Name
University of Phoenix
HCS 587 Creating Change Within Organizations
Prof. Name
Date
Organizational change is more likely to succeed when leaders prepare employees for the transition, communicate the reasons for change, involve staff in implementation, and reinforce new practices over time. The Concord Bookshop case illustrates what can happen when these elements are missing. Management recognized the need for organizational improvement but did not adequately prepare employees or involve them in the process. Viewed through **Kurt Lewin’s Three-Stage Change Model unfreezing, change, and refreezing—the case demonstrates how poor communication, limited employee participation, and insufficient reinforcement can contribute to resistance and unsuccessful transformation.
Organizational change refers to the process of modifying an organization’s strategies, structures, leadership, processes, technology, or workplace practices in response to internal or external needs. Change may be necessary because of financial challenges, competition, changing customer expectations, new technology, regulatory requirements, or shifts in organizational goals.
Although change can create opportunities for improvement, employees may experience uncertainty when established routines are disrupted. Effective change management therefore requires more than simply announcing a new policy or appointing new leadership. Employees need to understand the reason for the change, know how it will affect their work, and receive appropriate support throughout the transition.
Lewin’s Three-Stage Change Model provides a straightforward framework for understanding this process. The three stages are unfreezing, change (moving), and refreezing.
Unfreezing: Preparing employees and the organization to move away from existing practices.
Change or Moving: Introducing and implementing new behaviors, processes, structures, or strategies.
Refreezing: Reinforcing the new practices so they become established within the organization.
The model emphasizes that organizational transformation is a process rather than a single event.
The unfreezing stage establishes the foundation for change. At this point, leaders communicate why existing practices are no longer sufficient and help employees understand the need for a different approach.
Employees may resist change when they believe their current methods are effective, when they are uncertain about the future, or when they do not understand why management is introducing new practices. Leaders can reduce these concerns by communicating openly and providing employees with opportunities to ask questions and contribute ideas.
Effective preparation may include:
Explaining the organizational problem or opportunity that requires change.
Communicating specific goals and expected outcomes.
Providing employees with relevant information and training.
Inviting staff feedback before major decisions are implemented.
Identifying concerns and potential sources of resistance.
Explaining how the proposed changes may affect employees and customers.
Borkowski (2005) emphasizes the importance of organizational behavior and employee responses when organizations introduce changes. Employees need an opportunity to move away from established assumptions and practices before new behaviors can become accepted.
For this reason, unfreezing is particularly important in organizations with long-serving employees. Established employees may have substantial knowledge about existing systems, but they may also be accustomed to familiar routines. Including these employees in the change process can help organizations retain valuable knowledge while developing new approaches.
After employees understand the need for change, the organization moves into the change or moving stage. This is when new strategies, leadership structures, processes, or behaviors are introduced.
Implementation should be supported by clear communication and practical resources. Employees should know what is changing, what is expected of them, and where they can obtain assistance when problems arise.
Effective implementation commonly involves:
Consistent communication from organizational leaders.
Training and professional development.
Employee participation in relevant decisions.
Opportunities to provide feedback.
Monitoring implementation and addressing emerging problems.
Collaboration between leaders, managers, and employees.
Employee involvement is particularly important because individuals who participate in organizational change may have a better understanding of how new processes will affect day-to-day operations. Their feedback can also identify practical problems that may not be obvious to senior management.
Spector (2010) emphasizes the importance of translating organizational change theory into practical implementation. A change strategy therefore needs to account for both organizational objectives and the people responsible for carrying out those objectives.
The refreezing stage focuses on making new practices part of normal organizational operations. Introducing a new process does not necessarily mean that change has been successfully completed. Without reinforcement, employees may return to familiar practices.
Organizations can support sustainable change by recognizing employee contributions, monitoring results, providing feedback, and incorporating new expectations into organizational policies and culture.
Important activities during refreezing include:
Reinforcing new procedures and expectations.
Monitoring organizational outcomes.
Providing continuing training and support.
Recognizing employees who contribute to successful implementation.
Addressing problems that emerge after implementation.
Incorporating successful practices into organizational routines.
Refreezing does not mean that an organization can never change again. Instead, it represents the stabilization of the new practices before the organization responds to future changes.
The Concord Bookshop case demonstrates the consequences of introducing organizational change without adequately addressing employee communication and participation.
Management recognized the need to improve the organization’s financial performance and competitiveness. However, the approach to implementing change did not sufficiently address the human and organizational factors emphasized by Lewin’s model.
The case can therefore be examined by considering what happened—or failed to happen—during each stage of the change process.
A major weakness occurred during the preparation for change. Management announced the appointment of a new general manager without adequately explaining the circumstances that made organizational change necessary.
Employees were not sufficiently informed about the organization’s financial difficulties, the reasons for restructuring, or the objectives behind the leadership changes. They also had limited opportunities to participate in discussions before the changes occurred.
This approach can create uncertainty because employees may interpret an unexpected organizational change as a threat to their roles, routines, or job security.
A stronger unfreezing process could have included transparent communication about the organization’s challenges, meetings with employees, opportunities for questions, and structured feedback before major changes were implemented.
The implementation stage also presented challenges. Introducing new leadership without adequately communicating the organization’s strategic direction left employees with limited information about what the change was intended to accomplish.
