Lewin's Change Model

Organizations, like people, settle into habits. Processes, structures and behaviors become stable because they are reinforced every day by expectations, incentives and routines. That stability is useful, but it also makes change hard. Lewin's change model explains why. Before anything new can take hold, the existing balance has to be disturbed. Once change happens, the new way of working has to be stabilized, or the organization will slide back. The model captures this in three simple stages: unfreeze, change and refreeze.

The model is associated with Kurt Lewin, a German-American psychologist who is often called a founder of social psychology and who worked on group dynamics and organizational behavior in the 1940s. Lewin also developed force field analysis, which looks at the forces driving and resisting change. Some scholars have pointed out that the neat three-step model was developed largely by later writers who built on his ideas, but it remains one of the most widely taught frameworks in change management. For leaders, change managers and students of organizations, Lewin's model offers a simple way to think about why change needs preparation and follow-through.

Definition of Lewin's Change Model

Lewin's change model is an organizational change framework describing three stages: unfreezing, in which the need for change is established and existing equilibrium is disrupted; changing, in which people move to new behaviors, processes or structures; and refreezing, in which the new state is reinforced and stabilized.

It is one of the foundational change management models, often uses a burning platform to unfreeze current thinking and helps leaders anticipate resistance to change.

The Three Stages

Unfreeze. Prepare the organization to accept that change is necessary by challenging current beliefs and practices, sharing evidence, creating dissatisfaction with the status quo and addressing fears. This stage is often the hardest, because people are comfortable with what they know.

Change. Move to the new way of working through new processes, systems, roles and behaviors, with support, communication, training and involvement. Mistakes are normal here and should be expected.

Refreeze. Stabilize the new way of working by reinforcing it through policies, structures, rewards, measures and culture, so it becomes the norm.

Some modern practitioners prefer terms such as refreeze to mean stabilize temporarily, since organizations rarely stay frozen for long. Many organizations now see change as continuous, so refreezing often means building in habits of ongoing improvement.

Force Field Analysis

Force field analysis identifies driving forces, which push toward change, and restraining forces, which hold the current state in place.

Change happens when driving forces outweigh restraining forces, either because drivers are strengthened or because restraints are reduced.

Lewin argued that reducing restraining forces is often more effective than adding pressure, since pressure tends to create more resistance.

The analysis is often done in a workshop, listing forces on each side and rating their strength. The results guide where to focus effort, such as addressing the strongest restraint first.

Importance of Lewin's Model in Transformation Programs

Lewin's model highlights preparation. It reminds leaders that people must understand and accept the need for change before new ways of working can take hold.

It emphasizes sustaining change. The refreeze stage warns against declaring success at go-live, before new habits are stable.

It also offers a simple shared language. Its three stages are easy to explain to leaders and teams at any level. It has influenced most later models, including Kotter's 8 steps, which expand on similar ideas in more detail.

Lewin's Model and Financial Management

Investment in the unfreeze stage, such as communication and engagement, is often underfunded but reduces costly resistance later.

The refreeze stage protects the return on investment by making sure benefits continue after the project team moves on.

Force field analysis can show where spending to reduce restraining forces, such as fixing systems or incentives, would have the most effect.

Tracking whether behaviors and results hold after go-live shows whether refreezing has succeeded.

Common Challenges

The model can seem too simple for complex, continuous change, where organizations rarely return to a stable state.

Unfreezing may be skipped when leaders assume the need for change is obvious.

Refreezing too rigidly can make the next change harder, so stability needs to leave room for continued improvement. Organizations that change constantly may never feel settled enough to refreeze at all.

The model describes stages but offers limited detail on specific actions, so it is often combined with more detailed models. It may also underplay the role of individuals' emotions, which models such as the change curve address.