MGMT 335 : Lewins Change Management Model : New Management Tools and S

One of the seminal studies and theories related to change management is Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Model. Components of his work are identified in many other theories, so understanding this theory offers insight into the change management process.

In this assignment, provide a brief overview of Lewin’s Change Management Model, including his rationale for creating this theory and the intended role this model would address in change management. Then discuss the three stages of change implementation and explain the importance of each stage. Be sure to use the terminology for each stage of Lewin’s model as outlined in the text.

Finally, Lewin’s theory was created in the 1940s. How would you modify/alter his theory to ensure that it remains relevant and applicable within KSA? Discuss any changes to be made to his theory to reflect today’s business environment, both globally and within KSA.

Answer: 

Change is the key driving force for an organisation for becoming innovative in the business environment with the new management tools and styles (Cameron and Green, 2015). There are several management thinkers who have proposed different models and theories related to the nature of change management. One of them is Kurt Lewin (1890-1947). He has developed that change management model during 1940s. This paper would elaborate on providing a brief overview of this model including his rationale for creating this theory and the intended role this model would address in change management. 

Lewin’s change management model is a three step process of unfreeze, change and freeze (Cummings, Bridgman & Brown, 2016). The very first step in Lewin’s change management model is that of unfreeze the prevailing situation. It determines the things that needs to be changed and ensures that there is a strong support from the management. It is a very important stage to break the resistance from the change. The next step is the change. It is the step where all the changes take place. These changes could be facilitated by persuading all the employees in order to agree with the changes by communicating with them about the benefits of these changes as well as ensuring that everyone has to work together for getting the best out of the changes as well as showing them a new perspectives. The next step is of freezing. It is the stage after the implementation of the change. In this stage, certain sustainable ways are developed for sustaining the change and then successes are celebrated. The rationale of Lewin for creating this theory was to create a new sense of stability in this ever-changing world. The role that this model plays in order to address in the change management is that it studies the whole organisational change process and assess whether or not the changes are required. At the same time, it also tries to decrease the difficulties with the opposition by addressing it head on.

It is to note that there is a great importance of each and every stage of change management model. Before the implementation process of any change, it is very necessary to go through the initial stage of unfreezing. It is the stage where the organisation becomes clear about who is agreeing with the change and who is not (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015). The old behaviours, the manner of thinking, the employees and the other people in the organisation as well as the organisational structures are all very carefully examined in this process in order to the employees how important the change is for the well-being of the entire organisation for creating and maintaining a competitive advantage in the business environment (Hornstein, 2015). The main idea in this process is that the more the people know regarding a change as well as the more he or she feel it is important and is very urgent to incorporate, the more he is motivated to accept the change. The vitality of the next step of changing is that in this process change becomes the real, the actual. It is also the time when most of the individuals struggle hard with the new implemented reality. It is the time that is marked by fear and uncertainty and this makes it the hardest stage to overcome (Bakari, Hunjra & Niazi, 2017). With the same, it is also to mention that change is the process which needs to be carefully executed and planned. All through the process, the employees need to be reminded of the several reasons for the change to take place and along with this, they should also be reminded of how it would further benefit them when it would completely implemented (Wojciechowski et al., 2016). In the final most stage, that is the step of freezing or refreezing, the changes that are made to the processes of organisation, the goals, the offerings, the structure or the people there are refrozen and are accepted as the new rule. As per Lewin, it is the step that is very important for ensuring that individuals do not revert back to their old manners of doing or thinking before the implementation of the very change.

In the organisations of KSA or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, this theory could be applied and it would surely provide best result for the organisation. However, it is also to state that this model is very rational in nature and is very plan and goal oriented. While implementing this model, there is a lacking in considering the feelings of human beings and their experiences, which could have negative impacts. In order to make it effective for the business environment of Saudi Arabia, this model should be modified in a way that it also consider the human feelings in balanced way so that no sentiments are hurt and the outcome is fruitful.

References:

Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262.

Bakari, H., Hunjra, A. I., & Niazi, G. S. K. (2017). How Does Authentic Leadership Influence Planned Organizational Change? The Role of Employees’ Perceptions: Integration of Theory of Planned Behavior and Lewin's Three Step Model. Journal of Change Management, 17(2), 155-187.

Cameron, E. and Green, M. (2015). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.

Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., & Brown, K. G. (2016). Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management. human relations, 69(1), 33-60.

Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 291-298.

Wojciechowski, E., Murphy, P., Pearsall, T., & French, E. (2016). A case review: Integrating Lewin’s theory with lean’s system approach for change. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(2).