Lewin’s change model

3 steps: Unfreezing, change and refreezing

- Step 1: Unfreezing: create an awareness that the change is needed. Motivation is intrinsic to an
individual (internal change)

The main thing in this stage is to make people understand the importance of change and the impact of
this change on their work. During this period, the organization needs to make efforts to change to
reduce the pressures that support change. There are 3 ways to do:

+ Strengthen pressure to accelerate the change of status quo.

+ Reduce obstacles to change.

+ Combining both ways.

- Step 2: Changing: focus on the solution and new ways of working. In this step, the organization
will provide new information, new behaviors, ways of thinking and new perspectives for
employees. In addition, the organization needs to help its members learn new skills. At the same
time, they also need to create favorable conditions for change.
- Step 3: Refreezing: reinforcing, stabilizing and solidifying the new state after the change. During
this period, the organization needs to help workers integrate with the new behaviors and
attitudes to change and normalize those behaviors. At the same time, the organization should
strengthen the change through mentoring to help stabilize change.
 Especially important step, to avoid people falling back into the old state

Advantage and disadvantage of Lewin’s change model:

Advantage Disadvantage
- Provide a visual summary - No personal factors
- General guidelines - Approach is too simplistic
- Basic headings - No integration of radical changes
- Simplified way of communicating the - May ignore the role of power and politic in
change organizations.