Question

Human Behavior in organization - Managing change

Describe the three stages of change. Why is it critical that each stage be fully implemented before moving to the next? Provide concrete, detailed examples and explain how each fits into the three stages of change.

Answer 1

The three stages of changes are unfreezing, changing and refreezing. This model was developed by Kurt Lewin to describe the change model. It helps in having a perception to have a required change before moving to the new desired change state.

-          Unfreezing : This relates with the change state needed to resist change by an individual and how much of the acceptance he or she showcases in terms of behavior, thought process, people around and how much of change required to have a competitive advantage in the market. Thus, communication becomes very important during this stage by explaining the intention behind the change and how this does benefits each employee or an individual.

-          Changing: Once the individual is “unfrozen” it means he or she is open for a new change and in highly motivated state and ready for the transition. Hence, every one begins to learn new processes, the way they think and adapt new processes. So, individuals to be more prepared for this particular stage to have a smooth transition by becoming familiar with the intention behind the change, time and support, communication and knowledge gained.

-          Refreezing: It shows the more of reinforcement and the change is stable by showing that the company wide processes, offerings, employees, set goals, etc. are stable with respect to the new change. This stage becomes important to make sure that an employee should not get back to the older thinking or approaches before the final change implementation. In many organizations, this has made sure by offering rewards and recognitions to the employees, to reinforce the new phase.

It is critical that each stage be fully implemented before moving to the next because it is very easy that anyone who is not motivated or rewarded or not gained enough education or not communicated properly, may easily get back to the old ways of thinking and develop negative mindsets.

For example, any organization wanted to move forward to the future state of its vision or mission to remain competitive in the market place. To take this forward with their workforce or employees it becomes very important to understand them or “unfreeze” them to take them to the desired state or it becomes easy to mold them. Thus, to move from the current to the future state it needs a smooth transition with higher motivation levels of the employee so as to achieve the business success.