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Reward Change Adoption
To ensure that change becomes permanent, organizations may benefit from
rewarding those who embrace the change effort (an aspect of the controlling
function). The rewards do not necessarily have to be financial. The simple act of

recognizing those who are giving support to the change effort in front of their peers
may encourage others to get on board. When the new behaviors employees are
expected to demonstrate (such as using a new computer program, filling out a new
form, or simply greeting customers once they enter the store) are made part of an
organization’s reward system, those behaviors are more likely to be taken seriously
and repeated, making the change effort successful. [13]
Embracing Continuous Change
While Lewin’s three-stage model offers many useful insights into the process
of implementing change, it views each organizational change as an episode with a
beginning, middle, and end. In contrast with this episodic change assumption, some
management experts in the 1990s began to propose that change is—or ought to be—a
continuous process.
The learning organization is an example of a company embracing continuous
change. By setting up a dynamic feedback loop, learning can become a regular part of
daily operations. If an employee implements a new method or technology that seems
to be successful, a learning organization is in a good position to adopt it. By
constantly being aware of how employee actions and outcomes affect others as well
as overall company productivity, the inevitable small changes throughout
organizations can be rapidly absorbed and tailored for daily operations. When an
organization understands that change does indeed occur constantly, it will be in a
better position to make use of good changes and intervene if a change seems
detrimental.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Effective change effort can be conceptualized as a three-step process in
which employees are first prepared for change, then change is implemented,
and finally the new behavioral patterns become permanent. According to
emerging contemporary views, it can also be seen as a continuous process that
affirms the organic, ever-evolving nature of an organization.
EXERCISES
1. What are the benefits of employee participation in change
management?
2. Imagine that you are introducing a new system to college students
where they would have to use a special ID number you create for them for
activities such as logging on to campus computers or using library resources.
How would you plan and implement the change? Explain using Lewin’s three-
stage framework.
3. Why are successful companies less likely to change? What should
companies do to make organizational change part of their culture?

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