Three Stage Model

The 3 Stages of Change in Lewin’s Model

To substantiate his Force Field Theory, Lewin suggested a straightforward 3-step
change model which aids employees’ ability to adapt to change.
Stage 1 - Unfreeze

At this stage, people realize that something is going to change and they are dealing with strong emotions
such as denial, impatience, uncertainty and doubt. It is essential for a business to fully disclose the state of
affairs and to explain why a change process is put into force.

Lewin describes that human behavior is a kind of quasi-stationary state: Trying to change this status quo
almost always results in resistance. Lewin argues that this equilibrium state must be stirred to encourage
different behavior and facilitate change.

There are several ways to change the status quo in the short term.A summary of actions and measures
that can be taken during this phase are:

● Establish why change is needed and make sure employees understand the change process
● Instilling the need for change
● Ensure sufficient support
● Engage with stakeholders
● Communicating the long-term vision
Stage 1 - Unfreeze

The first stage in Lewin’s model deals with perception management and aims to prepare the affected
stakeholders for the upcoming organizational change. Change leaders must look at ways to improve the
company’s preparedness for change and create a sense of urgency similar to Kotter’s change model.

During this stage, effective change communication plays a vital role in getting the desired team member
buy-in and support of the people in the change management.

The following activities under the ‘unfreeze’ stage will help a manager/organisation embrace change
better:

● Conduct a needs analysis by surveying your organization to understand the current loopholes in the
business processes
● Obtain organizational buy-in
● Create a strategic change vision and change strategy
● Communicate in a compelling way about why change has to occur
● Address employee concerns with honesty and transparency
Stage 2 - Change

It is of crucial importance that the change is implemented within a short time. The longer the change process takes, the more
employees are inclined to relapse into old habits and rituals. Once the status quo is thawed, change must be implemented.
Organizational change is wide-ranging and complex, so it is imperative that it is planned well in advance. Two key drivers of
successful implementation are information literacy and leadership skills.

A). Information provision refers to the sharing of information with the different hierarchical layers of the organization. As before, it is
important that everyone within the organization is kept informed to ensure involvement.

B). Leadership in this is about the influence of leadership figures on the group of employees in order to achieve goals.

Change that lacks the above is often unsustainable and short-lived. In summary, this phase is about:

● Implementing change
● Answering questions and clarifying misunderstandings
● Communicating the impact of implemented changes
● Promoting action and commitment
● Supporting managers in dealing with day-to-day changes
● Involving everyone in the change

This stage is sometimes referred to as the “move stage” because it causes a ripple effect within an organization. By acting
vigorously and implementing the change within a short time, the employees will become aware of the importance of this change
more quickly.
Stage 2 - Change

Once the status quo is disrupted, this stage deals with the implementation of
change. In this stage, organisation must consider an agile and iterative approach
that incorporates employee feedback to smoothen the transition.

● Ensure a continuous flow of information to obtain the support of your team

members
● Organize change management workshops and sessions for change
management exercises
● Empower employees to deal with the change proactively
● Generate easy wins as visible results will motivate your team
Stage 3 - Refreeze

This stage, refreeze the change, is about solidifying the change. After the change has been implemented in the
change stage, employees are inclined to revert to their old habits. Therefore, it is advisable to make proper
arrangements and carry out interim evaluations, monitor and make adjustments (when necessary). Only then the new
situation can be stabilized and the employees will understand that there is no turning back. Eventually, they will act in
accordance with the new situation and realize that there are advantages to it.

In summary, companies should do the following:

● Bind to the new status quo by identifying and removing barriers

● Develop and promote the new ways of working
● Provide adequate leadership
● Establish feedback structures
● Provide training and support
● Implement reward systems
Stage 3 - Refreeze

Employees move away from the transition phase towards stabilization or

acceptance in the final’ refreezing’ stage. However, if change leaders fail to
strengthen the change by reinforcing it into org culture, employees might revert to
previous behaviors.

● The following activities will help you support the change:

● Identify and reward early adopters and change champions
● Collect employee feedback regularly
● Offer on-demand employee training and support
How Can Lewin’s Change Model Be Implemented?

1. Changing the Behaviour and Skills of a Workforce: More often than not, every change
initiative requires behavior modification and continuous upskilling of employees. Building on
an existing skill-set allows employees to take over more responsibilities. Therefore, it’s
crucial to offer continuous employee training until the change is second nature.
2. Changing the Processes, Structures, Systems in an Organization: Successful change
initiative requires a balanced approach to changing the business processes, structures, and
systems. For example, McDonald’s incurred multi-billion dollars loss due to its inability to
balance innovation against process efficiencies. It failed to recognize how extensive
customization to its food preparation would impact its speed and increase operational costs.
3. Changing the Culture of an Organization: To reap the long-term benefits of any change
initiative, you must anchor the changes in org culture. For example, Hubspot values culture
and product equally. It has an extensive 128-page culture code check to ensure that its
culture stays strong as ever. Additionally, Hubspot takes an employee-first approach and
invests heavily in employee development and upskilling.
Lewin’s 3-Stage Model in Action - Nissan

The Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Company was on the verge of bankruptcy due to its
huge debt and constantly declining market share. However, Nissan entered into a strategic
alliance with Renault under the change agent Carlos Ghosn where Nissan aimed to get rid of its
financial debt. At the same time, Renault wanted to expand its market share.
Carlos Ghosn was faced with the challenge of implementing a transformational change and
turning around the operations of Nissan to make it profitable. He formed multiple cross-functional
teams to reduce employee pushback and recommend a robust action plan in different functions.
He developed a strong change management strategy to tackle various business challenges and
increased employee involvement in the change journey through effective communication and
positive reinforcement.
For refreezing the behavioral change of the team members, he introduced performance-based
pay, empowered employees to try non-conventional methods, and implemented an open
feedback system for guiding and facilitating the employees in enhancing workplace adaptability.
 Force Field Analysis
The force field analysis is a widely-used change management model; it works as a
diagnostic tool and a powerful decision-making tool during change planning.
It is used by identifying, by visually mapping – the driving forces and restraining
forces for and against the initiative and thus work on leveraging the factors in favor
while reducing the unfavorable ones to ensure the successful implementation of
the change plan.
The force field analysis tool was developed as a change management model in
1951 by the German-American psychologist, Kurt Lewin who is also known for
being a founder of modern psychology. Today, the tool is even widely used to
inform business decision-making.
FFA
Kurt Lewin was a sociologist who became famous for developing the force field analysis in 1951. Lewin designed the
analysis to understand environments, situations, and individuals through studying relevant influential factors. What is force
field analysis? The analysis suggests that all beings represent an equilibrium between two forces that pull in opposite
directions. For example, the analysis can be used to understand why a pen can be placed on top of a table without it falling
through the table. On the other hand, it can be used to gain insight into complex systems, such as why people or
organizations of people behave and move in the ways they do. Force field theory captures how different forces combine to
keep a being in a state that it is currently in.

In general, the analysis is conducted when there is a need for understanding.

I. On an individual level, an analyzer can analyze to determine the psychological state someone is in by examining the
various factors that affect the person's mind.
II. On a macro level, using the force field analysis makes it possible to understand a country's decision to wage war on
another. Common use cases of the analysis relate to workplace environments and the different needs within them.
The analysis focuses on the concept of change by studying the input factors around it. According to Lewin's force field
analysis, the main goal is to examine the restraining and driving forces.
FFA- Restraining and Driving Forces
The two primary components of Lewin's force field analysis are driving forces and restraining forces. These two forces
determine a being's state of equilibrium. Driving forces are the constructive, economic, and optimistic elements that lift an
object. These elements are generally said to advance the object. Restraining forces are the negative factors that push down
the object, limiting its progression. Driving forces are interested in causing change, whereas resisting forces want to maintain
the current state. Elements that play into the analysis can often be driving forces and restraining forces. The elements
include people, habits, customs, attitudes:=

● People: As a driving force, the people influencing an individual can be motivating, encouraging, and inspiring. This
influence results in the individual achieving higher success. People can be pessimistic and unloving as a restraining
force, which normally discourages an individual from succeeding.
● Habits: As a driving force, habits can cause an individual to get up early and, consequently, get a lot done throughout
the day. On the contrary, as a restraining force, bad habits can see a person wake up late in the morning and develop
terrible sleeping patterns.
FFA- Restraining, Driving Forces & Equilibrium
● Customs: If individuals grow accustomed to working hard, they are prone to develop faster and achieve more goals.
As a restraining force, shabby customs such as frequently checking one's phone while working impede personal
development to a significant degree.
● Attitudes: Maintaining a positive attitude as an individual pursuing a goal is a powerful driving force. Optimism in itself
holds many benefits as an approach to life. On the other hand, a negative attitude is undoubtedly a restraining force
and a liability.

Equilibrium:

These two components of driving and restraining forces introduce the idea of an equilibrium. Equilibrium is the balance of
force established by the net result of all driving and restraining forces. A subject can also be in quasi-equilibrium, defined as
being somewhat or partially in equilibrium. The role of the driving and restraining forces are to pull the subject into
equilibrium. Change is ultimately achieved when the driving forces outmatch the restraining forces or vice versa.
 Force Field Analysis
The basic idea behind the force field analysis is that a certain given situation remains the way it
is because of counterbalancing forces, or because of the state of equilibrium between forces that
drive change and oppose change.

In order to promote change, either the driving forces should be strengthened or the resisting
forces should be weakened.

The force field analysis is ideally used for diagnosing a problem and can also be used to :

● Analyze the balance of power

● Identify the key roles involved in decision-making
● Identify who supports and opposes change within the organization
● Explore ways to influence those who are against change
● Decide whether to go ahead with a proposed change or not
Advantages of Force Field Analysis
● It provides a clear analysis for a decision to be made
● It identifies the negative forces that should be removed to ensure successful
implementation of the change
● It is a fair analysis and allows everyone to list their pros and cons
● It can be used as a group or individual
Disadvantages of Force Field Analysis
● There are decisions that do not work well with a few industries/ sections
anything involving health or safety are two notable examples
● The subjective nature of the scoring
● Some decisions are complicated and can break the framework
● It relies on all the information being captured in the analysis
● It can add time to decision making