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Unfreezing Before Change
Many change efforts fail because people are insufficiently prepared for change.
When employees are not prepared, they are more likely to resist the change effort and
less likely to function effectively under the new system. What can organizations do
before change to prepare employees? There are a number of things that are important
at this stage.
Communicating a Plan for Change
Do people know what the change entails, or are they hearing about the planned
changes through the grapevine or office gossip? When employees know what is
going to happen, when, and why, they may feel more comfortable. Research shows
that those who have more complete information about upcoming changes are more
[2]
committed to a change effort. Moreover, in successful change efforts, the leader
[3]
not only communicates a plan but also an overall vision for the change. When this
vision is exciting and paints a picture of a future that employees would be proud to be
a part of, people are likely to be more committed to change.
Ensuring that top management communicates with employees about the
[4]
upcoming changes also has symbolic value. When top management and the
company CEO discuss the importance of the changes in meetings, employees are
provided with a reason to trust that this change is a strategic initiative. For example,
while changing the employee performance appraisal system, the CEO of Kimberly
Clark made sure to mention the new system in all meetings with employees,
indicating that the change was supported by the CEO.
Develop a Sense of Urgency
People are more likely to accept change if they feel that there is a need for it. If
employees feel their company is doing well, the perceived need for change will be
smaller. Those who plan the change will need to make the case that there is an
external or internal threat to the organization’s competitiveness, reputation, or
sometimes even its survival and that failure to act will have undesirable
consequences. For example, Lou Gerstner, the former CEO of IBM, executed a
successful transformation of the company in the early 1990s. In his

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