Force Field Analysis
Map driving forces vs. restraining forces for change
What is Force Field Analysis?
Force Field Analysis, developed by social psychologist Kurt Lewin, maps the forces pushing toward a desired change (driving forces) against the forces resisting it (restraining forces). By rating each force on a 1-5 scale, teams see where to focus: strengthen the drivers, weaken the resistors, or both. It is especially useful when a solution is known but adoption is the challenge.
When to Use It
- •When the team has identified root causes but needs to understand what will help or hinder change
- •When stakeholder resistance is expected and needs to be managed proactively
- •When comparing multiple solutions — the one with the strongest driving forces and weakest restraining forces is often most feasible
How to Use It: Step by Step
- 1
Define the desired change
Write the specific change you want to make at the top. Be concrete: "Reduce payment posting time from 4.2 days to 1 day."
- 2
List driving forces
Brainstorm everything pushing the change forward: leadership support, customer complaints, cost savings, regulatory requirements, available technology.
- 3
List restraining forces
Brainstorm everything resisting the change: budget constraints, staff resistance, legacy systems, training needs, competing priorities.
- 4
Rate and strategize
Rate each force 1-5. For the strongest restraining forces, develop mitigation strategies. For the strongest driving forces, determine how to amplify them.
Example
Migrating from manual spreadsheet tracking to a digital project management tool
Driving forces: CEO mandate (5), current error rate of 12% (4), time savings of 15 hours/week (4), competitor pressure (3). Restraining forces: Staff comfort with spreadsheets (4), migration cost of $25K (3), 6-week learning curve (3), IT bandwidth (2). Strategy: Address staff comfort by running parallel systems for 2 weeks. Offset migration cost with the 15-hour/week savings (payback in 8 weeks).
Pro Tips
- ✓Weakening a strong restraining force is often more effective than strengthening an already-strong driving force
- ✓Include emotional and cultural forces, not just rational ones — "fear of looking incompetent" is real
- ✓Use this tool in stakeholder presentations to show you have thought about adoption challenges
Facilitation Guide
Run a 90-minute root cause workshop. Begin by reviewing the problem statement from Step 1 (5 min). Draw the fishbone skeleton on a whiteboard and have each person write causes on sticky notes in silence (15 min). Place and cluster notes on the fishbone, discussing as a group (25 min). Vote on the top 3 root causes using dot voting (10 min). Run 5-Why drills on the top 3 causes (25 min). Summarize findings and validate with available data (10 min).
Other Tools in Step 2
Fishbone Diagram
Cause-and-effect analysis using the 6M framework: Man (People), Machine (Equipment), Method (Process), Material (Inputs), Measurement (Metrics), Mother Nature (Environment)
5 Why Analysis
Drill down to root cause by asking "why" iteratively
Check Sheet
Structured tally sheet to collect and quantify data by category over time periods
Pareto Analysis
Rank causes by frequency or impact to identify the vital few (80/20 rule)
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