Force Field Analysis is a management strategy tool developed by Kurt Lewin in the 1940s. It is used to identify the forces that either drive or hinder change within an organization. This framework helps in understanding what factors are working in favor of a decision and what factors are against it, enabling more informed decision-making. By analyzing these forces, organizations can develop strategies to strengthen positive forces or reduce the impact of negative forces.
Define the desired change or decision to be analyzed. | Identify and list all driving forces that support the change. | Identify and list all restraining forces that oppose the change. | Assign scores to each force based on their strength and influence. | Analyze the forces and consider ways to strengthen driving forces or weaken restraining forces. | Review and modify the change strategy based on the analysis.
Involve a diverse group of stakeholders to get multiple perspectives | Regularly update the analysis to reflect changes in the environment | Use quantitative data to support the scoring of forces when possible
Provides a clear visualization of supporting and opposing forces | Helps in strategic planning by identifying key influencers | Facilitates more effective change management
Can be subjective, as scoring depends on personal judgment | May not capture all nuances of each force | Time-consuming if the number of forces is large
When planning organizational changes | When trying to overcome resistance to change
In situations requiring quick, immediate decisions | When there is insufficient information to properly analyze forces