held in a constant state of equilibrium by equal and opposing forces. He proposes that any process of organizational change can be thought of as implementing a move in the equilibrium position towards a desired or newly established position and that a range of driving forces, which exert pressure for change, are balanced by a number of opposing resisting forces. Consequently, change has to happen at three levels, namely: INDIVIDUALS, SYSTEMS of the organization, and ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE. The individuals who work for the company must be convinced that a change is essential. The systems of the organization must be changed, specifically, work design, the information system and/or compensation plans. The organizational climate, particularly the decision-making process which sets such climate must also be adjusted. The assumptions which underlie Lewins Three-Stage Model are : 1. The change process involves learning something new, as well as discontinuing current attitudes, behaviours or organizational practices. 2. Change will not occur unless there is a motivation to change. This is often the most difficult part of the change process. 3. People are the hub of all organizational changes; any change, whether in terms of structure, group processes, reward systems, or job design, requires individuals to change. 4. Resistance to change is found even when the goals of change are highly desirable. 5. Effective change requires reinforcing new behaviours, attitudes and organizational practices. Three-Stage Model of Change
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UNFREEZING. It is the fundamental step in the theory. It is about creating a motivation to change. The effects of the driving and restraining forces come into play at this stage. The driving force must outweigh the restraining force in order for enough motivation to take place. Merely introducing a driving force is not enough to cause a shift in the equilibrium of the perceived change. Any premature, unilateral, or authoritarian increase in driving forces for

change will be met by an equal and opposite increase in resisting forces. As change involves not only learning something new but also unlearning something that is already present and well integrated into the personality and social relationships of the individuals, no change will occur unless there is a motivation for change. This model involves creating the right conditions for change to occur. By resisting change, people often attach a sense of identity to their environment. In this state, alternatives, even beneficial ones, will initially cause discomfort. The challenge then is to move people from this frozen state to a change ready or unfrozen state.
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CHANGING or TRANSITION. It means adjusting the equilibrium, moving to another condition. At this stage, resisting forces have been investigated, understood and minimized so that changes can be implemented. Resisting forces must have been reduced and driving forces increased. The transitional journey is central to Lewins model and at the psychological level, it is typically a period of confusion. People are aware that the old ways are being challenged, but there is no clear understanding of the new ways which will replace them. As roles change, a reduced state of efficiency is created, where goals are significantly lowered. Good leadership is important, coaching, counselling or psychological support may be needed. The end goal of this stage is to get people to the unfrozen state and keep them there. In actual practice, there are three main approaches to effect the desired change at this level:

Rational Empirical. Change is seen as a process of rational persuasion whereby the benefits of change are logically explained to those who are influenced by it. Normative Re-educative. This approach assumes employees are rational individuals, but acknowledges the existence or socio-cultural norms within the organization. It challenges established values, beliefs, attitudes and norms and re-educates employees into the new techniques of working. Power Coercive. This method of change involves a process of the imposition of legitimate authority. Feedback may be denied and resistance will not in any way alter the plans for change. This approach simply forces change though authority.

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REFREEZE. This means turning new productive actions into habits, that is, making sure that changes are used all the time and that they are incorporated into everyday business. The end goal of the model is to achieve a refreeze, re-establishing a new place of stability and elevate comfort levels by reconnecting people back into their safe, familiar environment. Refreezing takes people from a period of low productivity in the transitional state to a stable and productive state.

ROBERT LUSSIERs CHANGE MODEL Robert Lussier is a professor in the Springfield College teaching Principles of Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Research Methods and Statistics for Business and Non Profits. He is active in professional service with the Small Business Institute (SBI). He is a fellow, the highest award given by the SBI. He also serves on the editorial review boards for two journals. Because Kurt Lewins model provides a general framework for organizational change, Robert Lussier developed a more specific model consisting of five steps : 1. Define the change. Clearly state what the change will be. 2. Identify possible resistance to change. Determine intensity, source and focus of resistance. 3. Plan the change. How will the change be implemented? 4. Implement the change. a. Give the facts. b. Involve employees. c. Provide support. 5. Control the change. JOHN KOTTERs EIGHT-STAGE CHANGE MODEL John Kotter on the other hand is a notable author of seventeen (17) books on leadership, the most popular of which is Leadership Change and the most recent Our Iceberg is Melting. Kotter described a successful model for understanding and managing change as a process of going through a series of phases that involves length of time. According to him, skipping

steps will only create the illusion of speed and never produce satisfactory results. Making mistakes in any of the phases may have devastating impact, slowing momentum and negating gains. In summary, Kotters eight-stage change model are :
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Establish a sense of urgency. Inspire people to move, making objectives real and relevant. Build the guiding team. Get the right people in placed with the right commitment, and the right mix of skills and levels. Efforts for change may begin with one or two people. This teams urgency and sense of what is happening and what is needed is crucial. Involve leaders in this beginning coalition. Get the right vision. Get the team to establish a simple vision and strategy and focus on emotional and creative aspects necessary to drive service and efficiency. Successful transformation rests on a vision of the future that is relatively easy to communicate. This vision will clarify the direction in which the organization needs to go. Communicate for buy-in. Involve as many people as possible and communicate the essentials simply to appeal and respond to peoples needs. Use every existing communication channel and opportunity. Empower action. Remove obstacles, enable constructive feedback and lots of support from leaders, and reward and recognize progress and achievements. Let members of the organization effect changes in their respective areas of involvement. Allocate budget if needed. Remove any obstacles there may be to get on with the change. Create short-term wins. Set aims in bite-size chunks that are easy to achieve. Finish current stages before starting new ones. Commitments to produce short-term wins will keep the urgency level up. Dont let up; consolidate improvements and sustain momentum for change. Foster and encourage determination and persistence, ongoing change, and ongoing progress reporting, highlighting achieved and future milestones. Make change stick; institutionalize the new approaches. Reinforce the value of successful change via recruitment, promotion and new change leaders. Weave change into culture. Change sticks when it becomes the way we do things around here. Two important factors in institutionalizing new changes are : (a) consciously attempting to show how the new approaches, behaviours, and attitudes helped improve the organization; and (b)

ensuring that the next generation of leaders believes in and embodies the change.

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