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Principles and Practices of Management

Notes For behavioural change to occurs, the forces maintaining status quo must be overcome. This can
be accomplished by increasing the forces for change, by weakening the forces for status quo, or
by a combination of these actions.

Task Applying Force Field Analysis

Think of a problem you are currently facing. An example would be trying to increase the
amount of study time you devote to a particular class.
1. Describe the problem, as specifically as possible.

2. List the forces driving change on the arrows at the left side of the diagram.
3. List the forces restraining change on the arrows at the right side of the diagram.
4. What can you do, specifically, to remove the obstacles to change?

5. What can you do to increase the forces driving change?
6. What benefits can be derived from breaking a problem down into forces driving
change and forces restraining change?

Forces driving change Forces restraining change

Source: Debra L Nelson and James Campbell Quick Organisation Behaviour – Foundations, Realities and
Challenges (Second Edition), West Publishing Company, Minneapolis (1997) Page 553.

Caselet Using Force Field Analysis
good example of how force-field analysis can be used is described by Lewin.
During World War II, female factory workers objected to the requirement that
Asafety glasses be worn in a plant. Many strategies were tried, most of which were
increases in the driving forces, but no consistent change occurred. Force-field analysis was
then used to diagnose the situation.

Driving forces were identified as being:
1. The necessity to protect one’s eyes.
2. Desire to cooperate with the company.
3. Willingness to follow rules.
Resisting forces were identified as being:
1. Feeling that the glasses were too heavy.
2. Feelings that the glasses were unattractive.
3. Feelings that compliance infringed on the individual’s freedom of choice.

Contd...

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