Navigating the Phases of Change in Organizations — A Leadership-Centric Perspective

Change in organizations isn’t just about new systems, structures or strategies. At its core, change is psychological: it’s about how humans make sense of new realities, reconcile identity with disruption, and align their motivations to emerging visions. For leaders who care about legacy, impact, and resilient culture, understanding the stages of change offers a framework for guiding people — not just processes — through transformation.

Here’s a breakdown of key stages of change in organizational settings, accompanied by leadership insights and tactical considerations for each phase.

Stage 1: Awareness & “Unfreezing”

Before you take action, you must prepare the terrain.

What it looks like: In this initial phase, systems, habits, mindsets, and cultural norms that favor the status quo are being questioned. Similar to Kurt Lewin’s “Unfreeze” phase, the organization acknowledges that continuing as-is puts performance or relevance at risk. (bmc.com) Many employees may still be unaware or resistant; they may cling to the old way because it feels safe, familiar, or in control.

Leadership imperative:

• Create clarity around why change is essential (by combining vision, data, and narrative).

• Invite honest dialogue — what’s working, what’s broken, what’s the cost of inaction.

• Foster transparency: the absence of fear-based communication is a leadership signal.

• Begin shifting culture: leaders model curiosity, vulnerability and a readiness to let go of legacy practices.

Pitfall to avoid: Announcing change without adequate psychological preparation often triggers denial, anxiety, or covert resistance. The groundwork must be laid.

Stage 2: Exploration & Commitment

Once awareness is present, the decision to move must be made.

What it looks like: People move from thinking “something might need to change” to “we’re going to change and we’re going to commit to a new direction.” This stage aligns with readiness concepts from models like the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change, progressing from ‘pre-contemplation’ to ‘contemplation’ and ‘preparation’. (medicine.llu.edu) In an organization, this often manifests as pilot initiatives, coalition-building, role clarifications, and budget allocations.

Leadership imperative:

• Define clear goals and align them with a meaningful purpose. Why does this matter to people’s work, identity and impact?

• Build a coalition of early adopters and credible voices. These become change champions.

• Clarify roles, set clear expectations, and allocate resources effectively. Without commitment, exploration can drift into ambiguity.

• Manage the human equation: resistance often comes from perceived loss (of status, identity, comfort). Address that explicitly.

Pitfall to avoid: Jumping into action prematurely or trying to “sell” the change without meaningful engagement—this often leads to superficial adoption but no genuine commitment.

Stage 3: Action & Implementation

This is where the heavy lifting happens — new processes, behaviours, systems, structures.

What it looks like: Teams deploy new workflows, shift metrics, learn new behaviours, revise roles, and stitch in new practices. This corresponds to the “action” phase in the TTM and the “Change” phase in Lewin’s model. (whatfix.com) The organization is actively implementing, iterating, and adapting.

Leadership imperative:

• Lead by doing: your visible behaviours set the tone.

• Embed learning: training, coaching, micro-wins, feedback loops.

• Recognize progress (big and small). If people feel like their work is invisible, momentum stalls.

• Monitor and adjust: change isn’t linear. People regress, experiment, fail, and retry. The path will zigzag.

Pitfall to avoid :Focusing only on the technical side (systems, processes) and ignoring the people side (mindsets, identity, culture). Outcome: new tool, old habits.

Stage 4: Consolidation & “Refreezing”

Change becomes part of the steady state.

What it looks like: After the major shifts, the organization begins to stabilize around new norms. People increasingly identify with the new approach; behaviours and systems become integrated. In Lewin’s model, this is the “Refreeze” stage. (bmc.com) Maintenance and reinforcement become critical.

Leadership imperative:

• Institutionalise the change: clarify what’s new, embed it in performance, reward, recognition, and governance.

• Celebrate transformation: not just “we made it”, but “this is how we work now”.

• Build culture-shields: guard against regression to old habits. Revisit legacy behaviours and ask: “Do they still serve us?”

