Introduction
The most suitable model for application by JEANSTYLE company would be Lewin’s Change Model. This model is a comprehensive change model that is designed to understand the reasons why change takes place and provides clues on what actions an organization should partake in to execute the change seamlessly. For JEANSTYLE company, the main reason for the change process is merging. By using Lewin’s Change Model, the company will be able to prepare its employees to undertake the change process with minimal resistance.
Why JEANSTYLE Company Should Choose Lewin’s Change Model
Lewin’s Change Model is easy for employees to understand. Unlike other change strategies, Lewin’s Change Model is simple, which will allow employees to comprehend the change process, including the activities and duties they are required to perform to execute the transition. Additionally, the model constitutes only three steps, entailing unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. These three steps are easy for a worker to master compared to those models that apply a series of acronyms (Maheshwari & Vohra, 2018). Moreover, the model has a simple Force Field Analysis, which offers a framework for business decisions during change management and strategic planning.
Lewin’s Change Model not only focuses on implementing the change process but concentrates on employees’ behavioral elements. Through psychology, the change model can help understand why most workers resist change in organizations. Firstly, the unfreezing stage, which is the leading stage, tries to question the attitudes and behaviors of the employees toward the change (Maheshwari & Vohra, 2018). During this stage, a company can identify employees who are resisting the change due to fears of losing their positions, or getting more roles without pay addition, among other reasons.
Steps in Lewin’s Change Model
Unfreezing
The most critical step in Lewin’s Change Model is the unfreezing stage. For this step, JEANSTYLE is supposed to improve the readiness and willingness of the employees to transition from their current comfort zone to one that reflects a transformed situation. Additionally, the organization should make its employees aware of why the change is vital, besides improving their motivation towards partaking in the change (Maheshwari & Vohra, 2018). For example, JEANSTYLE can explain to its workers that the newly merged business cannot perform with some of the previous departments, which requires their dissolution. This stage requires effective communication to help managers or those implementing change to prepare the people adequately.
Change
This stage entails the actual implementation of the transition process. For this stage, the employees have accepted the adoption of new duties, designations, and other change-linked activities. Additionally, the actual unfreezing of the staff occurs at this stage since it is at this point that the change is often seamlessly implemented. While it may appear easy to execute the change at this point, effective communication, careful planning, and individual encouragement are vital to helping endorse workers to the change process.
Refreezing
The refreezing stage entails a state of equilibrium following the implemented change. During this step, workers accept the transition that has occurred and integrate it into their work lives. Additionally, this step forms an avenue where employees can establish new relationships under the new designations or even roles that result from the change. The refreezing stage requires the company to reward, recognize and provide positive reinforcements, which will strengthen and reinforce new behaviors and changes in the way workers think. Ultimately, this step entails stabilizing employees following the implementation of the change process.
Conclusion
The CEO of JEANSTYLE organization can undertake three main steps, including listening to employees, educating employees on change values, and providing ongoing support to combat change resistance. Firstly, the CEO should listen to workers’ concerns about the change to help them identifies challenges that could be a result of short timelines. Secondly, the CEO should educate employees by making them understand that the change process aims at improving their work and not worsening their time with the company. Lastly, providing ongoing support by recognizing individuals that are helping facilitate the change will reduce employees’ resistance to the change process.
References
Maheshwari, S., & Vohra, V. (2018). Role of training and development practices in implementing change. International Journal of Learning and Change, 10(2), 131-162.