MGMT20001 · Organisational Behaviour
Organisational Change
Organisations sit in a dynamic environment that constantly pushes them to change — competition, technology, customers/demographics and growth itself. Organisational change is the move from a current state to a desired future state, and a planned-change model gives a framework for doing it deliberately. The two pillars are Lewin’s force-field analysis and unfreeze → change → refreeze (work on the restraining forces, and don't skip refreeze), expanded into Kotter’s 8 steps (urgency first, anchor-in-culture last). Most change meets resistance, and the unit's evidence-based punchline is that participation is the strongest lever — coercion is the last resort. Beer & Eisenstat’s (2000) 'silent killers' quietly defeat strategy implementation; OD (action research, appreciative inquiry) operationalises participation. The case is Boost Juice.
What this chapter covers
- 01Forces for change: competition, technology, customers, growth
- 02Lewin's force-field analysis (driving vs restraining forces)
- 03Unfreeze → change → refreeze; episodic vs continuous change
- 04Kotter's 8 steps & the change agent
- 05Resistance: sources and matched remedies (participation first)
- 06Beer & Eisenstat's six 'silent killers' of strategy implementation
- 07Organisation development (OD): action research, appreciative inquiry
Worked example: apply Lewin's force-field to a change
- +1Driving force: faster expansion and local owners with skin in the game push toward the franchise model.
- +1Restraining force: founders fear losing quality control; store staff fear new rules; franchisees fear cost.
- +1Work the restrainers: lowering restraining forces (fear, lost routines) usually beats simply cranking up drivers, which raises tension and rebound.
- +1Unfreeze → change: unfreeze by showing the growth ceiling of company-owned stores; change with strong training and clear operating standards.
- +1Don't skip refreeze: lock the new state in — tie franchisee rewards and brand audits to the new system — or people drift back once attention moves on.
Key terms
- Force-field analysis (Lewin)
- Any status quo is an equilibrium held between driving forces (pushing for change) and restraining forces (resisting it). Change by strengthening drivers, weakening restrainers, or both — the most durable change works on the restrainers.
- Unfreeze → change → refreeze
- Lewin's three stages: unfreeze (create urgency, disconfirm the old way), change/move (shift to new behaviours and systems — the messiest phase), refreeze (lock the new state in by aligning rewards, structures and culture). Don't skip refreeze.
- Kotter's 8 steps
- Create urgency → build a guiding coalition → form a vision → communicate it → empower action → generate short-term wins → consolidate → anchor in the culture. Maps onto Lewin: steps 1–4 = unfreeze, 5–7 = change, 8 = refreeze.
- Resistance to change
- Sources include fear of loss, lack of trust, breaking established routines, incongruent systems and saving face — each with a matched remedy. The evidence-based punchline: participation is the strongest lever; coercion is the last resort.
- Beer & Eisenstat 'silent killers'
- Six quiet, structural barriers that defeat strategy implementation: top-down/laissez-faire style, unclear strategy & conflicting priorities, an ineffective senior team, poor vertical communication, poor cross-functional coordination, and inadequate down-the-line leadership.
Organisational Change FAQ
What is Lewin's force-field analysis?
A model that reads any status quo as an equilibrium between driving forces (pushing for change) and restraining forces (resisting it). To change, you raise drivers, lower restrainers, or both — and the unit's point is that lowering restrainers (fear, lost routines) usually beats simply pushing harder, which raises tension and rebound.
How does Kotter's 8-step model relate to Lewin?
Kotter expands Lewin's three stages into an actionable sequence: steps 1–4 (urgency, coalition, vision, communicate) = unfreeze; steps 5–7 (empower, wins, consolidate) = change; step 8 (anchor in culture) = refreeze. Showing you can connect the two models earns the higher band.
What's the strongest way to overcome resistance to change?
Participation. The unit's evidence-based punchline is that involving employees in the change reduces resistance more than any other lever — people support what they help build — with honest communication close behind. Coercion is a last resort that buys compliance but breeds the next round of resistance.
What are the 'silent killers' of change?
Beer & Eisenstat's (2000) six quiet, structural barriers to strategy implementation: a top-down or laissez-faire senior style, unclear strategy and conflicting priorities, an ineffective senior team, poor vertical communication, poor cross-functional coordination, and inadequate down-the-line leadership. They're dangerous because they're rarely named openly.
Exam move
Make Lewin your backbone: be able to draw the force-field (driving vs restraining), name the unfreeze → change → refreeze stages, and explain why you work the restrainers and never skip refreeze. Then layer Kotter's 8 steps on top and map them onto Lewin (1–4 unfreeze, 5–7 change, 8 refreeze) — connecting the two models is what lifts the band. Pair each source of resistance with its remedy and bank the punchline that participation is the strongest lever. Keep Beer & Eisenstat's six silent killers and OD ready, and run the spine on Boost Juice.
