Three Steps in Lewin's Change Management Model

The business world always moves dynamically following the times. Several things that play a role in various changes in business include increasingly advanced technology, political and economic conditions, and socio-cultural factors that exist in society.

So, how can businesses prepare themselves to face these changes? Should we be ready with various strategies or remain relaxed and follow whatever happens in the future? One thing we need to be aware of is that these changes will certainly have the potential to become threats or opportunities for the business itself.

Change is certainly something that is certain and we cannot avoid it. Likewise in the life of a company. Every change that emerges could bring the company to a condition it has never experienced before. Therefore, every company manager is expected to have the ability to manage situations, especially when changes occur.

Lewin's theory in planning management

This planning management will certainly be beneficial not only for the company in general, but for every individual who works in it. If you look more closely, planning management can help a company to adapt, find solutions to problems, and improve the performance of each of its members.

In this case, there is a classical theory which is generally used by companies and organizations in managing the various changes they will face. This theory was coined by Kurt Lewin, a German-American social psychologist, known as the Kurt Lewin Theory.

In general, Lewin's theory is used to find out the following:

• The process of change in a company or organizational environment
• Overcoming the status-quo to bring about effective change

According to Lewin, every human behavior in responding to changes that occur in their environment is part of group behavior. Any changes that affect the group will of course also have an impact on the individuals within it. Therefore, when carrying out change management, individual factors cannot be ignored.

Stages of Change in the Managerial Process According to Lewin's Theory

In theory, Lewin believes that in every change process, companies must still consider what hopes they want to achieve in the future. This is done so that every change or adjustment is carried out with clear and evaluated objectives. There are three stages in the Change Management Model according to Lewin, namely:

Unfreezing

To understand this, a number of references use the analogy of frozen food. To be edible, the food must first be thawed before it can be processed and enjoyed.

Likewise, in a company, the first step that needs to be taken is to break the ice by having full awareness of the changes that are taking place. In this way, company managers can start to find out which aspects may be affected by the changes and find ways to work around them. Communication with the team is very important so that every employee knows the conditions they are facing and is ready to move together.

Some things that can be done at this stage include:

• Analyze the company's needs and find out what aspects require changes
• Get support from various stakeholders
• Communicate the importance of the changes to be made

Making changes

When the ice has melted, it is time for you to move into the transition period. At this stage, it is possible that the plans you have prepared will not immediately produce the expected results. Preparing various change options is important and is supported by a structured evaluation process.

The flow of information and the manager's leadership style also need to be considered so that the problem solving process is carried out by all lines simultaneously under one well-coordinated direction. Apart from that, there are other things that need to be considered, including:

• Ensure the flow of communication and coordination runs well
• Encourage every employee to be involved proactively by providing motivation and regular direction
• Involve as many people as possible to make the change process easier to carry out.

Refreeze

Why refreeze? The reason is that every change that has been made can be maintained until the goal is achieved. Every adjustment, perspective, and new habits must be able to continue to be implemented as a new norm. This is also done to avoid new ideas moving wildly and actually having a negative impact on the company.

At this stage, managers are advised to do the following:

• Invite every employee to follow new habits consistently
• Develop strategies that can support long-term sustainable change and provide advice/evaluation of the process
• Facilitate employees to support and develop their abilities at work