Phases of Planned Change
In order for change to be successful, people must be ready for it. There are three kinds of planned changes; unfreezing, changing and refreezing. These are the processes of changes that occur when the change is planned.
Unfreezing:
This is point where change is being prepared for a situation. There are many ways to go about this change;
Changing:
This is the point where change actually takes place. This stage generally happens after unfreezing when the business realizes what the problem is and generates a good idea to solve it. At this point, change can happen very fast which may get workers overwhelmed. This in turn will have workers resisting change so they won't want to have anything to do with it. The change at this point may not be too successful and all of the hard work of trying to implement the change will go to waste.
Refreezing:
Change is maintained at this stage. This step occurs when change happens successfully. For change to have a successful outcome, people involved in the change must be on board and should be in the know of every decision. People who are affected by change must know about the change so that it's easier for change to have a smooth an positive impact on a business or other workplace. It's important to reflect back to the situation when change is implemented so that workers know exactly why the change occurred. Reflecting back also gives people an idea of what the problem was. This helps because by knowing the core problem, a business will try it's best to not duplicate it.
Unfreezing:
This is point where change is being prepared for a situation. There are many ways to go about this change;
- Through environmental pressures for change: A business may notice that current business practices and decisions are affecting the environment. This may affect the business and people in many ways so the business will realize that change needs to take place.
- Declining performance: A business may realize that the work being done is not being completed to it's workers full abilities. For this reason, they change the daily routine to get workers back on track and motivated.
- The recognition that problems or opportunities exist: It's important to realize that a problem exists in the workplace to find the best possible solution.
Changing:
This is the point where change actually takes place. This stage generally happens after unfreezing when the business realizes what the problem is and generates a good idea to solve it. At this point, change can happen very fast which may get workers overwhelmed. This in turn will have workers resisting change so they won't want to have anything to do with it. The change at this point may not be too successful and all of the hard work of trying to implement the change will go to waste.
Refreezing:
Change is maintained at this stage. This step occurs when change happens successfully. For change to have a successful outcome, people involved in the change must be on board and should be in the know of every decision. People who are affected by change must know about the change so that it's easier for change to have a smooth an positive impact on a business or other workplace. It's important to reflect back to the situation when change is implemented so that workers know exactly why the change occurred. Reflecting back also gives people an idea of what the problem was. This helps because by knowing the core problem, a business will try it's best to not duplicate it.