change management theories

1940 Kurt Lewin The theory outlines three stages including the unfreeze, make changes and refreeze stages (Levasseur, 2001). In the unfreezing stage, the current processes are unearthed to examine how matters are undertaken. This implies examining each phase and human interrelation for prospective improvements. The second phase encompasses the deployment of the changes and providing guidance to the team as they adapt. In this stage, aspects such as constant communication, training and support are pivotal in order to restrict any for, of challenges in the transition.

It also includes a change in the organization’s policies, norms, and policies. The final phase of refreezing is aimed to stabilize the new change to safeguard it from regressing. Frequent reviews need to be undertaken to ascertain that the new approaches are being adhered to (Hossan, 2015). In the first phase, the staff becomes cognizant of and acknowledges the need for a change. The second phase of the theory is movement which encompasses the involvement of staff in the planning and execution of the change.

Implementation necessitated the promotion of a distinctive alliance between the managers and the employees. The final phase encompasses evaluation. This is pivotal in the theory owing to the reason that the change process could end up being redundant (Cummings, Bridgman and Brown, 2016). Kotter’s change management theory 1996 John Kotter Kotter’s theory of change management comprises of 8 different phases. The first phase is creating a sense of urgency. This generates the primary pull necessitated to ensure the team is on the project and is also motivated to adapt.

The second step is building a core coalition. This encompasses gathering the leaders and stakeholders within the entity and ensuring they are convinced of the need to change (Varkey and Antonio, 2010). The third phase is forming a strategic vision. The key objective in this phase is having the ability to delineate the changes and the vision being aimed at. Stage four includes getting all parties on board. In this phase, the change idea is communicated to the rest of the entity including the employees.

It also includes having frequent meetings to deliberate upon the vision and changes with the different teams. The fifth stage is the removal of any barriers and reducing friction. Prior to the implementation of the change ideas, it is imperative to assess the different aspects that might hinder the progress of the changes. Any technical or human obstacles that come up have to be dealt with immediately (Hornstein, 2015). The sixth stage is generating short-term wins.

This encompasses making certain that there are short-term wins linked to the changes that you can demonstrate and praise employees for. This hands the employees a sense of accomplishment which increases the likelihood of sustaining the changes (Todnem By, 2005). The seventh stage includes sustaining acceleration. This phase encompasses maintaining the momentum that was created for the changes instigated. When this prevails, it can result in the changes becoming a habit before any motivation is lost in the process. The final stage takes into account setting the changes in stone.

Basically, this includes making certain that the changes are not only properly documented but are also incorporated in the organizational culture. Apart from updating any official procedures and processes, it is important to reflect the new changes in addition to promoting the effectiveness of the changes to aid them in prevailing going forward (Todnem By, 2005).

McKinsey’s 7-S Model 1984 Robert Waterman and Tom Peters This change management theory takes into account the analysis of seven different aspects of the company comprising of strategy, structure systems, shared values, staff, skills, and style (Peters and Waterman, 1984). By generating a synopsis of how comprehensible and effective the different components of your company are, you can then go on to analyze your existing situation and outline changes to deal with the problem and instigate change.

To begin with, the corporate strategy needs to be sufficiently official to permit the entity to move forward with purpose and attain an advantage over market rivals and at the same time flexible enough to adapt to change devoid of disparaging any progress. Secondly, the structure ought to be relatively basic and simple in order to effect changes.

There is also the need for analyzing the systems to ensure that they are managed in an efficacious manner, determining the core systems, how they are used and updated and whether they are precise (Peters and Waterman, 1984). There is also the need for analyzing the shared values, which encompasses the official corporate values and corporate culture. Linking such values and culture to the changes being instigated will make them more amenable to your work force, who will, as a result, adapt them more willingly.

The style encompasses examining the management and leadership style.