CHAPTER TWO

THEORIES OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT

 Introduction

• Lewin’s change management model

• The McKinsey 7-S model
• Kotter’s theory
• Nudge theory
• ADKAR
• Bridges’ transition model
• Kübler-Ross’ change curve
• The Satir change management mode
Lewin’s change management model

Lewin’s model is one of the most popular approaches, and it’s

easy to see why. By splitting the change process into three
stages you can break a large, unwieldy shift into bitesize
chunks which account for both the processes and people in
your company.
Change process was best described by Kurt Lewin as follows:
• Unfreezing
• Moving
• Refreezing
• Feedback
Cont’d
Unfreezing
As a practical matter, change does not occur in a vacuum of no
prior perspective. To the extent the new is different from the
old and the old-had value to the individuals, the old patterns of
perspective implies a questioning and doubting of existing
assumptions and feelings. For most change which is
significant, the unfreezing requires a loosening of emotional as
well as intellectual forces.
Unfreezing involves the following steps:
• A) Recognizing the Driving Forces
Recognizing major changes in the environment and problems
within the organization is the first step toward organizational
change.
In many organizations, however, the need for change may go
unnoticed until a major problem strikes.
B) Increasing the Driving Forces
Once the need for change is identified, it has to be communicated to
people who are involved in the changing process. Because if
members know why the change is needed, they are more likely to
adopt it.
The following strategies can be adopted to increase the - acceptance
of a change.
 Express the need for change
• People who will be affected by the change have to know the
change is needed. If they do not, they will hesitate to cooperate in
the change process.
 Communicate the potential benefit
• People have a tendency to ask, "what's in it for me?" Unless they
feel that the change will benefit them or that failure to change will
hurt them substantially, they are less likely to cooperate. If no
benefits can be identified, the costs of not changing must at least be
understood.
Cont’d
• Protect the interest of concerned people
• People fear change because it may cause them to lose their jobs, income or
status. Assurances of job security, income protection and maintenance of
status can increase the acceptance of change.
• Get people involved in the process
• Participation can help people accept change. Some individuals have a positive
outlook on change and when they participate, the progress of change is
facilitated.
• Communicate the progress of change
• In order to minimize fear of the unknown, the content and progress of change
must be communicated to employees. It is often difficult to know all the
potential consequences and influences of a given change, but, by keeping
employees informed of its progress, management can at least maintain a
climate of trust.
 Cont’d
 Use a respected change agent
• The credibility and power of the change agent can facilitate the process
of change. The change agent must be familiar with the technical and
behavioral aspects of a given change and must be someone with an
influence on organizational functioning.
 Reinforce earlier changes
• When an organization undertakes a large scale change involving a series
of continual modification, it is important for people to see that earlier
changes have been successful.
C) Managing the Resisting Forces
Most of the strategies designed to increase the driving forces are equally
applicable for reducing resisting forces to change.
People resist change because they perceive that it can be harmful to them;
thus, it is essential that they be made aware of its need and benefit.
Understanding the reason why people resist change can help you
formulate a plan to reduce the resistance.
2. Moving
• In the moving or changing phase the individual is ready for new behavior and a
change in perspective.
• It is a time of trial and error learning, characterized by ambiguity and tentativeness.
• The phase is typically one of careful guidance by an authority, of learning the pieces
of a new pattern of behavior before the whole can be conceived.
• Moving or change involves changing the organizational components. Traditionally,
organizational change was thought to mean modifying only one subsystem of an
organization. For example if there was a change in technology, modifying a task was
thought to be sufficient. In recent years, however, more attention has been paid to
larger-scale organizational changes involving several organizational components. This
approach is based on the view that an organization is composed of four major
components-task, structure, technology and people and that a change in any one of
them requires changing the others
 3. Refreezing
• This phase involves the establishment of a new perspective compatible with and
leading to the new desirable behavior.
• In effect, the new part of one's total perspective is now established and
integrated so that it fits the whole. This makes it possible for the new behavior to
be accomplished as a matter of course. This is the period in which the individual
or group begins to enjoy the rewards for the new behavior, either extrinsically in
the form of social approval, monetary reward and the like or intrinsically in the
form of ego satisfaction, sense of mastery and self-fulfillment.
• In order to continuously reinforce the newly acquired behavior, the organization
needs to maintain the organizational fit among various components that are
supportive of such behavior. Without such organizational compatibility, the
organization will encounter instability. Since the new found behavior cannot be
adequately reinforced in an unstable organizational climate, it may soon be
discontinued.
• 4. Feedback
Management of change requires feedback and follow-up actions that change programme is
progressing in right direction without producing any dysfunctional effect.
The McKinsey 7-S model
Instead of supporting deep analysis and large shifts,
the McKinsey 7-S model is great for analysing how coherent
your company is. If you know that you need to change your
act, but you’re not sure what to do, this is the change
management model for you.
By analysing the following seven aspects of your company and
how they affect each other, you will highlight the changes you
need to make to create a united approach to business:
• Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared values, Style, Staff, Skills
Cont’d
Kotter’s theory
Kotter’s theory is the first in this list to focus less on the change itself and
more on the people behind it (albeit from a top-down point of view). By
inspiring a sense of urgency for change and maintaining that momentum,
Kotter’s theory can be used to great effect in adapting your business to the
current climate.
Kotter’s theory works by:
• Creating a sense of urgency
• Building a core coalition
• Forming a strategic vision
• Getting everyone on board
• Removing barriers and reducing friction
• Generating short-term wins
• Sustaining acceleration
• Setting the changes in stone
Cont’d
Nudge theory
• Nudge theory is odd, in that it really is just a theory – there’s no set
change management model to be had, but instead a mind-set and
tactic which can be used to frame your changes in a more attractive
and effective manner.
• The basic theory is that “nudging” change along is much more
effective than trying to enforce it in a traditional sense. So, instead of
telling your employees what to do and how to change, you pave the
way for them to choose to do so by themselves. The trick is knowing
how to present these nudges.
• Business balls highlights some of the core aspects of nudges as being
indirect, subtle, open-ended, educational, backed up with evidence,
optional, and open to discussion.
The basic principles you need to follow when nudging changes are:
The ADKAR model
Created by Jeffery Hiatt (founder of Prosci), the ADKAR change
management model is a bottom-up method which focuses on the
individuals behind the change. It’s less of a sequential method and
more of a set of goals to reach, with each goal making up a letter of the
acronym.
By focusing on achieving the following five goals, the ADKAR model can
be used to effectively plan out change on both an individual and
organizational level:
• Awareness (of the need to change)
• Desire (to participate and support the change)
• Knowledge (on how to change)
• Ability (to implement required skills and behaviors)
• Reinforcement (to sustain the change)
Bridges’ transition model

