Lewin's Model Of Organizational Change

Superior Essays
Organizational change is regarded as complex and multi-dimensioned and hence, a variation of change models is suggested such as Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Model, McKinsey 7-S Model, Kotter’s 8 Step Change Model. Among them, Lewin’s is one of the most widely-applied and influential models of change. It describes the planned approach to changes, using the analogy of water and ice to represent the process in three steps – unfreezing, moving (changing) and refreezing (Burnes, 2007).

According to Lewin (1947), the change process is initiated with unfreezing. The aim of the first step is to destabilize the equilibrium or status quo by reducing field forces which maintain an existing organizational culture and method of operation (McAleese, Creed,
…show more content…
Burnes (2004) summarized main criticisms to the model, for example, Lewin’s Planned approach is too simplistic and mechanistic; Lewin’s work is only relevant to incremental and isolated change projects and is not able to incorporate radical, transformational change; Lewin’s model ignores the role of power and politics in organizations and the conflictual nature of much of organizational life; Lewin is seen as advocating a top-down, management-driven approach to change and ignoring situations requiring bottom-up …show more content…
However, keeping changing is not that realistic, the acceptance of the change, the new items, should be time consuming. Consequently, companies should have time to absorb these changes, the achievement from the change should be solidified. Hence, the refreezing action that matters. In the following paragraphs in this chapter, we will elaborate what can organizations do and why refreezing matters during the refreezing procedure.
From managers’ perspective, generally, the refreezing action will keep the organization staying at a relatively stable and balancing situation, aiming to ensure that the updated ways of working cannot be changed easily, by refreezing, the organization obtains the ability and the opportunity to enforce the support to the change action and the achievement of the change can be

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Introduction Most leaders in organizations make use of Kotter’s work when they want to implement change in their operations. The model operates within eight different tenets and helps organizations to change their operations speedily, with perfect results. The other important model in this category is by Lewin model, which has three different steps. The three tenets for Lewin, also provide organizations and leaders an effective way of approaching change. The two models and their comparisons are vital for study, hence the need for their evaluation in this review.…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Qlt1 Task 2

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Incorporating a change model to help guide the management process can help make the change successful. Kurt Lewin’s change model will provide the direction for this scenarios process improvement plan. This model proposes that change within an organization will occur in these stages: unfreezing, change, and refreezing. The first stage of unfreezing involves changing the current method of proceeding into a procedure without adequate communication and preparation to a process of forethought and safety. The staff will be included in the preparation of the new process, the education on its use, why the change is necessary and what it will accomplish.…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In taking steps to let go of its long-held assumptions and strategies. A business does not often realize how much they resist change and sees what is wrong with ideas before giving a positive feedback. If organizations could change the mindset of people from the assumption of how things should work or had worked to the possibility of change, then the simple tools that every layer of the company can use to form the business onto the same…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lewin's Model Analysis

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Lewin’s model has three different stages of change: Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze. The process of this change is started by unfreezing whereby motivation for change is created as it is necessary to change existing attitudes towards working practices and preparing the ground. The next stage of the process is change which is done by promoting effective communication and empowering people to embrace new ways of working and learn new standards, attitudes and behaviours. This process then ends when the organisation returns to a sense of stability refreeze and the benefits of the change are understood, which is necessary for creating the confidence from which to go on board with the expected…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    There are many strategies to adopt the new change including new rules and regulations, attitudes, and reward system to reinforce the new change. Furthermore, change management without people is not possible. Human being stand at its heart and also they are the greatest barrier to change. (Lussier & Achua, 2013, pp.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Case Analysis of Health Information Services After reading and analyzing the case study by Elizabeth Layman, titled “Job Redesign for Expanded HIM Functions” I will talk about how the principals of goal setting are applied in this case, how the principals of job enrichment are applied in this case and what the outcomes of job enrichment are. Lastly I will be discussing the impact of job enrichment on motivation and communication in the HIS departments. There have been many changes in the Health Information Services (HIS) Departments, such as electronic health records and the health care delivery system. All of these changes have caused employees of that department to work harder.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Lewin's Change Theory

