Facilitation · A change arc over weeks to months; each stage can be supported by one or more sessions.
Lewin's Change Model (Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze)
Lewin's Change Model describes change as moving a group from one equilibrium to another in three stages: unfreezing the current state, moving to a new one, and freezing it in place. It rests on his force-field idea that behaviour is held steady by driving and restraining forces, and that group norms matter more than individual persuasion.
When to use Lewin's Change Model (Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze)
When a programme is meant to change how a team or organisation works, not only what people know.
How Lewin's Change Model (Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze) works
Use the three stages to plan a change programme around workshops: an opening session that unfreezes, practice sessions that move, and agreements and follow-up that refreeze new behaviour.
Phases of Lewin's Change Model (Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze)
- Unfreeze: Help people see why the current way no longer works and lower the forces holding it in place. In a workshop: shared data, stories of the problem and space to voice concerns.
- Change (moving): Try out and learn the new behaviours or ways of working with support. In a workshop: practice, experiments, coaching and clear next steps.
- Refreeze: Make the new way stick through routines, structures, agreements and reinforcement, so people do not slide back. Plan this before the session ends.
Key principles
- Behaviour is held by opposing forces
- Change groups, not only individuals
- Readiness before action
- Stabilise the new equilibrium
Best for
- Organisational and team change
- Introducing new processes or tools
- Culture and behaviour programmes
- Planning follow-up after workshops
Considerations
- Often criticised as too linear and static for continuous change.
- Historians (Cummings, Bridgman & Brown, 2016) argue the neat three-step model was largely built by later writers; Lewin wrote of 'freezing', and 'refreezing' came later.
- Pays little attention to individual emotions during change; pair with Bridges' Transition Model for that.
Attribution & sources
Developed by Kurt Lewin, 1947
Design a session with Lewin's Change Model (Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze)
METODIC builds a complete Lewin's Change Model (Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze)-based session — methods, timing, worksheets, and facilitator guides — in minutes.