One of the most valuable but least appreciated methodologies for making the best decisions is Forced Field Analysis, invented by Kurt Lewin in the 1940s. Lewin originally used it in his work as a social psychologist. Today, however, it is also used in business, for making and communicating especially important (go/no go) decisions.
Here are the first three steps of the process, provided by Mind Tools from Emerald Works.
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Some people struggle when they have tough decisions to make. They hash through the pros and cons, and agonize over making the right call.
When you’re making difficult or challenging decisions, it pays to use an effective, structured decision-making technique that will improve the quality of your decisions and increase your chances of success. Force Field Analysis is one such technique and, in this article and in the video, below, we’ll explore what it is and how you can use it.
Click here to view a transcript of this video.
About the Tool
The idea behind Force Field Analysis is that situations are maintained by an equilibrium between forces that drive change and others that resist change, as shown in figure 1, below. For change to happen, the driving forces must be strengthened or the resisting forces weakened.
Figure 1 – Force Field Analysis
The tool is useful for making decisions by analyzing the forces for and against a change, and for communicating the reasoning behind your decision.
How to Use the Tool
To carry out a Force Field Analysis, use a blank sheet of paper or a whiteboard, or download our worksheet and follow these five steps.
Step 1: Describe Your Plan or Proposal for Change
Define your goal or vision for change, and write it down in a box in the middle of the page.
Step 2: Identify Forces For Change
Think about the kinds of forces that are driving change. These can be internal and external.
Internal drivers could include:
- Outdated machinery or product lines.
- Declining team morale.
- A need to increase profitability.
Your external drivers could include:
- A volatile, uncertain
- operating environment.
- Disruptive technologies.
- Changing demographic trends.
Tip 1:
It’s important to identify as many of the factors that will influence the change as you can. Where appropriate, involve other people, such as team members or experts in your organization.
Tip 2:
The following questions may help you to identify forces that will influence the change:
- What business benefit will the change deliver?
- Who supports the change? Who is against it? Why?
- Do you have the resources to make the change work?
- What costs and risks are involved?
- What business processes will be affected?
Tools such as the Futures Wheel, Impact Analysis, “What If” Analysis, Stakeholder Analysis, and brainstorming can also help with this step.
When you’ve identified the forces that are driving change, add them to the left-hand side of your Force Field Analysis.
Step 3: Identify Forces Against Change
Now brainstorm the forces that resist or are unfavorable to change.
Internal resistors and restrainers could include:
- Fears of the unknown.
- Existing organizational structures.
- “That’s not how we do it here
- ” attitudes.
External factors might be:
- Existing commitments to partner organizations.
- Government legislation.
- Obligations toward your customers.
Now add the forces against change to the right-hand side of your Force Field Analysis.
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Here is a direct link to the complete article.