Methods & Tools

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Quality Assurance Tools and Methods

Force-Field Analysis

Force-field analysis was developed by Kurt Lewin. It identifies forces that help and those that hinder reaching the desired outcome. It depicts a situation as a balance between two sets of forces: one that tries to change the status quo and one that tries to maintain it. Force-field analysis focuses our attention on ways of reducing the hindering forces and encouraging the positive ones. Force-field analysis encourages agreement and reflection in a group through discussion of the underlying causes of a problem.

When to Use It

Because force-field analysis causes people to think together about what works for and against the status quo, it helps team members to view each case as two sets of offsetting factors. It can be used to study existing problems, or to anticipate and plan more effectively for implementing change. When used in problem analysis, force-field analysis is especially helpful in defining more subjective issues, such as morale, management, effectiveness, and work climate.

Force-field analysis also helps keep team members grounded in reality when they start planning a change by making them systematically anticipate what kind of resistance they could meet. Conducting a force-field analysis can help build consensus by making it easy to discuss people’s objections and by examining how to address these concerns.

How to Use It

Step 1. State the problem or desired state and make sure that all team members understand. You can construct the statement in terms of factors working for and against a desired state or in terms of factors working for and against the status quo or problem state.

Step 2. Brainstorm the positive and negative forces.

Step 3. Review and clarify each force or factor. What is behind each factor? What works to balance the situation?

Step 4. Determine how strong the hindering forces are (high, medium, low) in achieving the desired state or from improving the problem state. When the force-field is used for problem analysis, the forces with the biggest impact should be tested as likely causes. If the force-field is used to develop solutions, those factors with the biggest impact may become the focus of plans to reduce resistance to change.

Step 5. Develop an action plan to address the largest hindering forces.

Caution

If a significant force is omitted, then its impact can negatively affect a plan of action. All significant forces or factors must be included and considered.

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