| |
The current concepts of organizational and systems transformation derive from many theoretical frameworks, including work in organizational psychology. Two leading theorists, Kurt Lewin and Thomas Kuhn, provide helpful conceptual frameworks for those embarking on transformation efforts. |
| |
Social scientist Kurt Lewin, combining the theories of sociology and psychology, developed a three-stage model for large-scale system change. The stages are: (1) “unfreezing,” or opening up and examining the patterns of norms, values, and beliefs that hold a system together and discussing concerns about change; (2) “moving,” or planning and implementing the change process, while continuing the ongoing and transparent communication within the system; and (3) “freezing,” or consolidating and integrating the changes to establish a new "quasi-stationary" equilibrium of the system and prevent reversion to the old ways of doing things. According to Lewin, social system change is not a steady, ongoing process, but rather occurs in spurts consisting of alternating periods of movement and standing still. Lewin suggests: (1) social systems, in contrast to physical systems, cannot be changed directly, but have to be prepared for change and movement; and (2) a social change process has to be followed by consolidation and integration, providing a new state of balance and a new sense of "normality" and predictability (AJA n.d.-A). |
| |
Thomas Kuhn captured the essence of revolutionary system change when he came up with the term “paradigm shift” in his 1962 landmark work, Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Originally a description of the scientific process and later expanded to encompass many domains, the term paradigm shift describes the process and result of a change that implies a total revolution in theory or worldview (Wikipedia n.d.). Questioning the traditional view of scientific progress as a gradual, cumulative acquisition of knowledge, Kuhn held that when the scientific world amasses sufficient evidence that contradicts its current theories and methods, science is thrown into a crisis. As a result of this “intellectual revolution,”a new paradigm is formed (Wikipedia). Paradigm shift is the colloquial term frequently used to describe this often radical change of worldview (Wikipedia). This shift alters the fundamental concepts underlying research and inspires new standards of evidence, new research techniques, and new pathways of theory and experiment (Brown, Crawford, & Hicks, 2003). |
Matrix: Mental Health System Transformation