Change Management Model

Lewin’s (1947) 3 Stages Model

Kurt Lewin’s (1989) ‘changing as three steps’ has been regarded by many scholars as the fundamental treatment of implementing change. Lewin (1947) presented a theory that can be generally applied to changes at all levels of an organization, that is, changes in attitudes at various levels of individuals, groups, and organizations. He explains the organizational change process in the same way as the individual attitude change process, and explains this process by dividing it into three stages. 1) The Unfreezing Stage is a process of recognizing the need for change and at the same time preparing for the smooth progress of the change. The purpose of this stage is to motivate change and prepare individuals or groups for change. 2) In the Moving Stage, individuals are motivated for change and are prepared to accept new behaviors. This stage is also referred to as the change conversion stage, and in this stage, it is a process in which organizational members accept change by actually experiencing the satisfaction and self-realization through new premises and values. 3) In the refreezing stage, it is a process of fixing the values, attitudes, and actual behaviors newly formed in the previous stage into permanent behavioral patterns by continuously repeating and reinforcing them. The important thing in this stage is to make efforts and create an environment that is continuously strengthened for a long time so that the changes made in the previous stage do not return to the previous state. Lewin's (1947) theory is the beginning of change transition research, and many scholars (e.g., Schein, 1988) have begun to present multi-stage models of change transition based on this theory.

Source: Kotter (2007), p. 97.

Figure 1. Changing as three steps (CATS) as a grand foundation.

Source: Cummings, Bridgman and Brown (2016), p. 42.

Another understanding of change transition is Kotter's (1996) 8-stage model. Unlike other models, Kotter's (1996) change stage model presents eight stages that are considerably subdivided, and among the stage models, it is the most preferred model in the academic world and in the business field.

Kotter’s (1996) 8 Stages Model

Another understanding of change transition is Kotter's (1996) 8-stage model. Unlike other models, Kotter's (1996) change stage model presents eight stages that are considerably subdivided, and among the stage models, it is the most preferred model in the academic world and in the business field. Kotter (1996) proposed an eight-stage change model derived from long-term organizational change-related field experience. A brief look at the model of the change stage is as follows. 1) Establishing a Sense of Urgency. The main activity of this stage is to create a sense of crisis within the organization by analyzing the market and competitive environment and identifying current and future risks, business opportunities and threats. 2) Forming a Powerful Guiding Coalition. It brings together influential people to form a centripetal body to drive innovation and induce them to work as a coordinated team. 3) Creating a Vision. This is the stage of developing a vision to present a direction for change and innovation and developing specific strategies to realize it. 4) Communicating the Vision. In this stage, the new vision and strategy must be widely publicized by all means, and organizational leaders and innovation teams must lead by example. 5) Empowering Others to Act on the Vision. It is important to remove barriers to change and change organizational structures or systems that hinder vision realization. This is the stage where managers need to encourage new ideas, actions, and activities that are out of the box. 6) Planning for and Creating Short-Term Wins. The organization encourages and rewards those who intentionally plan tangible success stories, realize them, and make them successful. 7) Consolidating Improvements and Producing Still More Change. It is necessary to reform systems, organizational structures, and operating guidelines that do not fit the new vision, and recruit, develop, and promote competent people who can realize the vision. In addition, the atmosphere in workplace must be continuously renewed by promoting new projects, introducing new slogans, or introducing new innovative forces. 8) Institutionalizing New Approaches. In this stage, newly introduced systems or behaviors should be sublimated and established as an organizational culture.

Eight Steps to Transforming Your Organization

Source: Kotter (2007), p. 99.

Diagnosing Your Organizational Change (8 Stages Model)

Diagnosing Your Organizational Change.pdf

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References

Cummings, S., Bridgman, T. and Brown, K. G. (2016) ‘Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management’, Human Relations, 69(1), pp. 33-60.

Kotter, J. P. (1995) ‘Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail’, Harvard Business Review, 73(2), pp. 59-67.

Kotter, J. P. (1996) Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Kotter, J. P. (2007) ‘Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail’, Harvard Business Review, January 2007, pp. 96-103.

Lewin, K. (1947) ‘Frontiers in group dynamics: II. Channels of group life; social planning and action research’, Human Relations, 1(2), pp. 143-153.

Lewin, K. (1989). Changing as three steps: Unfreezing, moving, and freezing of group standards. Organizational development: Theory, Practice, and Research, 87.

Schein, E. H. (1988) Organizational Psychology, 3rd edn. London: Prentice-Hall.