Most leaders in organizations make use of Kotter’s work when they want to implement change in their operations. The model operates within eight different tenets and helps organizations to change their operations speedily, with perfect results. The other important model in this category is by Lewin model, which has three different steps. The three tenets for Lewin, also provide organizations and leaders an effective way of approaching change. The two models and their comparisons are vital for study, hence the need for their evaluation in this review.
Lewin change model
Lewin Kurt came up with a model of change which makes use of three different steps, which include refreezing, changing and unfreezing. For him, the whole process of change encompasses the idea of introducing the perception of change in an organization, and this leads to the use of the new change as the required norm. The main reason of unfreezing is to help leaders in an organization to understand how their current operations are obstacles to their goals and objectives, and as this knowledge is considered urgent, leaders are able to accept new changes in their operations as required. When individuals are informed of the need for change in their operations, the model moves them to another different stage dubbed ‘the changing stage, ' and this is the implementation level where people are allowed to adopt the new behaviors and processes in their operations. Finally, these individuals are moved to the refreezing stage where they operate optimally on the new norm and fully accept the new goals, offerings or structures as their status quo. Kotter’s change model In contrast to Lewin’s change model, Kotter’s model applies changes through campaign forums. …show more content…
In this era, change is usually seen as the driving force for successful organizations, hence the need to effect them when the need arises (Hesselbcin et al., 1996). Under Kotter’s change model, employees are able to conform to changes after they are convinced that they are in dire need of the new changes that are to be effected in their organization. The eight steps of this model include the establishment of a sense of urgency, and this helps motivate individuals as they prepare to embrace the new changes in their organization. After this phase is successful, managers are required to develop a coalition that will guide the members, and this is done by officials who are chosen by the organization to oversee the change process. The next step is to provide vision on the new changes, with the main aim of elaborating the tenets of the new change, and this can help the employees to understand their new operations and those of the organization better. This vision is then communicated to all the stakeholders in the organization, and this is usually done to make all the individuals aware of the benefits and the effects of the new changes. Later, managers will be required to come up with actions that are broad-based to do away with obstacles that might hinder the development of the new changes. Further, as the changes are effected in the organization, it is vital to note that the idea of getting wins in the short run is crucial at this stage, as they will continue to keep the new initiatives operational. Due to the long period of effecting change, Kotter’s model incorporated the idea of consolidating gains, which can eventually be used for more changes through the use of past experiences as enablers. Finally, for purposes of ensuring total change, an organization through their leaders will need to anchor the relevant changes with their cultures, through monitoring the new changes. Change models comparison Kotter makes use of an eight-step model which is consolidated by Lewin into three different steps. Both models are important for organizations, and can easily effect changes when required (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015). They are also easy to implement because of their summary and goal-oriented nature. The steps included in the models cannot be skipped, and can be communicated easily by managers. However, Kotter 's model focuses on the whole process of developing and accepting the changes, while Lewin 's model focuses on the end result that is the actual change after implementation. In addition, Kotter 's model offerings are easy to follow because