Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Theory Explained
Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Theory
Imagine you have a large cube of ice, but you need a cone. What do you do? First, you melt the ice to make it amenable to change (unfreeze). Then, you mold the iced water into the desired cone shape (change). Finally, you solidify the new shape (refreeze).
By viewing change as a process with distinct stages, you can prepare for what’s coming and plan to manage the transition effectively. This proactive approach helps avoid unnecessary turmoil and chaos that often arise from blindly implementing changes.
The Unfreezing Stage: Preparing for Change
To initiate any successful change process, you must first understand why the change is necessary. As Lewin stated, “Motivation for change must be generated before change can occur. One must be helped to re-examine many cherished assumptions about oneself and one’s relations to others.” This is the unfreezing stage, the foundation upon which change begins.
The Importance of Change Management
Why is change management so important in today’s world? Consider the primary drivers of change:
When positive change is applied correctly, it helps reduce waste and, consequently, costs. Effective change management enables an organization to make smart choices, increasing productivity, decreasing risks, and improving profitability.
The Role of Core Values in the McKinsey 7-S Model
The McKinsey 7-S Model is an organizational tool that assesses the health of seven internal factors within an organization to determine if the company has the structural support needed for success.
Core values are crucial because they fundamentally drive employees’ decisions. Organizational core values help employees understand how they should interact with each other and how they should treat customers and clients.
Assessing Your Company’s Readiness for Change
How can you determine if your company is ready for change? Here’s the process:
Key indicators of an organization’s readiness for change include:
- The change has been fully defined and assigned a level of priority.
- The organization understands the need for change at every employee level.
- Leaders are visibly committed to the change.
- You have the tools and infrastructure to deliver necessary training.
A change readiness assessment can reveal potential issues that could impact a program’s success. For example, during a recent assessment for a client, engaging with key stakeholders uncovered an issue with an antiquated phone system. Addressing this issue enabled the client to successfully engage with physician practices, yielding the anticipated improvement in patient referral coordination. Without fixing the infrastructure issue beforehand, employees would have been frustrated and unable to implement the new program, reinforcing the impression that leaders were out of touch.
An assessment early in the planning process can inform the communications plan and provide stakeholders with a sense of inclusion and commitment. It also incorporates the voice of frontline employees and operations into the initiative. We recommend talking to a broad spectrum of stakeholders from different functional areas and levels, from the front line to executive leadership, as you assess change and stakeholder readiness. For long-term projects, consider repeating the assessment every few months to monitor progress and proactively identify potential problems.
The Relationship Between Corporate Culture and Change Management
The relationship between organizational culture and organizational change is distinct and reciprocal. An organization’s culture can either facilitate or hinder change, affect how change is communicated, and impact the overall effectiveness of change. Significant organizational change can also profoundly affect an organization’s culture.