Kurt Lewin's change modelHow to manage change: Freeze-Unfreeze-FreezeUnderpinning his famous freeze phase model are 2 these important and in my view foundational concepts: (1) "Lewin’s equation" a heuristic - an experience based or rule of thumb technique - for predicting human behaviour. (2)"Force field analysis" which provides a framework for looking at the factors or forces that influence a potential change situation See here for more information on this:
Force Field Analysis
The freeze change model
recognises that people like the safety, comfort and feeling of control within their environment. It also recognises that they derive a strong sense of identity from their environment.
Thus change is threatening to that status quo and causes discomfort. Lewin regarded this as a 'frozen' state and suggested that significant effort may be required to 'unfreeze' them in order to get them to change. This usually requires some form of intervention to get them moving such as a restructuring, or the creation of some form of real crisis - or the perception of a real crisis! Another common strategy is to present the "cold hard logic" of "irrefutable facts" that make change inevitable - basically, any form of intervention that is designed to destabilise people and render them susceptible to change.
Change as a journeyA key part of the freeze model is the idea that change, even at the psychological level, is a journey rather than a simple step. This journey may not be that simple and the person may need to go through several stages of misunderstanding before they get to the other side. It is painfully clear that managing the transition requires time and sensitive skillful leadership - exercised within people-focused change management processes. The work of William Bridges [and others] focuses specifically on the transitions and the psychological changes that lie behind behind significant organisational change. Bridges maintains that situational changes are not as difficult for companies to make as the psychological transitions of the people impacted by the change.
William Bridges - Navigating the transitions of change Then the final phase is the "refreezing" - which basically means institutionalising the change - and many differing approaches are used to attempt to achieve this. However, as already stated, most don't succeed! In my view there is value in Lewin's model in that recognises that (a) people are "stuck" or attached to "how things are" and thus potentially resistant to change, and (b) that there are stages to change process and the change experience. However the freeze change model is very mechanistic and in my view reflects a Newtonian world view and a control oriented view of change that is imposed from the top down.
Are you a student or researching for a thesis or study project?
However I do get thousands of visitors to this site each month who are researching change management in general and Kurt Lewin in particular. If this is you, then I trust you will find the following links and resources beneficial and of interest - they are all downloadable PDFs:
If you are looking for further information on a specific area of Lewin's work why not try these PDF research tools Books
The practical aspects of leading your people through change, putting it all together and managing the whole messy businessFor those of us involved in the practical business of change management, a key theme of Kurt Lewin's model is the idea that change, especially at the psychological level, is a journey rather than a simple step. This journey may not be simple and may involve several stages of misunderstanding before people get to the other side. Change is a messy business fraught with complexity, multiple factors and many things that can, and usually do, go wrong. There are 3 broad areas that need to be included in any successful change initiative, namely:
These are addressed in the "Practitioners Masterclass" which takes a holistic view of the key areas and shows you how to put all this into practise.
Further ResourcesThe infamous "freeze-unfreeze-freeze" model is a very popular search item - and in fact many people end up on this site as a result of searching for something to do with Lewin. Truth is - yes it's all very foundational to change management - but things have moved on massively since Lewin's era. There have been major developments in insight and understanding since Lewin's contribution to the understanding of change management. For a start, check out: Kurt Lewin's "Force Field Analysis Change management models - How do they help? Kotter - 8 guiding principles for change management Beckhard - the change equation Bridges - navigating the transitions of change Longaker - the 4 major phases of change Conner - the do's and dont's of ongoing turbulence Then take a look at: Leadership Styles - What is most effective in leading change? Inspirational Motivation - How to inspire your people in tough times And if you really fancy a challenge:-) The Tao of Change - Zen and the Art of Change Management Key factors to address BEFORE embarking on a change intiativeChange Management Risk Assessment Change Management Implementation Change Equation - INPACT Assessment Leadership Qualities - Creating a Change Culture Managing Personal Change - Resources HERE
Putting all this into practise
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Lewin's freeze model suggests that change involves a move from one static state via a state of activity to another static status quo -and all this via a three-stage process of managing change: unfreezing, changing and re-freezing.
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