Force Field Analysis
(Lewin)

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Analyzing change factors: the driving forces and the restraining forces. Explanation of Force Field Analysis and Diagram. Kurt Lewin.

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Kurt Lewin

Kurt Lewin was an American social psychologist. He has contributed to science group dynamics and action research, and he is regarded one of the founders of modern psychology. But Lewin is perhaps best-known for developing Force Field Analysis and Force Field Diagrams.

Lewin's view on organizations

According to Kurt Lewin, an issue is held in balance by the interaction of two opposing sets of forces. Those seeking to promote change: the driving forces. And those attempting to maintain the status quo: the restraining forces. Lewin viewed organizations as systems in which the present situation was not a static pattern. But a dynamic balance ("Equilibrium") of forces working in opposite directions. In order for any change to occur, the driving forces must exceed the restraining forces, thus shifting the equilibrium. Compare: Catastrophe Theory.

The Force Field Diagram

The Force Field Diagram is a model built on this idea that forces are both driving and restraining change. These forces include: persons, habits, customs, and attitudes. A Force Field Diagram can be used at any level: personal, project, organizational, network, to visualize the forces that may work in favor and against change initiatives. The diagram helps its user to picture the "war" between forces around a given issue. Usually, a planned change issue is described at the top. Below this, there are two columns. The driving forces are listed in the left column, and the restraining forces in the right-hand column. Arrows are drawn towards the middle. Longer arrows indicate stronger forces. The idea is to understand, and to make explicit, all the forces acting on a given issue.

Use of the Force Field Analysis method

Investigate the balance of power involved in an issue.
Identify the most important players (stakeholders) and target groups for a campaign on the issue.
Identify opponents and allies.
Identify how you can influence each target group

Steps in a Force Field Analysis? Process

Describe the current situation.
Describe the desired situation.
Identify where the current situation will go if no action is taken.
List all the forces driving change toward the desired situation.
List all the forces resisting change toward the desired situation.
Discuss and interrogate all of the forces: are they valid? Can they be changed? Which are the critical ones?
Allocate a score to each of the forces using a numerical scale e.g. 1 is extremely weak and 10 is extremely strong.
Chart the forces. List the driving forces on the left. And list the restraining forces on the right.
Determine whether change is viable and progress can occur.
Discuss how the change can be affected by decreasing the strength of the restraining forces or by increasing the strength of driving forces.
Remember that increasing the driving forces or decreasing the restraining forces may increase or decrease other forces or even create new ones.

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Force Field Analysis Forum

Recent User Comments

    			 
  			   Chuchay - Philippines
  	       
  		     Where does Power Come From?
  	  		 "What is the origin of power forces?"
  			   
    	  		 1

    			 
              - United Kingdom
  	       
  		     E-Procurement
  	  		 "How can Force Field Analysis be used to analyse the drivers and bariers to the adoption of e-procurement"
  			   
    	  		 0

    			 
  			   Andy - Hong Kong
  	       
  		     Unfreeze, Changing and Refreeze
  	  		 "I just wonder besides of "Force Field Analysis" , Kurt Lewin Change Model should also involved with "unfreeze, change, refreeze" part. Could anyone talk about this point?"
  			   
    	  		 1

    			 
  			   sila Ongati - Kenya
  	       
  		     Absence of Force
  	  		 "Force should be directed at some counter reactive variable that has a challenging attribute. It can't exist on its own and hold, making it a function of another variable. So what would be this opposite variable of force?"
  			   
    	  		 0

    			 
  			   Lorna Villena - Philippines
  	       
  		     Be a Change Catalyst
  	  		 "If one has to make a choice that sees the benefits of the greatest majority, then try to be a catalyst in any organization and that I believe can spell the difference after all!"
  			   
    	  		 0

Best User Comments

    			   
    			     Kenneth - USA
  	         
  				   Quote by Lewin
  				   "If you want truly to understand something, try to change it. - Kurt Lewin"
    			   
        	  		 21

    			   
    			     Brian - Ireland
  	         
  				   Decreasing Restraining Forces is easier
  				   "I have used Force Field Analysis in the past in the Health, Safety and Environment field. Sometimes I find less effort is required to remove Restraining Forces than to reinforce the Driving Forces in order to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Though we often 'believe' that we need to campaign positively to make a change.

