Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist, developed Lewin’s Change Management Model/Theory, a comprehensive transition management framework that aims to comprehend the dynamics of change and the procedures that must be done to carry out changes with the least amount of interruption (Bamberg &Schulte, 2018). The three stages of unfreezing, transitioning to new behaviors, and refreezing to a new state are highlighted.
Unfreezing- This stage contains everything needed by a person in order to effectively make change (Bamberg &Schulte, 2018). When someone is in a state where they are neither committed nor assured, they are said to be “unfreezing.” Such efforts include finding out about a problem and getting consent to repair it, for instance. at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic my organization required us to work from home as par the government regulations.
During the second stage, participants act to bring about change. This requires adjusting to a new environment or way of life. People face a variety of challenges when making changes, from mild discomfort to extreme dread. Employee resistance would increase during this period if they believed that changing their old habits would cost them something significant (Burnes, 2020). This stage of change was difficult because remote working was not used. Confusion, poor team communication, and lack of collaboration was also marked. The productivity level of employee went down severely affecting their mental health.
As the process reaches its conclusion, people have the ability to refreeze into new forms. When they arrive at this stage, they accept their changes and acknowledge that the effort was well worth it. When employees take positive action, their motivation and commitment to their jobs increase (Bamberg &Schulte, 2018). However, the human resource team and the line managers worked closely with the staff to stabilize the transition by offering training and encouraging meetings on a regular basis to ensure good communication. They also provided work tools that are necessary like computers and allowed the staff to embrace change once they get used to the situation.
Kubler-Ross Change management theory
Anytime the status quo at work is changes, employees’ comfort zones are threatened, and due to this, covert resistance to the change crops up. According to the Kubler-Ross adapted theory, which is based on Elizabeth Kubler-“On Ross’s Death and Dying,” there are five emotional phases that a person goes through once they face change. They include feeling of denial, bargaining, rage, depression and finally acceptance (Einsenberg &Alahakone, n.d). This method is efficient in the business sector as it enables us to understand the internal conflict that workers have in response to changes in their environment, such as the application of new software or the reorganization of business procedures (Einsenberg &Alahakone, n.d).
Denial: To stop the transformation from occurring, the individual puts up barriers. As a result of people’s natural tendency to adhere to routines that don’t promote success in the new setting, employee productivity suffers during this time (Wright, 2016). Most staff members were in denial regarding the changeover to remote working at my company, and many of them were also irritated by both the organizational changes and their personal surroundings. In light of widespread layoffs, some people were afraid for their jobs.
Anger: Confronting the truth of transition results in aversion and resentment. Every change initiative at this point has the risk of spiraling out of control and failing miserably (Wright, 2016). Employee outbursts were common, particularly during cooperation. Teams struggled to collaborate since they were unfamiliar with the transition and hadn’t gotten used to working electronically. Some people missed deadlines, which caused delays and slowed down project completion.
Bargaining: People begin seeking solutions to problems once they move past the change curve’s anger phase (Wright, 2016). To try and reach a consensus, they could try talking things out. Employees frequently made an effort to find alternatives to working remotely, especially when isolation felt so lonely. Soon, they hoped, they could return to work.
Depression: Depression entails feelings of lack of hope, motivation, regret, and despair. Employees reported feelings of demotivation on some days. Human resources played an important role in ensuring that workers felt part of the team irrespective of the distance between them.
Acceptance: People adapt to the new circumstance. They open up more, accept the change, and look into the advantages it brings (Einsenberg &Alahakone, n.d). People eventually began to adjust to and even enjoy the new situation after numerous training sessions and meetings. Employees have recommended adopting hybrid work so they are not need to be in the office every day of the week now that things are returning to normal.
