Page 347 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Management Practices and Organisational Behaviour

Notes (c) The organisation's technology and/or
(d) The physical setting.
The implication is that changes in the work setting will lead to changes in individual
behaviour, which in turn will improve the organisation's outcomes.
3. Refreezing: For the change to endure, it must be reinforced as part of a new system. Lewin
calls this step 'refreezing'. Refreezing is the final step in the change process. In this step,
new attitudes, values and behaviours are established as the new status quo. In some cases,
the people affected by the change will clearly benefit from it. The resulting benefits will
themselves reinforce the change. In other cases, the manager needs to take an active role
in reinforcing the change. The new ways of operating should be cemented and reinforced.
Managers should ensure that the organisational culture and formal reward system
encourage the new behaviours and avoid rewarding the old ways of operating.

Force Field Analysis

A useful technique for analyzing change situations is Kurt Lewin's force-field analysis method.
This technique describes and analyses the various forces that operate in social systems to keep
the system either in balance or in state of change. Lewin's method proposes that two sets of
forces operate in any system: forces that operate for change (the driving forces) and forces that
operate against change (the resisting forces). If the two sets of forces are equal in strength, then
the system is in equilibrium. This is explained through the Figure 16.2 which shows a force field
analysis of a decision to engage in exercise behaviour.

Figure 16.2: Force-field Analysis of Equilibrium

FORCES FOR CHANGE FORCES FOR
STATUS QUO
Weight gain Lack of time

Minimally passing treadmill No exercise facility

test at work

Feel lethargic; having no Equilibrium Spouse/partner hates
energy to exercise

Family history of No interest in physical
cardiovascular disease activity or sports
New Physically Made a grade of D in
demanding job physical education class
Source: Debra L Nelson and James Campbell Quick "Organisation Behaviour – Foundations, Realities and
Challenges", (Second Edition), West Publishing Company, Minneapolis (1997), Page 552.
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.

Tasks 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.
Contd...

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