Lewin Change Model Week 5 Discussion 1:

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 2: Change

"Kurt Lewin was aware that change is not an event, but rather a process" (Kurt Lewin Change Model, 2012, Change Management Coach). Creating a new menu will require logistical preparation in terms of creating new standard operating procedures in the kitchen; balancing the need for health with the financial limitations of the school and the federal guidelines for student nutrition; and getting parents and students 'on board' to accept and try the new foods. None of this will happen overnight, and a sustained public relations campaign will be required to convince students of the need to try new foods, given that they will likely complain at first.

But first, the new menu must be determined so the district can be ensured that the food that will be served will be tasty. It will be a public relations disaster if the 'healthy' food is served at the incorrect temperature and looks unpalatable. Then the campaign to convince the students that the new foods are making them feel better and taste good will seem justified in the eyes of the student body. The school must also be receptive to feedback from the students, if certain dishes are not pleasing to them, or, conversely, if certain new foods are particularly welcome.