Applying Lewin's change model to school lunch nutrition improvements

Lewin Change Model

Week 5 Discussion 1: Lewin Change Model

Stage 1: Unfreeze

The first stage of the Lewin Change Model entails convincing the relevant parties that change is necessary and possible. Without a sense of an urgent need for change, people will seldom be motivated to take the first, painful steps in the right direction. For example, in my school district there has been a great deal of talk about improving the nutritional content of school lunches. This has become a hot-button political issue nation-wide and there are concerns expressed by parents and teachers alike about the poor nutrition students receive at lunchtime. After lunch, concentration is poor and the children do not have enough time to burn off their sugar highs during recess.

To create change, the entire school district must be convinced of the change. First, administrators need to be presented with evidence that children who eat more healthfully perform better on standardized tests and other performance measures. They must also be shown how the nutritional quality of our school lunches is lacking when compared with other districts, which offer a wider selection of healthy, lower calorie, and lower sugar meals. Without administrative support, the change cannot be initiated on a practical level.

Moral support is also needed. Teachers must be persuaded of the learning benefits conveyed by better nutrition. And parents' awareness must be raised regarding the fact that children can be persuaded to change their eating habits, provided they are presented with appropriate choices.

Unfreezing can prove difficult given the systematic, entrenched bureaucratic structures which exist supporting the status quo. Fast food and other unhealthy food companies support school activities and have agreements with the school which allow their products to be sold on-premises. Cafeteria staff members are used to preparing the chicken nuggets and pizza that make up most school foods. Many parents have opposed improving school lunches because they say their children will not eat healthier foods. There are thus many obstacles to be overcome before the new agenda of change can be embarked upon.

Step 3: Re-freeze

Eventually, eating healthier foods will come to seem more natural, and students will no longer expect sugary snacks, pizza, and French fries every day in the cafeteria. Although there may be some resistant students who decide to bring their own junk food from home, overall the goal is to normalize healthy eating for the majority of the student population.

Reference

Kurt Lewin Change Model. (2012). Change Management Coach. Retrieved:

http://www.change-management-coach.com/kurt_lewin.html