Kurt Lewin argued that successful change in organizations should follow three steps. By definition, status quo is an equilibrium state. To move from equilibrium—to overcome the pressures of both individual resistance and group conformity—unfreezing must happen in one of three ways. For one, the driving forces, which direct behavior away from the status quo, can be increased. For another, the restraining forces, which hinder movement away from equilibrium, can be decreased.

A third alternative is to combine the first two approaches. Organizations that have been successful in the past are likely to encounter restraining forces because people question the need for change. Once the movement stage begins, it’s important to keep the momentum going. Organizations that build up to change do less well than those that get to and through the movement stage quickly.

When change has been implemented, the new situation must be refrozen so it can be sustained over time. Without this last step, change will likely be short-lived and employees will attempt to revert to the previous equilibrium state. The objective of refreezing is to stabilize the situation by balancing the driving and restraining forces.