Question

The CEO of Ferguson Inc. wants its executives to make the organization more environmentally friendly by encouraging employees to reduce waste in the workplace. Government legislation is coming that will require all companies of this size to have a program in place and the company’s customers also expect it. The CEO wants to significantly reduce paper usage, garbage and other waste throughout the company’s many widespread offices. Unfortunately, a survey indicates that employees do not value environmental objectives and do not know how to “reduce, reuse, recycle.” As the executive responsible for this change, you have been asked to develop a strategy that might bring about meaningful behavioural change towards this environmental goal. What would you do?

Questions

1. Based on the case above, and according to Lewin’s Model for Managing Change - what are 2 Forces for the status quo (or restraining forces)?

2. Using Lewin’s Model for Managing Change, how would you go about implementing and managing the change at Ferguson Inc. – answer a. and b.

a.Explain each phase – Unfreezing, Moving and Refreezing

b.and list one action that you would implement for each phase to accomplish your change.

Answer 1

Answers for the questions:  

Question 1. People resist the change because they are not aware of the detrimental impact of the current status quo as to how it is obstructing the growth and sustainability of the organization and their discomfort from the change process as they feel that it will be troublesome. The two major forces which are helping to maintain the status quo in the case of Ferguson Inc. are lack of awareness about the need for change and how the change process will take place and its implication on the people.

Question 2. a.

The first step of unfreezing: This is the stage where the status quo needs to be broken. People must realize that the current level of acceptability of the status quo is creating a hindrance or unfavorable environment for growth and sustainability for the organization.

The second step of moving: This stage is about evaluating and implementing the behavioral changes which are needed to bring the change. People should be involved in the change process and they should start realizing the positive outcomes of the change being implemented. This transformational stage is identified by the ongoing implementation of the change process.

The third step of Refreezing: This step is to make sure people should not go back to old pattern of behavior and everyone should show his or her concurrence with the new state. It's the final stage wherein all the changes that have been implemented in the second phase need to be established as a new norm. A new status quo is created with changed behavior. Now people need to be in the new state which was achieved after the implementation of change process and behavior.  

Question 2.b.

One action for each stage:

a. Unfreezing: It is very important to break the ice and Communication about the change process and the benefits along with the need for change need to be communicated to each and every stakeholder.  

b. Moving: There will be lot of uncertainity about the implementation of the change and the way it is going to be managed. Therefore, overcoming the uncertainty and fear among people about change and help them in learning the change process and be an integral part of the change management. People must be demonstrated with the benefits of the change being implemented.

c. Refreezing: This step is like cementing the change which was implemented during the moving phase. People should not go back to the old behavioral pattern, hence the acceptance of changed behavior need to be frozen as no going back now should be allowed, efforts must be made so that the change should be made as part of the culture and the acceptability need to be maintained.