• Created in 1991 by William Bridges, this model focuses on transition

rather than change. While that might seem like a needless difference,
this small factor alters the entire way that change management is
approached.
• Put simply, change happens to people and can be considered
intrusive. It’s usually pushed despite what the recipient wants and
they’re forced to adapt despite their feelings on the issue.
Cont’d
Meanwhile, a transition is more of a journey over time than
an abrupt alien shift. This makes Bridges’ transition model one
of guiding your employees through the reaction and emotions
they will encounter when dealing with your changes.
It does this by detailing three stages of transition, each of
which the employee must be guided through for the change
to be successful:
• Ending, losing, and letting go
• The neutral zone
• The new beginning
Cont’d
Kübler-Ross’ change curve
• Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a psychiatrist who detailed the
five stages of grief in her book On Death & Dying. It may
seem odd to mention that in this list, but the Kübler-Ross
model based on those five stages fulfills a specific niche in
change management – allowing you to focus on and deal
with the emotional response of those affected by the
change.
• Your employees are (ultimately) entirely responsible for
carrying out your changes after all. Sure, you can give them
systems to follow and training to fill in the gaps, but all the
help in the world won’t save your change if the employee is
opposed to it emotionally.
Cont’d
The Satir change management model
The Satir change model is fairly similar to Kübler-Ross’, except it applies
the progression through the five stages of grief to a general model of
performance during the change. In this sense, it’s a way of predicting
and tracking the effect of changes on overall performance.
Satir’s change management model is made up of five stages:
• Late Status Quo
• Resistance
• Chaos
• Integration
• New Status Quo
Cont’d
Cont’d