The Kurt Lewin’s model

According to Kurt Lewin’s model

There are three stages in the process of implementing change: unfreezing, change, and freezing. In a highly competitive business world, these stages are critical for firms to respond to changes. They allow the company to effectively adapt its strategy, operations, and organizational structures in order to fulfill organizational goals in a dynamic business environment (McShane & Glinow, 2014).

Unfreezing

While Lewin’s model illustrates the three stages of change implementation in a generic and simplified manner, organizations must adapt it to individual business scenarios. Each of the three steps in Lewin’s change model is critical to the process of change implementation. The first stage in Lewin’s change model is unfreezing. This stage is one of the most important stages in change implementation of modern organizations (By, 2005). It involves preparing the organization for change. It is important in the change implementation process because it enables various stakeholders in the organization to understand the importance of change and appreciate it. Unfreezing encourages people in the organization to get out of the comfort zone and accept new challenges associated with change (Burke, W.W. (2008). This stage creates an ideal environment for change by preparing people to accept and embrace change before it starts.

Unfreezing also enables people to see the necessity and urgency of change.

When people see that change is necessary and urgent, they become motivated to accept and be part of its implementation. The management should motivate employees to accept change. To achieve this, they should communicate the need for change. Therefore, the advantage of unfreezing for an organization is that it motivates people to understand the need and urgency for change; hence preparing them to implement change in their workplaces.

The second stage of Lewin’s change model is called change or transition.

According to Lewin, change is process rather than an event (Burke, 2008). The change process is a transition that takes people or organizations from one position to another. It is a reaction caused by change - moving from the current situation to a new one. This stage is important because it enables an individual or an organization to make the changes needed to adapt to the environment successfully and remain competitive or relevant in the market.

The transition stage is the most difficult stage.

It involves the actual process of change. The individual or organization may be scared of the consequences of the change process, knowing that it is going into a new situation which is uncertain (Burnes, 2004). The second stage is the actual process of change which involves a lot of activities that enable the organization to transition into a new position.

With enough support from the management, the transition stage is essential for an organization to develop solutions for its challenges. The organization’s management should allow employees to participate in the change process and help them through the change process. It is also important to maintain continuous communication to create a clear picture of the changes desired in the organization (Burnes, 2004). The transition process enables individuals and the organization to move towards a set vision and achieve organizational goals. It allows the organization to adapt to changing business environment, e.g. use of digital marketing rather than traditional methods of marketing in the current business environment.

The final stage of change implementation is refreezing or freezing.

It refers to the process of establishing stability after implementing changes in the organization. Once the changes have been made, they are accepted and adopted is part of the organization’s culture and norms (Graetz et al, 2010). Through the process of stabilization, people form new teams and relationships, and accept new routines. The refreezing process may take time before people accept the new changes fully. The importance of this stage is that it enables the organization to accommodate changes in their organizational structures, processes, and strategies; hence remaining competitive and achieving organizational objectives in the competitive environment.

One of the situations in which the three stages of Lewin’s model can be applied is when a company adopts digital marketing strategy e.g. social media marketing.

When implementing the new strategy, the company starts by communicating the importance of social media in marketing. Nowadays, many businesses have realized a great potential in the increasing number of social media users. The social media offers an opportunity for businesses to increase their customer base and communicate effectively with their employees. I have experienced a business in my neighborhood that has started advertising products using social media, and it is making a lot of sales online. In the second stage, the business starts the transition process by installing computers and signing up for various social media platforms, and start digital marketing. Lastly, the refreezing process involves withdrawing marketers from the traditional methods and encouraging them to settle for the new digital marketing strategy as the norm or marketing culture of the organization.

References

Burke, W.W. (2008). Organization change: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Burnes, B. (2004). Managing change: A strategic approach to organizational dynamics, 4th Edition. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

By, R.T. (2005). Organizational change management: A critical review. Journal of Change Management, 5, 369-380.

Graetz, F., Smith, A., Rimmer, M., & Lawrence, A. (2010). Managing Organisational Change 3E. Melbourne: Wiley.

McShane, S. L., & Glinow, M.A.. (2014). Organizational behavior. New York: Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin.