Readiness for organizational change: The systematic development of a scale

Abstract

Lewin (1947) argued that during an individual’s progression through change, the three stages of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing are experienced. Based on this idea, researchers have tried to outline a set of actions that could be taken by change agents to reduce resistance and move organizations and individuals through these stages. For instance, Coch and French (1948) demonstrated the effect various forms of employee participation had on productivity and satisfaction during times of change. They found the greater the extent of participation (i.e. none, participation by representation, and total participation), the more satisfied employees were and the quicker they met new production goals. Others have been spurred by these early efforts to offer further insights into how resistance to change could be reduced (cf. Kotter 1995; Kotter and Schlesinger 1979; Lawrence 1954).