KURT LEWIN
Who is Kurt Lewin
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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, 2006).
Path to Change Theory
Lewin theorized
that “behavior is a
functional
interaction of
person and
environment”
(Miner, 2006).
Studied leadership
and leadership
climates which led to
the development of
the field of
Organizational
Behavior and Change
Theory (Miner,
2006).
Research on group
decisions and
democratic processes
led to the
development of
theories focusing on
the motivation of
change (Miner,
2006).
Lewin studied group
dynamics and field
theory which led to
the development of
Action Research and
eventually change
theory (Suc, Prokosch
& Ganslandt, 2009).
Change
Theory
Lewin’s Change Theory
UNFREEZE
CHANGE
REFREEZE
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.
Kaminski,J. (2011)
CHANGE
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.
Kaminski, J. (2011)
KURT LEWIN THEORY
HOW THE CHANGE
THEORY MOTIVATES
NURSING
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The theory involves an action
of planning and fact gathering
before proceeding on to the
next phase of action.
It ensures that all participants
are comprehending what is
expected of them correctly.
Keeps a strong focal point in
the area of communication.
A great article that regarding
how the theory motivated
nursing is:
http://en.articlesgratuits.com/
article.php/id_article=374
UNFREEZING
CHANGE
INITIATION
ADAPTATION
REFREEZING
DRIVING
FORCES
ACCEPTANCE
USE
RESTRAINING
FORCES
INCORPORATION
EQUILIBRIUM
Keith, M. (2006)
Kaminski, J. (2011)
Action Research and the Successful application of Change
Theory to Nursing
(Suc, Prokosch and Ganslandt, 2009)
This is very similar to the five step
nursing process:
• Assessment
• Analysis
• Planning
• Implementation
• Evaluation
(Chitty and Black, 2011)
Assessment
Analysis
Evaluation
planning
Successful application of Change Theory
requires the use of Action Research after
a problem is identified(Suc, Prokosch
and Ganslandt, 2009) :
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Reflection about what you know
Planning a strategy for change
Acting based upon the planned strategy
Observation of the group and the
environment after the action has taken
place
Implementation
/http://effective.leadershipdevelopment.edu.au/lewins-4-stage-model/activelearning
Is Change Theory unique to
Nursing ?
• Change Theory can be
applied to any field of
practice where
implementation of change
is needed.
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 environment” (Suc,
Prokosch & Ganslandt, 2009).
What Practice Settings Have Used
Change Theory
• Information Technology- changing to a new data
collection system
- Management- changing processes to
improve efficiency and patient care
- Conflict Resolution- changing attitudes and behaviors
- Group Processes – Replacing older, familiar
products with new products and technology
(Suc, Prokosch & Ganslandt, 2009).
Strategies for Unfreezing
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Workshops
Informational bulletins
Active participation in the formulation of plan.
Continuous feedback from participants in all
phases of change.
• Accountability without fear of punishment for
results.
(Suc, Prokosch & Ganslandt, 2009).
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.
Case Study (part 1)
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The Story
You are a nurse manager of a 750 bed nursing facility with 200 nursing care staff. This facility has been in existence for more than
50 years and you have staff with years of service ranging from 1-25 years. Over the past six months there has been a significant
increase of patients who have been admitted to the hospital emergently for bowel obstruction. To reduce the incidence of bowel
obstruction and reduce the cost of hospitalization you have been assigned to implement the use of a new bowel care monitoring
system. The current system has been in place for the entire history of the facility.
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The survey
Interviews and surveys were conducted to recognize the key factors for resistance and key factors to motivate change.
1.
All of the direct care nurses with years of service ranging from 10 to 25 years were resistant to the implementation of a
new system. Theses nurses accounted for 65 members of the total nursing care staff.
2.
Nurses who served in administrative and leadership roles were motivated to implement the change. These nurses
accounted for 45 members of the total nursing care staff
3.
Nurses who had less than 10 years of service accounted for 110 members of the total nursing care staff and most were
neutral about change.
4.
There are 13 nursing units in the entire facility. Each one operates differently and fear of a lack of consistency with
implementation was expressed.
5.
Nurses with 10-25 years of service noted their fear of a less effective system being implemented.
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There was an expressed fear of disciplinary repercussions for the failure of the new system.
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All nurses noted their desire to provide quality effective care to all patients.
8.
20 patients in 6 months were hospitalized related to bowel obstruction. 10 cases were fatal from complications of the
illness.
Write a brief one paragraph summary based on the following exercises and include the questions on slide 16 in your answer.
Use the chart on the next slide to identify the factors that need to be addressed for change.
What would be your strategy for implementation of change based on Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory?
Use part 2 and the questions on slide 16 to help you formulate an answer.
Access the following website to help you formulate your answers http://www.change-managementcoach.com/kurt_lewin.html
Case Study (part 2)
Pro change
Rate
it
Proposed Resist
change
change
Rate
it
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Help participants understand that change is
required.
Identify the key motivations to change and
key factors contributing to resistance of
desired change enter your findings into the
grid and rate your answers 1-5. (1 being lowest
rating and 5 being highest)
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Measure the motivation for change (pro
change), and the factors of resistance.
Use the top rated factor of each category as a
strategy for implementation of change.
There will be one proposed change for the
entire assignment. It will not change with
each factor.
Enter the number of the factor from the
survey findings into the grid and rate each
one.
There may be more than one factor with the
same rating in its column.
Write a brief paragraph explaining your
findings.
Answer these questions in your
summary paragraph
• Who are the key figures to motivate change
and why?
• What are the key factors to motivate change
in this scenario?
REFERENCES
Chitty, K.K., & Black, B.P. (2011). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (6th ed.)
Nursing pathway to professionalism. Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders
Kaminski, J. (2011). Theory applied to informatics-Lewin’s change theory. CJNI: Canadian
Journal of Nursing Informatics, 6 (1). Retrieved from http://cjni.net/journal/?p=1210
Keith, M. (2006). Change theory: The motivation it gives to health care nursing. Retrieved
from http://en.articlesgratuits.com/article.php?id_article=374
Kelly, T. (2009, April). [Diagram of Lewin’s four stage model]. The Effective Leadership
Development Community. Retrieved from
http://effective.leadershipdevelopment.edu.au/lewins-4-stage-model/active-learning/
Miner, J. (2006). Organizational behavior 1 : Essential theories of motivation and leadership.
Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharp, Inc. Retrieved from http://0site.ebrary.com.libcat.ferris.edu/lib/ferris/docDetail.action?docID=10178132
Suc, J., Prokosch, H. and Ganslandt, T. (2009, May). Applicability of Lewin's change
management model in a hospital setting. Methods of Information In Medicine, 48(5), 419-428.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3414/ME9235