Lewin 3-Step Change Model: A Simple Yet Effective Framework to Manage Change

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, A Comprehensive Guide to Change Management (586-slide PowerPoint presentation). This "new and improved" A Comprehensive Guide to Change Management,, which replaces my previous "best seller" of the same name, contains everything (well nearly everything) you would ever want to know about Change Management. This slide-deck now contains over 580 slides [read more]

Also, if you are interested in becoming an expert on Change Management, take a look at Flevy's Change Management Frameworks offering here. This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can you stay ahead of the curve. Full details here.

* * * *

The rapidly evolving world necessitates organizations to change quickly to keep pace.  Organizations that are able to manage change well flourish, whereas those that don’t risk disruption or closure.  Managing Transformation varies greatly based on the nature of business and the people involved.  It also depends on how well people understand the change process.

Various frameworks and models have been formulated to manage change.  Lewin’s Change Management Model is one such framework for understanding and managing organizational change in a simple and easy-to-understand way.  Presented in 1947, Kurt Lewin’s approach to Change Management is still widely used by organizations to institute change.

According to Lewin, 3 steps are essential to make change successful.  Recognition of these distinct stages of change enable the leaders to effectively plan the execution of desired change:

1. Unfreeze
2. Change (or Transition)
3. Freeze (or Refreeze)

Let’s, now take a deeper look at the 3 stages of change.

1. Unfreeze Stage

The Unfreeze stage encompasses ensuring readiness of change, by preparing the organization to understand and accept the criticality of the need for change.  4 key steps describe the Unfreeze stage:

Ascertain the need for change

The first step during the Unfreeze stage warrants undertaking the Current State Assessment (CSA) of the organization to identify what needs to change and why.  The step also warrants breaking down the status quo, challenging the existing behaviors, revising the prevalent practices, and creating new ways of doing business.

Gather support

Next, the leadership needs to draw support for change from key people in management and across the organization through Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Management, and outline it as one of the foremost priority for the enterprise.

Develop the strategy and plan to communicate the need for change

Subsequently, senior management should work on utilizing the organizational vision and strategy to substantiate the communication of the vision for transformation and the need for change across the board.  This demands planning and developing persuasive messages and organized sharing mechanisms.

Appreciate and manage any reservations and uncertainties

This step encompasses addressing any employee skepticism and apprehensions towards change by consistently depicting the reasons for discontinuation of existing ways of doing business to enable people embrace the need for change.

Leaders may need to manage the state of equilibrium of the organizational culture by balancing counteracting forces—different factors that drive or resist change—with the help of “Force Field Analysis.”  The Force Field Analysis means a thorough evaluation of the pros and cons of change.  If the forces favoring change outweigh the factors resisting it, the change will happen; otherwise, the change agenda may fail.

2. Change (or Transition) Stage

Once people are ‘unfrozen’ and ready to move towards the desired state, the transition sets in which signifies making the required changes.  This time is often difficult for the people, as at this stage they are uncertain about the future, are new to the changes, and need time to grasp and adjust to them.

4 steps are critical to manage the transition (change) stage:

Communicate methodically and consistently

Throughout the planning and implementation of the transition stage, leadership needs to clearly articulate and share the influence, effects, and benefits of transformation across the organization, and prepare everyone for the future.

Dismiss hearsay

The senior leaders should support the people by holding regular sessions to candidly answer their queries, straightaway sort out any issues, and convey the need for change as an operational necessity.

Encourage action

Next, the senior management needs to role model the desired behaviors and mindsets, plan and deliver quick wins to keep the stakeholders motivated, and empower people to come up with solutions to tackle new issues and routine matters.

Engage people

The next step comprises involving the people in the process, allowing them time to shift, and talking to external stakeholders (e.g., employee organizations) if required.

4. Freeze (or Refreeze) Stage

By freezing or refreezing, Kurt Lewin means reinforcing and institutionalizing the desired changes, ensuring they are widely accepted, utilized all the time, and incorporated into the business and the organizational culture.  Implementation of the freeze stage instills a new sense of stability in employees, they feel confident, form new relationships, and become comfortable with the new ways of working.

Successful implementation of the freeze stage rests on 4 practical steps:

• Embed change
• Plan to sustain change
• Provide support
• Celebrate success

Interested in learning more about the Freeze and the first 2 stages of the Lewin Change Management Model in detail?  You can download an editable PowerPoint on Lewin Change Management Model here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

Do You Find Value in This Framework?

You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:

“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”

– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects

“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”

– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting

“As a small business owner, the resource material available from FlevyPro has proven to be invaluable. The ability to search for material on demand based our project events and client requirements was great for me and proved very beneficial to my clients. Importantly, being able to easily edit and tailor the material for specific purposes helped us to make presentations, knowledge sharing, and toolkit development, which formed part of the overall program collateral. While FlevyPro contains resource material that any consultancy, project or delivery firm must have, it is an essential part of a small firm or independent consultant’s toolbox.”

– Michael Duff, Managing Director at Change Strategy (UK)

“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”

– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd

“Several times a month, I browse FlevyPro for presentations relevant to the job challenge I have (I am a consultant). When the subject requires it, I explore further and buy from the Flevy Marketplace. On all occasions, I read them, analyze them. I take the most relevant and applicable ideas for my work; and, of course, all this translates to my and my clients’ benefits.”

– Omar Hernán Montes Parra, CEO at Quantum SFE

Want to Achieve Excellence in Change Management?

Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Change Management. Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.

"The only constant in life is change." – Heraclitus

Such is true for life, as it is for business. The entire ecosystem our organization operates in—our customers, competitors, suppliers, partners, the company itself, etc.—is constantly changing and evolving. Change can be driven by emerging technology, regulation, leadership change, crisis, changing consumer behavior, new business entrants, M&A activity, organizational restructuring, and so forth.

Thus, the understanding of, dealing with, and mastery of the Change Management process is one of the most critical capabilities for our organization to develop. Excellence in Change Management should be viewed as a source of Competitive Advantage.

Learn about our Change Management Best Practice Frameworks here.