By Suzette Lovely

No matter how good a new idea is, it will always benefit some people more than others.  Understanding what people stand to gain or lose is an essential element of any effort to alter someone's work. Leading change also requires "stage awareness," a recognition of the natural reflexes and underlying concerns that come alive during a new situation.

To understand how change works, Kurt Lewin theorized most people go through three stages as they face new situations: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. In Lewin's model, prior learning has to be rejected and a "cognitive redefinition" must occur before people will behave differently.

One way to understand the unfreezing stage is to visualize the situation as a block of ice. For ice to take on a new shape, it first has to melt. During this melting phase, people's thinking and habits are challenged. Unfreezing may be triggered by a new leader or a disruption to the status quo. For example, if a laid-back principal is replaced with an all-business leader, the faculty will immediately wonder, "How is this going to affect me?" Internal comments can range from Yippee! to Oh no! Any attempts to move forward without unfreezing the attitudes and perceptions of those affected by the disruption will be met with apathy or resistance.

Unfreezing can be a chilly time. Emotions run high. Defensive behaviors often surface as different groups jockey for control. In The Change Cycle (2008), Ann Salerno and Lillie Brock contend that during this period there are usually a sizable number of people who rely on blame or arguments to prove "their way is still better" (p. 19). While it can feel like unfreezing lasts forever, it doesn't. People eventually find solutions and move on.

In the next stage, changing, the ice thaws and begins to take on a new shape. People open up to new ideas. Uncertainties are resolved through discussions about what's different. Although not everyone is a cheerleader for the change, people are more accepting of it. Perspectives move beyond restrictive thinking to create a sense of resourcefulness. Nevertheless, in the absence of understanding during the changing phase, people will backslide into old habits. This phase represents the pivotal place where a staff either moves on and experiences exciting possibilities or remains anchored in the way things have always been done.

In the final stage, refreezing, changes are accepted and integrated into the everyday work culture. The ice hardens through renewed confidence and productivity. A fresh cultural perspective emerges from these new behaviors. The change that threw the organization into a tailspin no longer seems a big deal. For Superintendents, refreezing is the time to survey the process and decide what needs to be done to face the future.

To increase effectiveness in change leadership, try to pinpoint how people are feeling at each stage of the process. With every real or imagined worry you can eliminate, the situation becomes less threatening. Since perceptions, not facts, drive reactions to change, the tips below can provide a clearer picture of what people are thinking in each stage. Keep this in mind: if it doesn't feel good for the employee, it doesn't really matter whether it's "good for kids" or "good for the district."  Once you begin to enjoy the new normal, ask "What would I do differently if I had to do it over again?"

Sources:
Salerno, A. & Brock, L. (2008). The change cycle: How people can survive and thrive in organizational change. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Wirth, R. (2004). Lewin's/Schein's change theory. Online: www.entarga.com/orgchange/lewinschein.pdf