Final answer:
Refreezing is the process of strengthening new behaviors following a strategic change within an organization. It ensures sustained change and prevents regression to old habits. Refreezing is the last stage in Lewin's three-step model of change management.
Step-by-step explanation:
Refreezing is E. strengthening the new behaviors reflective of a chosen strategic change. This concept falls within the framework of organizational change and culture modification. Refreezing is the final stage of Lewin's change management model, which includes three steps: unfreezing (realizing current behaviors are outdated), changing (adopting new behaviors), and refreezing (cementing these behaviors into everyday practices).
In the context of corporate training and organizational development, refreezing is crucial for ensuring that new skills, behaviors, and attitudes are fully integrated and sustained over time. It helps prevent employees from reverting to their old ways, allowing the organization to fully benefit from strategic changes. This can include various areas such as stress management or priority/project management.
Refreezing ensures that people's behaviors are aligned with the new, desired culture of the organization. Moreover, it can mitigate the risk of a cultural backlash or the retention of ecologically maladaptive assumptions mentioned in cultural reform processes. Organizations undergoing refreezing effectively 'reinvent' themselves, establishing new rituals and traditions that facilitate a shared identity and consensus among members.