"
    			   
        	  		 14

    			   
    			     Dushyant - India
  	         
  				   Uses
  				   "This analysis can be used in creating effective & robust management strategies, end user documents, user guides and e-learning modules."
    			   
        	  		 12

    			   
    			     WinsomeD. - USA
  	         
  				   Concept all around.
  				   "I like this concept...It does sound like it was adopted from an accounting concept of debits and credit and increasing on's profit margin.  Interesting.  It also remains me of the Bible when it encourages us to focus on positive situations and outcomes."
    			   
        	  		 5

    			   
    			     Josef - UAE
  	         
  				   Force Analysis
  				   "I think that the concept of management has been created by the complexity of life. Actually, it is MAN who made life complicated. If we look at things in an easy way and DO NOT make it complicated, then we can get rid of all this nonunderstandable science. LETS MAKE LIFE EASY....."
    			   
        	  		 4

    			   
    			     Nkem Ogbuaku - Nigeria
  	         
  				   Post-Merger Force Fields
  				   "In Post-Merger relationships restraining forces will include creation of 5th columnists within the organisation, and instigation of negative press by parties who don't want to expose the horrors of their balance sheet that was not identified during due diligence processes."
    			   
        	  		 4

    			   
    			     Samuel  Mbugua - Kenya
  	         
  				   Implementation of Change in an Organisation
  				   "This is a powerful tool of directing the change management process but it is not good enough for implementing the change and integrate it in the management system of an organisation. Other tools such as the balanced scorecard are required to reinforce the implemention of the change."
    			   
        	  		 2

    			   
                  - mauritius
  	         
  				   Criticism
  				   "Force Field Analysis is a good concept to make you focus on the positive aspects to bring change, but unfortunately it will not hold if there is an authoritative manager forcing a decision without trying to modify the restraining forces And how far the score assigned is subjective."
    			   
        	  		 2

    			   
    			     ghgrrt - England
  	         
  				   Force
  				   "How did people find out about force?"
    			   
        	  		 2

    			   
    			     Sid Siegel - US
  	         
  				   Origin of Force Field Analysis
  				   "I seem to remember from my early days in OD that Lewin based his model on engineering principles of force analysis taught in Statics and Dynamics of Forces in Mechanical Design.  For example, in designing a bridge and determining how to support it you would try to find the load on the bridge, ie forces opposing the structure remaining stable, and thus the supporting forces needed to resit or balance the structure and keep it from collapsing, thus maintaining an equilibrium situation.  Lewin applied this concept which primarily dealt with physical forces to more emotional and organizational forces for his model."
    			   
        	  		 0

    			   
    			     Christopher - India
  	         
  				   MSCS Concept in Force Field Analysis
  				   "In the force field analysis I use the MSCS (Magnitude, Symptoms, Causes and Solutions) concept for both the driving forces and the restraining forces.  This is effective to make the process very simple."
    			   
        	  		 0

    			   
    			     Benbouazza - Morocco
  	         
  				   Force Field Diagram Assumptions
  				   "I think that the model of Lewin is 
reducing the dimensions of changes  to conflict and opposition between two classes. According to this conception the changes in organsations are fatal and and operate by force and not by peaceful way. This is why the force field diagram can not give an explanation that take into account the whole environment of changes."
    			   
        	  		 -2

    			   
    			     Jeremy - New Zealand
  	         
  				   FF & SWOT
  				   "Forcefield is a useful and natural extension to a SWOT Analysis - often SWOT leaves you in limbo - Forcefield brings it home to a coherent strategy"
    			   
        	  		 -5

    			   
    			     Marty - USA
  	         
  				   Force Field analysis
  				   "I think that the weak influences really are the hidden drivers of change in any organization!"
    			   
        	  		 -10

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Force Field Analysis Education & Events

More Management Methods, Models and Theory

12manage for:

                     
                      ●  (Netherlands)
                      
                    Bases of Social Power
                    "Good question, Churchay... Check out the Bases of Social Power by French and Raven for the answer."

