Lewin's change model and force field analysis

In one paragraph

Kurt Lewin's model that behaviour is held in place by opposing forces, so change requires unsettling the current state, moving, then locking in the new one.

Unfreeze — loosen the existing state by making clear why it cannot continue. Change — the transition itself, which is uncomfortable, uncertain and where support matters most. Refreeze — embed the new way in processes, incentives and habits so it does not spring back.

Refreeze is the step routinely skipped, and it is why so many changes quietly revert within a year.

Force field analysis

The more useful half. Any situation is held still by driving forces pushing for change and restraining forces holding it back. List both, weight them, and you have a choice.

The insight is that weakening the restraining forces works better than strengthening the driving ones. Push harder against resistance and you get more resistance and more tension. Remove the reason for the resistance and the change happens with less force.

If people resist a new system because they fear looking incompetent, more training removes the restraint. Another email from the boss increases the drive and the resentment together.

How to actually use it

• Draw the two columns for a change that is stuck. Then work only on the right-hand one for a fortnight and see what moves.
• Ask the resisters what would have to be true for them to be comfortable. The answer is usually specific, cheap and unrelated to your assumption.

Where it breaks down

• 'Refreeze' assumes organisations settle into stable states, which is a poor fit for environments that change continuously.
• Force field weighting is subjective — the numbers you assign are judgements, not measurements.

If you are being examined on it

Force field analysis marks come from identifying specific forces for the case and saying which restraint to remove first.

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