“Refreezing” is a critical step in Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Model, which consists of three stages: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. According to Lewin, the purpose of refreezing is to solidify and stabilize newly changed behaviours, attitudes, or processes.
In the context of improvement projects, refreezing is necessary to ensure that new processes or modifications become a permanent part of the organization’s culture and operations. Without refreezing, the changes may not be fully adopted, and the organization may revert to its old ways of doing things.
A review of the literature supports the importance of refreezing in improvement projects. According to change management experts, the success of an improvement project is frequently attributed to effective refreezing, which aids in the integration of new changes into the organization’s culture. A study of process improvement projects in healthcare organizations discovered that organizations with strong change management practise, including effective refreezing, were more successful in achieving their improvement goals.
Examples of refreezing in improvement projects include:
Implementing new systems or processes, as well as providing training and support to help employees adapt to the changes
Encourage employees to accept the changes and incorporate them into their daily routines.
Conducting regular reviews of the changes to ensure that they are being implemented and having the desired impact
Celebrating the successes of the changes to reinforce their importance and encourage continued adoption.
Finally, refreezing is a critical step in ensuring the success of improvement projects. Organizations can ensure that new changes become ingrained in their culture and operations by solidifying and stabilising them.
