By Mike Beitler
Kurt Lewin, the consummate applied social scientist, isresponsible for giving us three of the ten concepts that supporteffective OC practice: Forcefield Analysis, The Three-StageModel of Change, and the Action Research Model. I will cover thefirst two concepts in this article
Lewin's first concept, and practice tool, is called ForcefieldAnalysis. Lewin believed every organizational situation, nomatter how dysfunctional, benefits someone. I have found thisconcept and tool to be very effective in Organizational Changepractice.
Lewin believed the status quo is a result of driving forces andresisting forces. Driving forces are pushing or "driving" forchange. Resisting forces exist because some parties benefit fromthe current situation, or status quo. Thus, the status quo isthe result of the strengths of the two opposing forces.
In practice, Lewin recommended working to reduce the resistingforces, instead of increasing the driving forces. He believedsimply increasing the driving forces would result in anescalation in the resisting forces against the change. Theparties resisting change (supporting the status quo) are usuallyhighly motivated.
Another concept closely associated with Forcefield Analysis iswhat Lewin called the Three-Step Model of Change. He believedchange required three steps: unfreezing the current situation,moving, and then refreezing the new situation (a new statusquo). At first glance, this may appear to be obvious andsimplistic. But the steps are very important.
The OC consultant must first help the organization to see thedysfunctionality (ineffectiveness) of the current situation.Remember, we are dealing with some organizational members whobenefit from the current status quo.
To move the organization or the unit (to change behavior)requires a planned intervention. This will be a time ofinsecurity and fear for many organizational members.Fortunately, there are many structured interventions availableto OC consultants. I cover interventions in Part II of my book,“Strategic Organizational Change.”
In step three, Lewin said we must "refreeze" the situation. Inpractice, I have found this step to be essential. In order toget the change to hold, there must be a supportive environmentfor the change. This means management must commit resources andreward desired behaviors; otherwise, the organizational memberswill slip back into their old, comfortable ways of doing things.
Anthony Buono has correctly added, "There is a significantdifference between dealing with the type of episodic,discontinuous change that Lewin referred to in 1947, when hecreated this model (dealing, in essence, with organizationalinertia), and the type of ongoing, overlapping, continuouschange that is happening today." I expound on Professor Buono'scomments in my chapter on Leading Change.
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