1. LEWIN’S CHANGE MODEL AND HOW
IT APPLIES TO NURSING LEADERSHIP
Rachel Provau RN MSN
Chief Nursing Officer
Bayfront Health Spring Hill

2. OBJECTIVES
1. Understand Change Models
2. How Nursing Leadership utilizes this model
3. Example project
4. Questions?

3. CHANGE MODELS IN NURSING
 Bridges Transition Model
 Kotter’s 8 Step Process for Leading Change
 McKinsey 7-S Model
 Lewin Change Model
None are Nurses…

4. WHO IS LEWIN?
 Kurt Lewin born in 1890
 Humanitarian, Social Scientist, Physicist
 Theories formulated in 1940s and still in use today
 Areas of research – Field Theory, Group Dynamics
and Action Research
 Referred to as the Guru of Organizational Change
theory

5. LEWIN’S 3 STEP MODEL
 Unfreezing
 Moving or Change
 Refreezing

6. APPLICATION OF MODEL
 H20 How do you change it?

7. UNFREEZING
 Forced or controlled Crisis
 Changing the way things are done or status quo
 Strong reaction to change – Needed to evoke the
change
 Finding the new equilibrium is a motivator No one
likes uncertainty.
 Requires Strong support
from management

8. CHANGE
 New Direction is shared Stakeholders identified
 Takes time to embrace new ideas
 How does it benefit the individuals and
Organization
 Change Curve

9. CHANGE AGENTS – NURSING LEADERS

10. SECRETS TO MANAGING CHANGE
 Communication with a United Front. No we /they
discussions or silos
 Dispel rumors
 Empower action- Utilize your naysayers as your
content experts
 Reinforce and reward small steps in process as
major victories
 Have a support group to help with difficult staff. It is
good to hear the same thing from multiple sources

11. REFREEZING
 Evokes a New equilibrium
 Measure success
 Offer education to outliers and then accountability
 Don’t tweak a new process too soon
 Celebrate ……

12. APPLICATION TO NURSING LEADERSHIP
 Managed Care
 VBP
 Patient Centered care
 Social Media
 Multiple generations of work force
 Core measures
 HCAHPS

13. CHANGE CURVE IN NURSING
 Shock- Oh no not another form
 Denial – Maybe if I don’t look at
emails..
 Frustration- I don’t have 25
hours in my day
 Depression – Well I have to get
this done
 Experiment – How can I get
this done? What is the best
way?
 Decision- I am accountable for
this and will get this done. It is
best for the patients/staff.
 Integration- Whoo… I
succeeded and this feels
Great!

14. APPLICATION OF LEWIN’S THEORY
 Change Announcement –
In 2 weeks we will have a new product the ACME
Best ever product and it will replace our Favorite
product.
There will be a new form to go with the ACME Best
ever product as well and all staff need to make sure
this form is filled out.
Using the Lewin Model outline
how the teams will accomplish this………

15. ACME BEST EVER PRODUCT UNFREEZE
 How do you melt the ice

16. ACME BEST EVER PRODUCT CHANGE
 How do you
communicate?
 Immediately to prepare
the staff
 Throughout the change
how to operationalize it
for your department
 Empower the staff to
help you

17. ACME BEST EVER PRODUCT - REFREEZE
 Anchoring the change
 Monitor for the group
that ignores the change
and hold them
accountable
 Always give a
consistent message
 Remember If the
BOOV can change so
can we….

18. REFERENCES
 Mind Tools Editorial Team “Lewins’
Change Management Model”
 Q. Studer “Hardwiring Excellence”
 Mind Tools Editorial Team “Bridges’
Transition Model
 Porter-O’Grady, T and Malloch, K.
(2010) “Quantum Leadership:
Advancing Information, Transforming
Health Care” Third Edition
 AONE Guiding Principles
http://www.aone.org/resources/princip
les.shtml
 Principles and Elements of a
Healthful Practice/Work Environment
http://www.aone.org/resources/leader
ship%20tools/library.shtml
 Committee on Quality of Health Care
in America, Institute of Medicine,
2000; “To Err is Human: Building a
Safer Health System”, Linda T. Kohn,
Janet Corrigan, and Molla S.
Donaldson, Editors
 The Joint Commission Standards and
Measurements
http://www.jointcommission.org/
Becoming a High Reliability Organization
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/hroadvice/
 Melynk, B. & Fineout-Overholt, E.
“Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing
& Healthcare: A Guide to Best
Practice”