Lewin’s change management theory, also known as Lewin’s theory of change or Lewin’s change model, helps account for both the uncertainty and resistance to change that can be experienced at all staff levels within an organization. The lack of cooperation between employees, a general distrust of unproven processes, or the fear of turning away from what has worked in the past are just some of the common barriers to implementing change.
In this article, we will further expand upon Lewin’s theory of planned change, which remains one of the most popular—and possibly the first—change management models still being used by modern businesses today. We will also explore why the relative simplicity of this theory offers a distinct advantage when it comes to applying procedural change at organizations of any size or type.
3 basic steps of Lewin’s theory of change
Kurt Lewin observed that people naturally resist change, gravitate toward what’s familiar, and seek out comfort zones. Based on his research, Lewin sought to simplify change management strategy. Successful implementation of change required greater simplicity.
For his particular strategy, Lewin broke everything down into three manageable stages: unfreeze, change, refreeze.
Unfreeze
First, a team or organization must unfreeze their current process and perceptions when preparing for upcoming changes. Past behaviors, ways of thinking, processes, people, and organizational structures must be thoroughly examined to demonstrate the necessity for change to establish or uphold a competitive edge in an evolving marketplace. This attitude helps the team approach the task or challenge with a clean slate without bias or bad habits.
Change
Once the team or organization is no longer frozen, it’s time to implement change. Lewin recognized that this phase was a time marked with uncertainty and fear—making it the most arduous step to complete. During this step, employees begin to learn new behavior, processes, and ways of thinking. For this reason, clear and constant communication are critical for employees as they become familiar with the change both during and after deployment.
Refreeze
Finally, it’s time to refreeze. Assuming that the changes made to behaviors, processes, and ways of thinking are accepted, the refreeze step locks the new norm or status quo into place. Lewin found this step to be particularly crucial to ensure that teams and organizations would not revert back to their old way and past habits before the change was implemented.
Benefits of Lewin's change model
While too simplistic for some, Lewin’s change theory is favored by others for its uncanny ability to uncover bad patterns or unseen problems and its fresh approach to new thinking. Here are three more reasons why you may want to consider applying Lewin’s change theory for yourself.
1. It’s relatively easy to implement
How successfully an organization manages change can vary tremendously. It often depends on the nature of the business, along with the scope of change and the people involved. Much of this variability is contingent on how well everyone understands the change process from start to finish.
Lewin’s change management model is easy to implement given its relative simplicity and basic three-step approach. The transition period between the unfreeze and change steps makes change more palatable to both new hires and seasoned employees—two groups whose shared acceptance and understanding is critical when it comes to the success of your proposed organizational change.
Lewin’s change theory framework also naturally lends itself to the process diagram treatment.
Building a chart to visually outline your organization’s change process can help you gain buy-in from employees and leadership.
