Lewin’s Change Theory

Biography

 Jewish psychologist born in Germany

(Miner, 2006).
 Earned Doctorates degree in Psychology
from The University of Berlin in 1914
(Miner, 2006).
 Moved to US in 1933 prior to Hitler
movement after impressive visit with
Lewis Terman (founder of Stanford-
Binet tests) at Stanford University
(Miner, 2006).
 Study of groups and action research after
his move to the United States led to his
development of Change Theory; his
major contribution to nursing (Miner, Kurt Zadek Lewin
2006) (1890-1947)
Father of Modern Social Psychology

CHANGE THEORY: Three Major Concepts

1. Driving Forces
 are those that push in a direction that causes change to occur.
 They facilitate change because they push the patient in a desired direction.
 They cause a shift in the equilibrium towards change.
2. Restraining Forces
 are those forces that counter the driving forces.
 They hinder change because they push the patient in the opposite direction.
 They cause a shift in the equilibrium that opposes change.
3. Equilibrium:
 is a state of being where driving forces equal restraining forces, and no
change occurs.
 It can be raised or lowered by changes that occur between the driving and
restraining forces.
1.

UNFREEZING
 Finding a method of making it possible for people to let go of an old pattern
that was counterproductive.
 The stage where the desire to change occurs.
 The more transparent and inclusive the process is, the more readily people
move through this stage.
2. CHANGE
 Change in thoughts, feelings, behavior, or all three that is more productive in
some way.
 New structures and processes are put in place to achieve the desired
improvements.
 This is the most time-consuming, costly, yet productive.
3. REFREEZING
 Establishing the change as a new habit or process.
 Rewards,support, and champion leadership is important through this stage.
 The changes are " frozen " in place to ensure that they become part of normal
working procedures.
 Establish supportive mechanisms such as policies, rewards, ongoing support,
and a solid orientation for new employees.

CHANGE THEORY AND THE FOUR GLOBAL CONCEPTS

Human Being - There is always a force of resistance to change. "The human factor
must be taken into account to achieve acceptance and commitment of all participants"
(Suc, Prokosch & Ganslandt, 2009).

Environment - The environment can be manipulated to encourage human beings to

move towards a change goal. The environment must be evaluated
for appropriate change interventions (Suc, Prokosch & Ganslandt, 2009).
Health - Unhealthy behaviors and unhealthy environments can be changed if this
theory is applied correctly (Suc, Prokosch & Ganslandt, 2009).
Nursing - When working with large groups to implement change, this model is ideal
when used in conjunction with action research. It has proven useful to nurse managers
in the implementation of change and "applicable to conflict situations in the nursing.

CONCLUSION
 Kurt Lewin's Change Theory has been an effective tool in organizational
behavior modification.
 Change Theory has been instrumental in implementing change in many
difficult groups.
 Reflect on the needed change and what you already know about it. Collect
data about the population, their attitudes and concerns.
 Plan a course of implementation and Act upon it.
 Observe the results of implementation and modify the plan based on your
results as needed.
REFERENCES

Petiprin, Alice. (2013). Lewin’s Change Model. https://nursing-theory.org