    • 1838 Words
    • 8 Pages

    “Healthcare leaders must find ways to eliminate persistent barriers and advocate for clinicians to have the time, resources, and support to implement EBP” (Melnyk, & Fineout-Overholt, 2015a, p. 241). Following Lewin’s Theory of Change and identifying restraining forces (barriers) and driving forces (time, resources, and support), as in the quote above, is essential to a leader using Lewin’s theory to promote EBP change. Understanding these forces is the start of the change process and the foundation of the Lewin theory. In using Lewin’s Theory of Change a clinical leader develops a desired future state and according to Melnyk, & Fineout-Overholt, (2015a) leaders who create a vision for EBP have a key impact on EBP implementation. Leaders should also support colleagues and be a role model for EBP to facilitate an EBP environment (Melnyk, & Fineout-Overholt,…

    • 1838 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lewin’s change model involves the three steps- unfreezing, moving, and refreezing to support change (Yoder- Wise, 2011). The local hospital currently utilizes a functional structure of leadership; therefore, the first step to initiate change must be gaining support and permission to implement a change from upper management. After support and consent has been obtained, the first step in Lewin’s change model, unfreezing may be initiated. Unfreezing. The first step in Lewin’s model of change, unfreezing, takes place when members of an organization begin to note the need for change and begin to prepare for change (Yoder- Wise, 2011).…

    • 1929 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Vineet Nayar extensively followed the change models proposed by Lewin and Kotter. Kurt Lewin developed a three stage model of planned change that discusses how to initiate, manage, and stabilize the change process. The three relevant stages are known as unfreezing in which you create a motivation to change, changing, by implementing your new strategies and structure in place, and refreezing in which you support and maintain your change (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013). For example in the case study, Vineet implemented the 3 stages of Lewin change model in how he wanted to see change take place and he exhausted several avenues to come up with new innovative ways to be productive and competitive, allow his employees to add more value,…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    By using this change model, they would focus on the employee and the customer together. They both would learn something new and also get rid of those old attitudes and behaviors. This will get them both motivated to change their culture. There…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Stakeholders In Nursing

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Change is often seen as reluctant and rarely easily adapted as the change can be complex, chaotic and convoluted. Lewin implemented his theory of change in the 1950s to address the three levels of change –unfreeze, change and refreeze (Stichler, 2011). In Lewin Change Theory, prior learning must be replaced in order to enforce change to occur. The theory uses the model of unfreezing-change-refreezing to promote change (Kritsonis, 2005). The propositions of the Change Theory are the driving forces should be pushed in a direction that can cause change to occur and this can cause a shift in the equilibrium (Kritsonis, 2005).…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Change Management Model

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Introduction Leading change management requires establishing a theoretical foundation that supports change initiatives. This document will research the theoretical elements of change and change management models. Addressed will be the following: factors that contributed to the organic evolution of change, methodologies used in formulating strategic development approaches, commensurate leadership and management skills used to sustain growth during change management and data retrieval and analysis. As businesses continue to change and evolve the need for flexibility within organizational operations becomes more important. Businesses that survive and prosper are agile and adaptive to change.…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Theoretical framework Planning and implementing change in nursing practice can be challenging. Using a change theory framework can help in increasing the likelihood of success (Mitchell, 2013). Kurt Lewin’s change model would be the most appropriate guide for implementing the protocol for removing the indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) within 24 hours of placement in postoperative patients to decrease the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in acute care unit. Lewin’s model identified three stages that the change agent must ensue before a planned change becomes part of the system; unfreezing, moving, and refreezing.…

    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Notably, a successful change initiative depends on how employees understand such change. Change of any kind will always encounter some challenge. To attain successful change, change initiators in the within an organisation should understand the change implications, not solely to the organisation but to the concerned employees as well. Seemingly, when the choice of initiating change is made, initiators will be required to state the vision for such practice. Unless such visions are shared with concerned subordinates, it is unlikely that they will accept the practice totally.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It is important that the message be sent loud and clear to all employees within the organization that the change must be attacked with an extreme sense of urgency. It is also important for the top level of the organization to have a realistic plan in implementing change. Many times top level management overestimates how many big changes they can force early on. They also underestimate how hard it is to drive people out of their comfort zones (Kotter, 1996). In order to achieve this management must create a powerful…

    • 1777 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays