Throw Away the Ice Cube of Change.
Many leaders are taught that organizational change follows a clear three-step process:
- Unfreeze the current state,
- Move to a new way of working,
- Refreeze the change into place.
This is widely known as Kurt Lewin’s Ice-Cube Model of change one of the most cited change management frameworks. But this model is misleading—and it’s holding organizations back.
Change doesn’t happen in three steps. It’s ongoing. The idea that change should “freeze” into place creates rigid organizations that struggle to adapt. If your success is measured by whether a change has “stuck,” you’re thinking about change all wrong.
What Kurt Lewin Actually Meant
Lewin’s Real Focus: Forces, Not Frozen States
Lewin was a pioneer in group dynamics and behavioral psychology. His work wasn’t about linear change processes—it was about how forces interact to shape behavior over time.
His most important contributions include:
- Force Field Analysis – Change happens when driving forces (pushing for change) overpower resisting forces (maintaining the status quo).
- Field Theory – Behavior is shaped by the total environment (or “field”) in which people operate.
- Group Dynamics – Change doesn’t happen in isolation—it’s a social process influenced by relationships, habits, and meaning-making.
How the Ice-Cube Model Took Over
Lewin briefly mentioned the idea of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing in a 1947 paper (Frontiers in Group Dynamics). But over time, this passing reference became his entire legacy.
The Ice-Cube Model simplifies his work into a static, step-by-step process that ignores the continuous nature of change. If Lewin were alive today, he would likely reject the idea that change can be “frozen” at all.
Why the Ice-Cube Model Fails in the Real World
1. Change Doesn’t “Freeze”
Organizations don’t exist in a static state. Even if you successfully embed a new process, market forces, competitors, and internal shifts will challenge it.
2. The Illusion of Completion
Many change initiatives fail because leaders think their job is done once a change is “locked in.” This leads to:
- Change fatigue—Employees feel exhausted from rigid, top-down change efforts.
- Rigid structures—Processes remain in place even when they no longer serve the business.
- A false sense of stability—Organizations assume they are “transformed,” but reality keeps shifting.
3. Real Change is Continuous
The best organizations never stop adapting. Instead of “freezing” into place, they:
✔ Continuously scan for shifts in their environment.
✔ Embed learning into their culture.
✔ Encourage employees to challenge outdated processes.
Other Models That Make the Same Mistake
Kotter’s 8-Step Model
John Kotter’s 8-Step Model for Change is widely used, but like the Ice-Cube Model, it assumes change ends with “anchoring the new state.”
Project-Based Change Thinking
Many organizations treat change like a project with a completion date. But change isn’t a checklist—it’s a capability. Instead of asking, “When will this change be finished?”, leaders should ask:
✅ “How do we sustain adaptability?”
✅ “How do we make change part of how we operate?”
How to Build a Learning Organization Instead
1. Rethink How You Measure Success
🚫 Stop measuring success by whether change “sticks.”
✅ Start measuring success by how quickly your organization adapts to new challenges.
2. Foster Continuous Learning, Not One-Time Change
- Build reflection and questioning into the culture.
- Create ongoing conversations about improvement, rather than one-time change rollouts.
- Encourage leaders to ask, “If we were starting fresh today, would we do this the same way?”
3. Use a Better Metaphor
Forget the ice cube. Change is:
- A river – Always flowing, adapting to obstacles, but never stopping.
- A living system – Constantly evolving based on its environment.
- A jazz improvisation – Structured, but always adjusting to the next note.
The best organizations don’t “freeze” change. They build the capacity to keep changing.
Final Challenge: Are You Preparing for the Next Change—Or Just Trying to ‘Freeze’ the Last One?
Ask yourself:
✔️ Are we treating change as a continuous process or a one-time project?
✔️ Are we adapting to new forces, or just trying to “lock in” past successes?
✔️ Are we measuring adaptability, or just looking for short-term compliance?
The next disruption is coming. The companies still trying to “refreeze” will be the ones that get left behind.
