Let’s talk about Ned for a second
How many times have you worked in a group, an educated, well-meaning, interested an invested group, that has had a member (or more) that are just so hard to work with? Let’s call our one friend Ned, Negative Ned. You have an idea and Ned tells you why it’s not going to work. You tell Ned “Hey pal, great work. You know what would make it better?” and Ned hits you back with some defensive argument defending himself. Working in a group is supposed to mean more heads, more perspectives, better results and more efficient use of man-hours. Why, then, do the Neds of the professional world insist on spinning their wheels alone on Negative Island?
Ned probably doesn’t understand that change is good. Ned probably doesn’t see that everyone is NOT out to get him. Ned doesn’t realize that he COULD be better and that’s NOT a bad thing. Everyone could stand to do better. Change is a constant in life. Aside from taxes and death, let’s start adding change to that list, because you could under a rock and the world will continue to revolve around the sun and change will pass you by no matter how you try to hide from it. That leaves us with a choice: change, adapt, roll with the punches or stay stuck in the quicksand of expired concepts, theories and methods.
Lewin’s Change Management Model
Lewin’s model describes the methods for change in, what I believe, is the most severe situation. It doesn’t discuss the environment in need of change as quicksand, as I did. It describes the environment as frozen like ice. In order to create change you have to take a solid object, melt it down, and start all over again molding it until you are ready to freeze it’s contents again. When you have an organization or a group of people frozen in their ways, there is a lot to undo before growth can occur.
What exactly needs to be unfrozen? Process and perception. So many times when Ned has something negative to add or disclose, it’s based on his own perception. People see what they see (everyone, even me) and it can be easy to refuse an alternative simply because you fail to see that there can be more than one right answer. Life is not a multiple choice exam, it’s an open discussion. Our Negative Neds, need to be retrained to believe something they didn’t believe previously. Neds believe that there is a right and a wrong, a black and a white, a yes and a no. The world is full of maybes, sort ofs and grey areas. This means that you need to see your own perception as always less than perfect and combined with other less than perfect perceptions we can get closer to what we want so bad to perfect (because it doesn’t exist lemme tell you). Changes & Growth Once you can get your team to realize this vital concept, you can start to discuss what would be best. It’s not about what you think is right. Remember, we’re not talking right or wrong, we’re talking about what’s best. There could be several solutions and several back up plans and being stuck during a growth spurt can be the worst inhibitor to truly reaching maximum potential. Being open to change, open to failure, open to trying again until you get it right is what the growth phase is all about. Refreeze As long as we’re talking about change being good and perpetual adaptation being key, refreezing everything isn’t the best way to look at this phase. It’s about taking those new concepts and really evaluating which ones are crucial and can’t afford to be forgotten. Those ideas are the ones to be reinforced and given roots. These will help keep the organization or group on track and serve as a guide for success. A guide is not a book of explicit directions, it’s a way to shine light on a way that worked well for those who blazed the trails before you. Once those foundational processes are cemented into the organization’s culture it’s important to remember that with the culture of change fresh in the methods of your group, to continually polish your frozen rock and melt down the edges that need to change with time. Adaptation is the only remedy to the Negative Neds of the world. Constant evolution contributes to a more moldable foundation to start from and avoid many of the difficulties that come with completely unfreezing an organization. https://www.process.st/change-management-models/
What exactly needs to be unfrozen?
Process and perception.
So many times when Ned has something negative to add or disclose, it’s based on his own perception. People see what they see (everyone, even me) and it can be easy to refuse an alternative simply because you fail to see that there can be more than one right answer. Life is not a multiple choice exam, it’s an open discussion. Our Negative Neds, need to be retrained to believe something they didn’t believe previously. Neds believe that there is a right and a wrong, a black and a white, a yes and a no. The world is full of maybes, sort ofs and grey areas. This means that you need to see your own perception as always less than perfect and combined with other less than perfect perceptions we can get closer to what we want so bad to perfect (because it doesn’t exist lemme tell you).
Changes & Growth
Once you can get your team to realize this vital concept, you can start to discuss what would be best. It’s not about what you think is right. Remember, we’re not talking right or wrong, we’re talking about what’s best. There could be several solutions and several back up plans and being stuck during a growth spurt can be the worst inhibitor to truly reaching maximum potential. Being open to change, open to failure, open to trying again until you get it right is what the growth phase is all about.
Refreeze
As long as we’re talking about change being good and perpetual adaptation being key, refreezing everything isn’t the best way to look at this phase. It’s about taking those new concepts and really evaluating which ones are crucial and can’t afford to be forgotten. Those ideas are the ones to be reinforced and given roots. These will help keep the organization or group on track and serve as a guide for success. A guide is not a book of explicit directions, it’s a way to shine light on a way that worked well for those who blazed the trails before you. Once those foundational processes are cemented into the organization’s culture it’s important to remember that with the culture of change fresh in the methods of your group, to continually polish your frozen rock and melt down the edges that need to change with time. Adaptation is the only remedy to the Negative Neds of the world. Constant evolution contributes to a more moldable foundation to start from and avoid many of the difficulties that come with completely unfreezing an organization.
8 Critical Change Management Models to Evolve and Survive