Lewin's change management model, developed by social psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1940s, describes organizational change as a three-stage process: unfreezing existing attitudes and behavior to create readiness for change, moving to a new desired state through the actual change intervention, and refreezing the new behavior and attitudes so that they become the stable norm. Lewin's model is regarded as one of the foundational frameworks in the field of organizational change management, and later, more elaborate change models are frequently presented as extensions or refinements of the basic unfreeze-change-refreeze sequence it introduced. It remains widely taught as an introductory framework for understanding the stages an organization moves through when undertaking planned change.
Facts
Disputed
Core ClaimLewin's three-step model of change (unfreezing, changing, refreezing) is widely presented as his foundational contribution to change management, but there is scholarly evidence that Lewin himself never formulated a three-step model and that it took its familiar shape only after his death in 1947. 1 Attribution is genuinely disputed in the secondary literature; the model's authorship by Lewin himself, as opposed to later interpreters, is not settled. Origin YearWikipedia states evidence suggests Lewin never developed the three-step model himself and that it took its now-attributed form only after his 1947 death; this entity's core-claim is likewise marked debated for the same reason. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Business process re-engineering programs commonly apply Lewin unfreeze-change-refreeze model as their change-management foundation.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Kurt Lewin
WikipediaWikipedia, Kurt Lewin, Change management theory sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Kurt Lewin, Change management theory section
Lewin's three-step process is regarded as a foundational model for making change in organizations. There is now evidence, however, that Lewin never developed such a model and that it took form after his death in 1947.
1. Wikipedia, Kurt Lewin
WikipediaWikipedia, Kurt Lewin, Change process sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Kurt Lewin, Change process section
There is now evidence, however, that Lewin never developed such a model and that it took form after his death in 1947.
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