Lewin’s Change Theory: does it work in Saudi Arabia?

In this paper, we will discuss Lewin’s Change Theory and give a summary of it, why he established this theory, and its intended purpose in change management. Then, we will talk about and explain the stages of implementing the change and how and why they are connected and vital to each other. After that, we will see if Lewin’s Change Theory can work in today’s global economy or not. Moreover, how can we modify or alter his theory if needed to suits Saudi Arabia? Last, we will discuss whether or not Lewin’s Change Theory needs any adjustments in light of today's global and Saudi business climate.

Change Theory by Lewin: a summary, rationale, and intention.?

Developed by Kurt Lewin, the Change Theory is only one of several theories of change that he, in one way or the other in later years, helped to develop. Because of his background in social science. Change begins by unfreezing what is already there. That is how Lewin sees as the first step. Unfreezing which is seen as the equilibrium state because it retains the status quo. Personal rejection and collective conformity must be overcome in order to unfreeze. As part of Lewin's process of altering behavior, the second stage is to change. In this phase, the target system must be moved to a new equilibrium state. Refreezing, which is the third step in the change theory. The main idea of refreezing is that this step must be taken for a change -the second step- to be maintained throughout time. As a result, if this step is not performed or implemented, the change will be temporary, and the individuals could return to their former equilibrium (habit or behavior).

Why Lewin created this Theory? Lewin sees people's behavior as a dynamic balance of forces operating in different directions. People are more likely to change when pushed toward their own, compnay, or government goals by driving forces. Change is hindered by restraining factors, which drive individuals in the other direction. The intention of Lewin’s three-step approach or theory is to help to rebalance the scales in favor of a person, company, or even government desired outcome. Also, it is a straightforward and easy-to-communicate model (Kritsonis, 2005). There are those who consider Kurt Lewin's "three-step method to managing change" to be the traditional or foundational approach to change management. While Lewin's simplistic view of the change process has been challenged by some academics, others have defended him against such allegations (Cummings, Bridgman, & Brown, 2016).

The three stages of change implementation:?

As mentioned in the previous section, Lewin’s Change Theory has three steps: unfreeze, change, and refreeze. This section will discuss each one of them a little more in-depth. First, unfreeze. When it comes to systemic changes, it concentrates on dislodging the ideas and assumptions of people who need to make systemic changes. A catastrophe may trigger the unfreezing process. This unfreezing makes the individuals immersed in the systems more receptive to new ideas and approaches. It is easier to make changes when systems and structures are adaptable, and attitudes and behaviors are flexible. (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2016). Individuals involved to absorb new knowledge or change old behaviors must feel secure from loss and embarrassment (Burnes, 2004). Second, change, A bridging stage or the actual implementation of change can indeed be considered in this stage. A new method of doing activities must be accepted in order to be successful in it. There comes the point in time when the individuals are thawed out, and genuine change may be made. Throughout this phase, proper planning, clear communication, and persuading everyone to participate in the change are required to succeed. As a result of the uncertainty or people's apprehension about embracing a change process, it is considered that this stage of transition is difficult.?(Juneja, n.d.). Since there is much ambiguity at this stage, the person in charge or the manager must address questions like who will do what and when and how (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2016). Third, refreeze; eventually, individuals or employees will be in a considerably more stable condition, which experts called equilibrium. At this point, individuals adopt or absorb new methods of working or changing, embrace it as a part of their life, and form new connections. Positive encouragement and rewards must be given to the employees to reinforce their new behaviors and methods of working. Along with that, supportive policies and structures can assist in reinforcing the changed ways of working (Juneja, n.d.). These three stages or steps are critical and highly connected to each other so that if a manager or government forgets any, they will get no benefit at all. Even worse, missing a step may worsen the situation that they try to fix.??

As a result of its simplicity, it has survived. Despite its simplicity, change experts find it valuable to remind managers and leaders that you can not expect change unless such a system is unfrozen first. Durability and interconnectivity in existing institutions and relationships, as well as beliefs, impose rigidity (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2016).