When employees do not understand the purpose of a transition, uncertainty can increase. In the Concord Bookshop case, the lack of effective communication and participation contributed to workplace disruption.
Reported consequences included:
Declining employee morale.
Resignations among some long-serving employees.
Loss of organizational knowledge and experience.
Increased resistance to the new direction.
These outcomes demonstrate why change management must consider the effects of organizational decisions on employees as well as financial and operational objectives.
The organization also struggled to establish the conditions necessary for effective refreezing. Sustainable change requires employees to understand, accept, and consistently apply new expectations.
When the preparation and implementation stages are characterized by insufficient communication and limited participation, establishing new practices can become more difficult. Employees may remain uncertain about the organization’s direction, while leaders may have difficulty building long-term commitment to the changes.
The Concord Bookshop case therefore illustrates the connection between Lewin’s three stages. Weaknesses in the unfreezing stage can affect implementation, and problems during implementation can make it difficult to stabilize the desired changes.
The Concord Bookshop example provides several practical lessons for organizations managing organizational transformation.
Communication should begin before implementation. Employees need to understand why change is necessary before new processes or leadership structures are introduced.
Employee involvement can support organizational change. Staff members can provide practical knowledge, identify potential problems, and contribute ideas that improve implementation.
Leaders should explain the purpose of change. Simply announcing a new policy, manager, or organizational structure does not explain how the change addresses the organization’s underlying problems.
Resistance should be addressed constructively. Resistance can reflect uncertainty, inadequate information, concerns about job responsibilities, or disagreement with how change is being implemented. Leaders should identify and address these concerns rather than simply treating resistance as a barrier.
Change requires reinforcement. Training, feedback, recognition, performance monitoring, and leadership support can help new practices become established.
Employee engagement is an important component of successful change management because employees are often directly responsible for putting new strategies and processes into practice. Their participation can also provide leaders with information about operational challenges that may otherwise be overlooked.
Engagement does not mean that every employee must agree with every organizational decision. Rather, it involves providing appropriate opportunities for employees to understand the change, communicate concerns, contribute relevant ideas, and receive support during implementation.
This approach can help organizations build greater transparency and reduce uncertainty during periods of transition.
Communication connects all three stages of Lewin’s model. During unfreezing, communication explains why change is needed. During implementation, it clarifies responsibilities and provides updates. During refreezing, communication reinforces expectations and communicates progress.
Poor communication can produce confusion and uncertainty, particularly when employees receive incomplete information or hear inconsistent messages from different leaders.
For organizations undergoing significant change, communication should therefore be timely, consistent, and appropriate for the people affected by the transition.
Organizations can use Lewin’s framework as a practical checklist when planning a major transition.
During unfreezing, leaders can assess the organization’s current situation, explain the need for change, identify stakeholders, and gather employee feedback.
During change, leaders can introduce new practices, provide training, monitor implementation, and adjust strategies based on employee and organizational feedback.
During refreezing, organizations can evaluate outcomes, reinforce successful behaviors, integrate new practices into policies and procedures, and continue providing appropriate support.
Using the model in this way can help organizations address both the technical and human dimensions of organizational transformation.
Lewin’s Three-Stage Change Model consists of unfreezing, change (moving), and refreezing. Unfreezing prepares employees for a new direction, change involves implementing new practices, and refreezing reinforces those practices so they become established within the organization.
The Concord Bookshop case highlights problems associated with inadequate communication, limited employee involvement, and insufficient preparation for organizational changes. Employees were not adequately informed about the reasons for the changes or involved in the process, contributing to uncertainty and resistance.
Employee involvement gives staff opportunities to provide feedback, share operational knowledge, understand the purpose of change, and participate in implementation. These activities can help organizations identify challenges and build greater understanding of new organizational practices.
Effective communication helps employees understand the reasons for change, their responsibilities, and the expected outcomes. Inadequate communication can contribute to uncertainty, confusion, resistance, and declining morale.
The case demonstrates the importance of preparing employees before major changes are introduced, communicating organizational goals clearly, involving relevant employees in the process, and reinforcing new practices after implementation.
Organizations can use Lewin’s model by first preparing employees for change, then implementing new practices with appropriate training and support, and finally reinforcing successful changes through policies, feedback, monitoring, and organizational culture.
The Concord Bookshop case demonstrates that organizational change involves more than introducing new leadership or modifying organizational procedures. Sustainable transformation requires preparation, communication, employee participation, effective implementation, and continued reinforcement.
Lewin’s Three-Stage Change Model provides a useful framework for examining these requirements. Unfreezing establishes awareness and readiness, change supports the implementation of new practices, and refreezing helps stabilize those practices within the organization.
The experience of Concord Bookshop also illustrates how limited communication and employee participation can create challenges during organizational transformation. For organizations planning future changes, addressing employee concerns, maintaining transparent communication, and providing ongoing support can help create the conditions necessary for lasting organizational improvement.
Borkowski, N. (2005). Organizational behavior in health care. Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://books.google.com/books?id=9I8dAQAAMAAJ
Spector, B. (2010). Implementing organizational change: Theory into practice (2nd ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall. https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/implementing-organizational-change-theory-into-practice/P200000003186
Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics: Concept, method and reality in social science; social equilibria and social change. Human Relations, 1(1), 5–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872674700100103
