Lippitt's Phases of Change Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lippitt's Phases of Change Theory - Essay Example However people all over the world always fight to resist change. They fear the new ideas that change is going to impose on them (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2006). They fear the unknown as they are skeptical of what the new changes might bring to their lives. People want to maintain the status quo and therefore will do anything to resist the change. They do this because of various reasons some of them include the need to maintain social relations that have been built over time. Some just resist change because of the costs and the consequences associated with the change. Eventually the people do change no matter how long it takes them (McGinnis, 2005). At the workplace this is evident in so many ways and can lead to frustrations in the leadership of the organization if the correct measures are not put in place to address the change to new platforms, technology structures and process. Managers will therefore employ many models to ensure that they can effectively manage the change and that it d oes not cost the organization (Miner, 2007). Change It is important to realize that there are two types of change: uncontrolled change and controlled change. The uncontrolled change is created by nature and cannot be altered by humans. The change may be perceived as positive or negative depending on an individual’s perspective. ... To gain the intended result requires a thorough understanding of the present state, the desired state, the variables involved and the mechanics of change itself (Nicklos, 2010). Lippitt’s phases of change theory The phases of change theory was proposed by Lippitt and is built on Lewin’s three stage theory- the most widely used change theory. In Lewin’s theory, it involves three stages: (1) the unfreezing stage where the change agent is motivated to create change. The affected people are then made aware of this need to change. The problem is identified or diagnosed and the best solution is advanced and selected to address the problem (Warner, 2010). There three possible mechanisms that give input to the initial change: lack of confirmation, guilty or anxiety and psychological safety. The second stage is called the moving stage where information is gathered to facilitate the change and here an influencial person is key to the success of this stage. The third and la st stage is the unfreezing stage where the changes are integrated and stabilized as part of the value system. There exist driving forces that encourage the change while at the same time there are restraining forces that work against the change. The change agent identifies and deals with the latter forces in order that change is established with homeostasis and equilibrium (Warner, 2010). Therefore Lippitt borrowed the ideas of this theory and used them in developing the phases of change theory by adding seventh phase to Lewin's original theory of change. The theory has seven phases. Phase one is diagnosing the problem. During this phase a nurse manager or the change agent looks at all the possible ramifications of a proposed change