Organizational Behavior (Stephen Robbins)

Lewin’s Three-Step Model

Assuming that an organization has uncovered a need for change, how does it engage in
the change process? Kurt Lewin argued that successful change in organizations should
follow three steps, which are illustrated in Exhibit 10-6: unfreezingthe status quo,
movingto a new state, and refreezingthe new change to make it permanent.^47 The value
of this model can be seen in the following example, where the management of a large
company decided to reorganize its marketing function in Western Canada.
The oil company had three regional offices in the West, located in Winnipeg, Calgary,
and Vancouver. The decision was made to consolidate the marketing divisions of the three
regional offices into a single regional office to be located in Calgary. The reorganiza-
tion meant transferring more than 150 employees, eliminating some duplicate mana-
gerial positions, and instituting a new hierarchy of command. As you might guess, such
a huge move was difficult to keep secret. The rumours preceded the announcement by
several months. The decision itself was made unilaterally. It came from the executive
offices in Toronto. Those people affected had no say whatsoever in the choice. For any-
one in Vancouver or Winnipeg who might have disliked the decision and its conse-
quences—the problems involved in transferring to another city, pulling youngsters out
of school, making new friends, having new co-workers, undergoing the reassignment of
responsibilities—the only recourse was to quit. The status quo was about to change.
The status quo can be considered an equilibrium state. To move from this equilib-
rium—to overcome the pressures of both individual resistance and group conform-
ity—unfreezing is necessary. Exhibit 10-7 shows that unfreezing can occur in one of
three ways. The driving forces, which direct behaviour away from the status quo, can be
increased. The restraining forces, which hinder movement from the existing equilibrium,
can be decreased. A third alternative is to combine the first two approaches.
The oil company’s management expected employee resistance to the consolidation
and outlined its alternatives. Management could use positive incentives to encourage
employees to accept the change. For instance, the company could offer pay increases
to those who accept the transfer. It could also offer to pay all moving expenses.
Management might offer low-cost mortgage funds to allow employees to buy new
homes in Calgary. Of course, management might also consider
unfreezing acceptance of the status quo by removing restraining
forces. Employees could be counselled individually. Each
employee’s concerns and apprehensions could be heard and
specifically clarified. Assuming that most of the fears are unjus-
tified, the counsellor could assure the employees that there was
nothing to fear and then demonstrate, through tangible evi-
dence, that restraining forces are unwarranted. If resistance is
extremely high, management may have to resort to both reduc-
ing resistance and increasing the attractiveness of the alternative
so the unfreezing can succeed.
Once the consolidation change has been implemented, if it
is to be successful, the new situation must be refrozen so that it
can be sustained over time. Unless this last step is taken, there is
a very high chance that the change will be short-lived and that

Chapter 10 Organizational Culture and Change 347

unfreezing Change efforts to

overcome the pressures of both indi-

vidual resistance and group con-

formity.

moving Efforts to get employees

involved in the change process.

refreezing Stabilizing a change

intervention by balancing driving

and restraining forces.

Unfreezing Moving Refreezing

EXHIBIT 10-6 Lewin’s Three-Step Change Model

Time

Driving

forces

Restraining

forces

Desired

state

Status

quo

EXHIBIT 10-7 Unfreezing the Status Quo

driving forces Forces that direct

behaviour away from the status quo.

restraining forces Forces that

hinder movement away from the

status quo.