The Power of Change Management: Lessons from Lewin’s Model
We are now living in a rapidly changing world. We are witnessing the outbreak of wars, international tensions, a global pandemic, and the accelerated growth of technology and artificial intelligence. In recent years, change management has become an increasingly important topic. Many companies are swept away by the tides of time because they lack the proper methods to handle changes in the external environment and unexpected events—or because they fear change and resist making necessary adjustments.
You may think that these issues are too distant from your life. As a university student, the role of a strategic manager in a corporation might seem far off. However, change management is not limited to corporate governance; it can also be applied to a team, a student organization, or even to yourself.
As an international student, I am deeply aware of the importance of coping with change. When you find yourself in a brand-new environment, you will encounter many unforeseen situations. Think about a time when you were a team leader. Has everything in your life always gone 100% according to your expectations? When you need to make changes, do you have a systematic approach to managing your plans, responding calmly, and leading the team to an optimal outcome? In this article, I want to share my thoughts and insights on change management and how we can benefit from it.
Understanding Changes
Change can be categorized into two types:
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Adaptive Changes: Small-scale and incremental adjustments.
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Transformational Changes: Larger-scale changes with broader scope, typically involving higher risks and longer implementation cycles.
Typically, within an organization, adaptive changes address more specific issues and carry lower risk. In contrast, transformational changes involve higher risks and longer implementation cycles, making them more reliant on systematic management approaches. (Goldman)
Lewin’s Change Management Model
To help teams adapt to organizational changes, many companies have developed change management models, such as the McKinsey 7S Model and the ADKAR Change Management Model. However, one of the most representative, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-implement models is Lewin’s Change Management Model. (Malik)
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Unfreeze: This step involves reducing resistance to change and challenging the desire to maintain the status quo. Change managers need to establish the necessity for change through documents like vision statements and benefit overviews, breaking existing mindsets and attitudes.
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Change: This stage is where new behaviors and attitudes are developed, and where the outcomes of projects or programs begin to show results.
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Refreeze: Sustainable benefits are achieved only when changes are fully embedded in the organization and become the standard way of operating. Originally called "Freezing" by Lewin, it is more commonly referred to as "Refreezing."
Applying Lewin’s Model to Personal Growth
During my summer internship at a fund company, I struggled with quantitative analysis and data processing due to my business background. Most of my fellow interns had math and science backgrounds, which created a significant skill gap and put a lot of pressure on me. I realized that if I didn’t improve my quantitative skills, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the project’s progress or demonstrate my value to the team. I decided to use Lewin’s Change Management Model to guide my self-transformation.
Unfreeze:
Recognizing my weaknesses, I adjusted my mindset and accepted the fact that I lacked quantitative knowledge. I created a self-study plan to bridge the gap, enrolling in pre-master’s courses such as introductory Python programming and basic data analysis. I also sought help from my internship instructor to understand the practical applications of these skills. This approach not only helped me learn faster but also eased my anxiety and self-doubt about quantitative work.
Change:
I divided my daily schedule into two parts: half my time was spent on completing business-related tasks, and the other half was dedicated to learning and practicing quantitative skills. I practiced coding for data analysis every day and applied my new skills to the project, even for minor analysis tasks. Progress was slow at first, but I shared every small outcome with my instructor and asked for feedback, which gradually built my confidence.
Refreeze:
As my skills improved, I no longer relied on my instructor and began solving problems independently. I became increasingly helpful in projects that required a combination of business and quantitative analysis. By integrating my finance and economics background with my newly acquired skills, I offered valuable insights to the team. By the end of the internship, I had successfully transitioned from a beginner to someone capable of completing independent analysis. My unique perspective earned recognition from my instructor, proving the success of my self-transformation.
References:
Jay Goldman. “Navigating Change: Transformation Trends In 2024.” Forbes Technology Council. 18 Jun. 2024 < https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/06/18/navigating-change-transformation-trends-in-2024/>.
Kelsey Miller. “5 Critical Steps in the Change Management Process.” Harvard Business School Online. 19 Mar. 2020 < https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/change-management-process>.
Priyanka Malik. “Lewin’s 3-Stage Model of Change Theory: Overview.” Whatfix. 4 Jan. 2022 < https://whatfix.com/blog/lewins-change-model/>
Disclaimer
Here at Lead Read Today, we endeavor to take an objective (rational, scientific) approach to analyzing leaders and leadership. All opinion pieces will be reviewed for appropriateness, and the opinions shared are solely of the author and not representative of The Ohio State University or any of its affiliates.
