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32 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2024 insanity? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." As he has a particular talent for doing so, my good friend had distilled a very complex issue down to a single, critical point. As the evening wound down and we began to go our separate ways, I said, "Good talk Bert. By the way, how's that relativity thing you've been working on?" Current Culture Changing an organization's culture is a tough, challenging task. In most cases, the current cul- ture has formed over many years of interaction between employees at all organizational levels. Organizational cultures form for a reason and changing the accepted norm can sometimes feel like swimming upstream. In small, pri- vately owned businesses, the current culture oen matches the style and values of the com- pany founder. Organizational culture grows over time and frequently mirrors the prevail- ing management style. Since managers tend to hire people "just like me," the established cul- ture is carried on through new employees for generations. People are creatures of habit, and basic human nature dictates that they will typ- ically be uncomfortable with change. A key to overcoming this is to acknowledge this human nature predisposition and actively manage the change process through the tools and tech- niques discussed here. Sense of Urgency For real change to happen, leadership must demonstrate the importance of the effort; in other words, they must "walk the walk." Dr. Joseph M. Juran recognized this truth over 40 years ago when he said, "Every successful qual- ity revolution has included the participation of upper management. We know of no excep- tions." is means creating a sense of urgency around the need for change that goes far beyond lip service. You must establish an open and honest dialog about the importance of the change and how it will benefit all by improving organizational performance. Urgency is conta- gious; getting people to start talking about the proposed change will spread like wildfire and feed on itself. Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze ere are many models for change manage- ment, but I prefer the three-stage model devel- oped by physicist and social scientist Kurt Lewin in the 1940s known as Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze. is model explains organizational change by using the analogy of changing the shape of a block of ice. Visualizing change as a process with distinct stages will allow orga- nizational leaders to prepare for what is com- ing and develop a plan to manage the transi- tion. One of the major reasons change fails is that organizations rush into change blindly and without a plan to manage change effectively. Stage 1: Unfreeze e critical task during the first stage is to establish an environment that challenges the current norms and sets the stage for change to occur. e goal is to move people from the cur- rent frozen state to a change-ready or unfro- zen state. e unfreezing stage is important to break down barriers to change and move away from the "we have always done it this way" mentality. Stage 2: Change During this transitional stage, people are aware that the old ways are being challenged,