	● Naomi (Netherlands)	Unfreeze, Changing and Refreeze	"To elaborate on his model, Lewin also suggested a three-stage process of change implementation which is necessary for effective change within an organization. These are the three stages: unfreeze, change and refreeze"
	● (NL)	Unfreezing, Moving, Refreezing	"See here for more info on Unfreezing, Moving, Refreezing"

                       
                        ● Peter (UK)
                        
                      Decrease Restraining Forces
                      "Indeed I have the same experience: decreasing the restraining forces is often more effective. My explanation for this effect is that if you aim at increasing the driving forces, this may also increase the resistance to change."

                       
                        ● milenka (australia)
                        
                      social science
                      "need much more of information"

                       
                        ● Robert (UAE)
                        
                      Origin of Force Field Analysis
                      "Lewin developed this concept to help individuals understand what was holding them back from changing their situation. Organisation development specialists picked the idea up from group dynamics, which Lewin also pioneered, and applied it to organisations as a whole. It had nothing to do with accounting concepts but this highlights its utility value in that people from so many disciplines find it useful."

	● Phil (England)	force field analysis	"To refer to life as a complexity would suggest there exists a solution, those with faith would argue the solution to life is death and ascension to heaven. Life unfortunately in my view is complicated and as such may not have a handy "solution", life is what you make of it. The complexity of business however can be viewed scientifically and when understood, solutions to problems that affect us all can be found. Lewin in this case has studied human nature and discovered that organisations requiring the complexity of change programmes may find a tool that helps communicate the genesis, need and final outcome of change useful to leaders, managers and personnel."
	● Werker (Earth)	Force Field Analysis	"The preceding comments are interesting and reminds me of a clever chap named Douglas Adams who used literature instead of western science to study the issue of organizational complexity. On one hand (josef), Man is responsible for independent thought and should ignore the problem and "give in to complacency" and perhaps "have a beer". On the other hand (phil), Man is responsible for independent thought and creates inner turmoil in a quest for knowledge that he will never achieve but finds it necessary to use (in this case) an organization to "play god" and control people that resist change because they do not thrive on chaos... and somehow find meaning in this errand. I would suggest there is a third way, which is defined in a small book called "Finding Flow". I also challenge someone to do a study on the number of males vs. females (Masculine vs Feminine power) leaving comments on this site."

                       
                        ● Steve Trodden (Ireland)
                        
                      Using Force Field to Get Change
                      "I have always found this a very powerful way to instigate change by prioritizing the forces and then developing action plans for implementation of the plans for the most significant forces."

● Mick Walsh (Australia)	Force Field Analysis History	"I understand - and I may be wrong - that Lewin visited Japan in the post-WWII rebuilding period and was taken to either a judo or sumo exhibition. That was where he discovered that one could use opposing forces to one's own advantage. Myth? I don't know. I would be interested in other comments."
● Michael King (Australia)	Force Field Analysis	"Lewin used FFA principles with Iowa (USA) housewives during World War 2 to reduce civilian consumption of rationed foods.(meats) He identified the gatekeepers as housewives then reduced the restraining forces by involving them in the planned changes. Interestingly Douglas McGregor author Human Side of Enterprise helped Levin in 1946 to launch the The Research Centre for Group Dynamics at MIT, an engineering school. He avoided mainstream psychology academia. It may well be that many people relate Levin's theories to that time but my understanding has always been FFA began as an offshoot from his Field Theory conceptualized by the formula B=F(p,e) B=behaviour p=people e=environment I know what Levin did but I can't attach the exact time frames."
● Tim Reeks (UK)	Force Field Analysis	"I came across this concept when studying with the Open University, and the diagram was presented with 'resistance' being represented by a down pointing arrow opposing the 'change' being represented by an upwards pointing arrow. I find it easier to think of it that way, plus the 'power' of the 'resistance' or 'change' can be indicated by the size of the arrow."

                       
                        ●  (USA)
                        
                      Force Field Assumptions
                      "I would have to disagree with your assumption. I believe that the model incorporates both, the resistant as well as optimistic behaviors to change in order to make make a synergistic movement towards a better solution. I am not well versed in Lewin's model; however, from what I have read it seems that the model is attempting to constructively build a better situation."

	● Helen (USA)	Are Weak Influences the Change Drivers?	"Why?"
	● Aditi (India)	Weak Influence	"I Dont think that weak influences are the hidden drivers of change in any Organisation.We cannot deny that in an Organisation, if there is a weak force, than it does relates to strong forces as well .We therefore, tend to analyse it for better solutions."

Force Field Analysis (Lewin)