Is the theory even now relevant in today’s worldwide economy?

???????????The theory is applicable and can be used these days. From that, we can see that the theory can be applied in today’s worldwide economy. Because of its simplicity, Lewin regularly receives criticism. As a result, some critics claim that he oversimplifies a difficult process. That resulted in the theory became popular since every team could connect to it. There is also a strong emphasis on the need for strong leadership at each of the three levels (Sharma, n.d.). Many other schoolers used Lewin’s Change Theory as a foundation to create and make their own theory like Lippitt change theory, Kolb/Frohman?model of organizational change, and Tichy and Devanna model (Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management, 2019). Many schoolers from diffrant study fields still use the three steps theory to conduct their research. For example, a study by ?uc, Prokosch, and Ganslandt is titled “Applicability of Lewin s change management model in a hospital setting” (2009). Also, a study by Schein titled “Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory in the Field and in the classroom: Notes Toward a Model of Managed Learning” (1999). Last but not least, a study by MR titled “Lewin’s Theory of Planned Change as a Strategic Resource” (2013). All of them prove that the theory is still applicable. So, form that since somehow Lewin’s Change Theory could also evolve and set the foundation for a totally new change theory, we can say it is still alive and can be used to make the changes and today’s global economy. That is what we are going to show and prove in the next section.

Modifying and altering theory to keep on relevant and applicable in Saudi Arabia.

???????????We believe that the theory does not need any modification or alteration in order for it to work in Saudi Arabia. We can use it as is, and still going to work wonderfully. We have proven that in the previous section that this theory can work without any changes. Moreover, we believe that the theory somehow is already being used - intentionally or unintentionally - as is and still working. We can see the reflection of using this theory in our life in the process of implementation of the Saudi vision 2030. The vision is introduced to the citizens and shows them that it relies on three pillars: a thriving economy, an ambitious nation, and a vibrant society (Khan, 2020). The new changes that will happen in the future will rely upon these pillars.

It is known that Saudi society is one of the closest societies on the planet (Mower, 1990). However, if we focus more on how the government changes society, we can see without a second guess that it uses Lewin’s Change Theory in a way or the other. The government already unfreeze society. Now we are in the change phase, and soon we will reach the refreeze phase. Let us give an example of that; the restaurants used to have two sections, one for family and the other for the signals. Now they are mixed in most of them; only a few remain in an old-fashioned way; before, the women did not work in restaurants and coffee houses; now, they are (Yee, 2020). ?

Adjustments to the theory in light of today's global and Saudi business climate:

???????????We have shown that in the previous section that there is no need for any adjustment for the theory in order for it to work in Saudi Arabia or globally. However, there will be no harm to using other theories that are stated and mentioned above since almost all of them -as we prove before- have the same foundation and are bullied based on Lewin’s Change Theory. One of the focuses of the Saudi vision 2030 is to change the way used to run the Saudi economy (Khan, 2020). With no need for any adjustment or alteration, the country is heading to 2030 with steady steps. Same this can apply in any other country around the globe. Now many countries have their own visions like Kenia and Kuwait (vision 2030, n.d.). Govenments do not need to make any changes. In the most extreme cases, we think they should use more in-depth theories like Lippitt change theory, Kolb/Frohman?model of organizational change, or Tichy and Devanna model.

Conclusion:

In this paper, we have discussed Lewin’s Change Theory and summarized it, why he established this theory and the objective of change management. Second, we talked about and explained the stages and the steps and showed that the stages are unfreezing, change, and refreezing. Also, we showed how to implement the change as well as how and why they are connected and vital. Third, we prove that Lewin’s Change Theory can work nowadays in the global economy. Fourth, we showed and proved that modifying or altering the theory to suits Saudi Arabia is not needed. Fifth, we proved that Lewin’s Change Theory does not need any adjustments in light of today's global or Saudi business climate.

References

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