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Abstract
Lewin's Field Theory has been oversimplified into a mechanistic three-step process. In reality, it is a complex mental model adapting the field theories of physics to psychological and organizational process. Lewin's Field Theory is explained in detail and placed in the context of Lucy Suchman's ideas of Situated Action. How they relate and form the basis of theory that guide in the development of models for analyzing actions within a systematic and feedback driven framework is explored.
There is nothing so practical as a good theory.
-Kurt Lewin
(Bronfenbrenner, 1977)
Kurt Lewin's Field Theory is often summed up as 'Unfreeze - Change - Refreeze'. In this formulation it is frequently criticized as being somewhat rigid and inflexible. I believe that this is a gross oversimplification of Lewin's work, and that indeed, he understood the importance of context and the fact that as any process happens, it is continually informed and changed by the unfolding situation.
Lucy Suchman (1987), the originator of the situated action view of working behavior, compares the two concepts of planning, situated action planning and following a predefined plan, to the differences in the way Polynesians and Europeans navigate:
"The European navigator begins with a plan - a course - which he has charted according to certain universal principles, and he carries out his voyage by relating his every move to that plan. His effort throughout his voyage is directed to remaining `on course.' If unexpected events occur, he must first alter the plan, then respond accordingly. The Trukese navigator begins with an objective rather than a plan. He sets off toward the objective and responds to conditions as they arise in an ad hoc fashion. He utilizes information provided by the wind, the waves, the tide and current, the fauna, the stars, the clouds, the sound of the water on the side of the boat, and he steers accordingly. His effort is directed to doing whatever is necessary to reach the objective."
In the same manner, while someone may start out with a plan to implement a change in an organization, it rapidly becomes subject to and changed by the unfolding situation. As the process unfolds, new actors emerge, and known ones may wax and wane in significance....