• Maintain agility: also recognise that ‘refreeze’ does not mean rigid. The world continues to evolve, so maintaining a learning mindset is essential.

Pitfall to avoid: Declaring victory too soon and withdrawing support. Without reinforcement, change tends to slip quietly back into old patterns. Equally, ignoring the change-curve fatigue: people may feel they’ve been through the storm and now get little support.

Stage 5: Renewal & Evolution

Sustainable change isn’t an endpoint — it’s part of a dynamic rhythm.

What it looks like: Organizations that lead rather than follow embed continuous renewal. They don’t just “change once”, they evolve. Resistance shifts from "we don’t want to change" to "how quickly can we change again?" Emotionally, this aligns with the acceptance/adaptation trajectories found in models like the Kübler‑Ross Change Curve — people come to terms with a new reality and begin to explore what’s next. (whatfix.com)

Leadership imperative:

• Use the momentum of change to cultivate a growth mindset across the organization: ask “What’s next?”

• Leverage lessons learned: capture what worked, what didn’t, and create feedback systems to inform your next cycle.

• Recalibrate culture: as change becomes a steady state, the threshold for what constitutes “change” rises. Leaders must push thoughtfully.

• Anchor identity: reinforce that the organization learns, adapts, innovates — not simply reacts.

Pitfall to avoid: Assuming that because change has been ‘achieved’, the work is done. In dynamic environments, resting on laurels invites external disruption—or internal stagnation.

Psychological Realities Worth Remembering

• Non-linearity & relapse: Just as behavior-change models in psychology show, change is rarely a straight path. People may slip back, revisit earlier phases, feel revoked, or stay stuck. (Rural Health Information Hub)

• Identity matters: Change threatens how people see themselves: their role, status, competence. Leaders who address identity concerns win trust faster.

• Emotions precede rationality: Resistance often hides beneath emotional responses (fear, loss, skepticism). A leader’s job isn’t to ignore those feelings — it’s to surface and heal them.

• Culture is the anchor: systems can be reconfigured, people reskilled, and strategies rewritten. However, if culture continues to reward old behaviors, the change won’t last.

• 
  

Leadership Lens: What Thought Leaders Must Do

As a leader with a legacy orientation, you’re not just managing strategy—you’re stewarding culture, guiding people’s development, and preserving human dignity through transformation. Here are the focus areas:

• Articulate a long-game vision: Why does this change matter not just now, but five, ten years out?

• Map interventions to stages: At each phase above, the required leadership behaviors differ. Match your actions to the stage — there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

• Invest in the human infrastructure: Talent, mind-sets, norms, stories—they’re the invisible architecture of change.

• Use metrics that matter: Don’t just track system adoption; track team alignment, psychological safety, identity shift.

• Design for sustainability: Ensure that new behaviours are embedded with ceremonies, governance, and peer influence.

• Reflect and iterate: Change efforts teach just as much as they deliver. Build reflective pauses, debriefs, and learning loops into the process.

Conclusion

Organizational change isn’t an event—it’s a journey. The journey has stages, emotional landmarks, and human terrain that must be navigated with care and insight. The best leaders recognise that at each phase, the challenge is not just “What must we do?” but “Who do we become in doing it?”

When change is guided by purpose, empathy, and clarity, organizations don’t simply acquire new systems—they gain a renewed purpose, a new identity, and futures they choose rather than inherit.

Suggested Resources for Further Reading

• Prochaska, J. O. & DiClemente, C. “The Transtheoretical Approach: Crossing Traditional Boundaries of Behaviour Change.” 1984. (On the Stages of Change model)

• Whatfix – “Lewin’s 3 Stage Model of Change Theory: Overview” (overview and applications) (whatfix.com)

• Whatfix – “The Kübler-Ross Change Curve in the Workplace” (on emotional responses in change) (whatfix.com)

• Loma Linda University School of Medicine – “Stages of Change Model” overview for readiness and behavior change. (medicine.llu.edu)

• Relias – “The Stages of Change Model and How to Implement It” (for practical interventions) (Relias)