Lewin s Map. Lewin's Map - 20/11/2018, 11:24 / 1

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1 Lewin's Map - 20/11/2018, 11:24 / 1 Lewin s Map Kurt Lewin originally devised this model or map in the early 1950 s. There are two things to note about this straightaway: 1. The model has survived so long because it s still relevant and powerful. 2. It s deceptively simple. In fact, as you familiarise yourself with other maps or models, you will see the pattern Lewin describes over and over again. Here s a diagram of Lewin s 3 stages: Let s examine each one in turn. Unfreeze This basically recognises that leaders face inertia when they seek to lead an organization through change. There is a status quo, the way we do things around here, and this can be quite strong, particularly to a leader new to the organisation. Remember people seek stability. So the unfreeze stage is readying the organization to move. This stage itself is made up of three parts:

2 Lewin's Map - 20/11/2018, 11:24 / 2 1. Examine the status quo.the nature of this status quo may not be obvious at first sight. For example, workers in a warehouse might resist moving from an early/late shift system to three shifts over 24 hours. And the reasons might be to do with commitments they and other family members have made at certain times of the day. It s most effective if this is done as a more collaborative approach with others in the organisation. More people are likely to buy into this and the desired picture of the end game if this is done with a wider group. 2. Create that vision of the desired end state. This needs to be a rich and full picture of some time in the future when the change is behind us. Again, the more people who contribute, the better. 3. Identify the forces that will help to drive and resist the change, increasing the driving forces, but also making sure to decrease the resisting forces. This where Lewin s force field analysis comes in:

3 Lewin's Map - 20/11/2018, 11:24 / 3 The temptation for some leaders is to only work on the driving forces. This is a mistake. It s like putting your accelerator to the floor when your brakes are still on. Better is to weaken positively the resisting forces. We will look at an equivalent to this force field for the individual developed by Edgar Schein. Note that the first two steps in Unfreeze are creating that tension between where we are now and where we want to be.

4 Lewin's Map - 20/11/2018, 11:24 / 4 Move - taking people through the change Here we act on the change. Good leadership creates a safe place in this stage. It is often unnerving and confusing for people, after all, change while the organization is operating, can feel like open heart surgery while you are still conscious! People naturally crave for the normal they once knew. A leader who creates an environment of safety, allows people to be brave and to experiment with solutions to the problems that will inevitably arise. Safety is best created by giving people role models of those who have gone through this change and are doing well. Refreeze Learning to operate in a new way takes practice, not just to do it for the first time, but for it to become a working habit. Another mistake is that leaders ease up on leading to the new vision too early, before the change has become the new normal. It is surprising sometimes how long people keep old ways of working. Also, included in this stage is rewarding those results which are aligned to the vision. And rewards can be as simple as saying, Great job!" And that is Lewin s 3-stage model.

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