Force Field Analysis by Kurt Lewin
Kurt Lewin gave a powerful strategic tool to understand the changes required in both the corporate and personal environments. This tool is known as Force Field Analysis.
This analysis is used to distinguish which factors take the person towards or away from a desired state in a situation or an organization, and which of them oppose the driving forces. This analysis makes the changes more acceptable.
Forces are nothing more than an attitude to change and Lewin understood it well people’s attitude to the change is covered by a number of emotional factors.
In order to make a better understanding of how people accept or oppose a change, it’s important to understand the values and the experiences of the individual and the group.
Development of self-awareness and emotional intelligence let us understand the forces that run within us and others in a better way. The Behavior of others at work alerts you to the presence of the driving and the restraining forces.
Some of the steps to use the Force Filed Analysis are:
- One must plot down his goal or the vision of his desired future state. Also understand the present status or the equilibrium.
- All the factors favorable to the changes must be recorded on a force field diagram.
- Also the factors that are unfavorable to the changes or oppose them must be recorded on the Force Filed diagram.
- Both the Driving and the Restraining forces must be evaluated by rating each force from 1(weak) to 5(strong) and each side must be totaled.
- The forces must be reviewed and it must be decided whether which force is flexible to changes or which can be influenced.
- A strategic planning must be done to strengthen the Driving forces and weaken the Restraining forces or both.
- The action steps having the greatest impact must be prioritized.
Written by: Matt
We also suggest this relevant article if you have time: Situational Leadership by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey
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Tagged as action steps, attitude, emotional factors, emotional intelligence, equilibrium, experiences, force field analysis, future state, group development, Kurt Lewin, leadership, personal environments, presence, self awareness, strategic planning + Categorized as Economy articles, Human resources, Ladership & Management