In the contemporary corporate and personal environments
In the contemporary corporate and personal environments, a robust tool that has been used to propagate change is the Kurt Lewin’s Force Field Analysis. The Force Field Analysis was initially used during World War 2. Lewin invented this tool during his research on the buying preferences of housewives. (Swanson " Creed, 2014) states that the Force Field Analysis is a tool that is used in management with the aim of identifying the forces and factors that drive, influence or impede change. This paper will focus on the concepts of this tool and how it can help bring effective change from both the individual and organizational fronts.
The Framework
It is worth noting that from the Force Field Analysis, change is viewed as a frictional struggle of two equal forces. These forces include the driving forces and restraining forces (Harrington, 2016). According to (Miner, 2015), driving forces are those that exist and propagate the occurrence of change. On the other hand, restraining forces refer to those that are preventing the change from occurring. Lewin was quick to note that an interaction of these forces creates a sense of equilibrium. Additionally, he states that in the effort to bring change in any set up (both individual and organizational), this equilibrium that exists between the two forces must be upset at any level.
As such, Force Field analysis is basically the identification of the restraining forces as well as the driving forces that are linked to a specific proposed change.
(Harrington, 2016) States that working through this tool enables a firm or even an individual gets creative regarding the intended change. Besides, using this tool helps management teams come up with a starting point as they are able to prioritize the forces effectively. They can also engage in strategy development and situation analysis using this tool. As it were, both individual and organizational situations are maintained by a dynamic balance of the forces discussed. However, (Swanson " Creed, 2014) notes an effective change can only be realized through the strengthening of the driving forces or alternatively weakening the forces that prevent the change.
In the effort to implement change
In the effort to implement change, Lewin was able to identify 3 important strategies using the Force Field Analysis. The first strategy is that to experience change, an individual or organization may opt to increase the driving forces. On the other, they may choose to decrease the restraining forces or even deal with both. However, it is ideal to note that an increase in the driving forces could lead to an unexpected result which reinforces the restraints. Due to this, Lewin was quick to suggest that the best and optimal strategy to implement and experience change is through the reduction in the restraining forces. This way, the restraining forces to change are tweaked to become some driving forces. The Force Filed Analysis framework is hence a strong tool that can be used to propagate any change. This includes the complex scenarios such as those that face organizations at any level. For instance, an organization may seek to implement cultural or even structural changes. Through the use of FFA, it becomes easier to deal with the forces affecting the change, leading to the achievement of assets.
Using the Force Field Analysis to Propagate Change
This section seeks to explore the use of the framework to propagate change in a medium-sized firm that I am currently working in. The following steps are followed:
• Definition of Change-This refers to a single statement that is used to define the desired change. In this case, the desired change is to introduce a water dispenser at the firm I work in.
• Defining the Driving Forces-This stage involves brainstorming ideas on the driving forces. Creativity is highly recommended at this stage. (Toves et al, 2016) states that an important aspect in this stage is to avoid wishful-thinking and instead focusing on the current forces or conditions. In my case, the driving forces are that the introduction of a water dispenser at the firm’s offices would lead to increased level of communication between employees at various departments, the water dispenser is motivational in nature, and additionally, it creates a perfect working environment. These driving forces have the potential of increasing the productivity of the firm and at the same time ensuring that all stakeholders are content with the environment.
• Evaluating the Restraining Forces-These refer to the existing forces which are bound to inhibit change from occurring. At other times, brainstorming on the restraining forces helps a concerned party come up with those that are opposite to the driving forces. The restraining forces, in this case, include the costs of installation of the water dispenser, the maintenance costs associated with the device, staff downtime, and even the organizational culture.
• Analyzing the Driving Forces-It involves engaging in a rigorous exercise citing the importance of the driving forces. There are methods of prioritization that include voting, open discussion or even forced ranking. In my case, I would engage this either with a colleague or even the manager.
• Analyzing the Restraining Forces-This is similar to the step above. The unique thing, however, is that in this case, only the strongest restraining forces are chosen. In the water dispenser case, an engagement with the various stakeholders such as employees or the management would be ideal.
• Action Plan-In the implementation of change, planning is key as it contributes greatly to the realization or a failure of the goals. As such, an action plan is an ultimate tool that comes in handy to both individuals and organizations. In the water dispenser scenario, the course of action would be to arrange a meeting with the manager, give an offer to introduce the dispenser for a certain period, let employees understand that it is for their benefit and additionally warn them of any misuse.
Conclusion
It is therefore evident that the Force Field Analysis is a credible tool that can be used to implement change in any set of conditions. As such, change is influenced by two equal forces which are the restraining and driving forces. As a decision maker, analyzing these forces using the tool is recommended to come up with the best action plan.
References
Harrington, H. J. (2016). Force Field Analysis. In The Innovation Tools Handbook, Volume 2 (pp. 129-138). Productivity Press.
Miner, J. B. (2015). Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge.
Swanson, D. J., " Creed, A. S. (2014). Sharpening the focus of force field analysis. Journal of change management, 14(1), 28-47.
Toves, P. R., Graf, L., " Gould, D. A. (2016). Innovative Use of Force Field Analysis: Factors Influencing Technology-Enabled Change. Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, 17(2), 1183.
