Bridging Strategies and Action: Towards a Method for Change Management in Danish Emergency Management Organizations

The aim of this paper is to answer how the work of Kurt Lewin can inspire researchers today, which is one of the important questions raised by the call for papers for this special issue. The answer will be grounded in theoretical and empirical insights from recent research, conducted to develop a method for change management in Danish emergency management organizations. The theoretical insight builds on Lewin’s field theory in arguing that change processes must derive from the way in which individuals collectively perceive the situation. To respect this argument, the methodological design must concentrate on the way employees perceive changes. Another invention of Lewin proved to be relevant in this regard, notably action research. The application of a dialogical action research method resulted in rich empirical data, which proved the relevance of Lewin’s theoretical constructs and fed forward to newer theoretical perspectives on change, which have all in some respect revived Lewin’s original thoughts, particularly on the importance of social interaction and group structures for successful organizational change. Overall, this study signifies that the work of Kurt Lewin is relevant methodological framework and undergoes a conceptually revitalization among researchers today.