Encyclopedia of Leadership

HINTS

• This tool is easy to use with groups. Use a flip chart, overhead, or whiteboard and have
  meeting participants brainstorm their perceptions of driving and restraining forces.


• After you have completed the force-field diagram, indicate the relative strength of the
  forces by using a 1 to 5 scale, or by the different lengths of the arrows (as shown in the
  example).


• Then, prioritize action by either adding more forces on the driving side or removing or
  reducing forces on the restraining side. It’s often more effective to remove or reduce
  restraints and barriers than it is to push the change harder by adding more driving
  forces. In general, you are usually more effective as a pullleader than as a pushleader.

HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL

“The forces driving toward and those restraining problem resolution reach an equilibrium. ...You ‘move’ a prob-

lem by increasing drives or reducing restraints. Lewin believed the latter was better, because driving forces attract

more restraints while reducing restraints permits existing drives to prevail.”

—Marvin Weisbord, PRODUCTIVE WORKPLACES

The value of this tool lies in its simplicity. There is a process a leader might use in a group.

1. Get agreement that the situation is complex and needs to be better organized to be
   understood. Briefly introduce the idea of force-field analysis, perhaps using an exam-
   ple.


2. Use a visual medium—whiteboard, flip chart, overhead projector—and clarify the
   Desired Goal and the Current Situation. The more exact the situation description, the
   more valuable the resulting analysis. [☛7.1 Problem Framing]


3. Draw a line down the center of the visual. Write “Driving Forces” on one side and
   “Restraining Forces” on the other.


4. Ask people to brainstorm the forces on either side, while a scribe records them as key
   words on the visual. Remind participants to describe the forces as they are now, not as
   they could be. When the brainstorming is complete, clarify and refine the forces as
   needed, until consensus is reached on the forces that have been arrayed on either side.
   [☛6.9 Brainstorming]


5. If helpful, assess the relative strength of the forces by a numerical system (1 to 5 usu-
   ally works) or by the length of the arrows (see example).


6. Starting with the restraining forces, look for the most leverage—where the force is
   strong and where decreasing its strength is relatively easy.


7. Next, look at the driving forces. Agree on those forces that are most highly leveraged
   for success; that is, where you’ll get most improvement for effort expended (the biggest
   bang for the buck).


8. Complete the analysis by planning action (e.g., who will do what by when). [☛10.12
   RASCI Planning]

WEB WORKSHEET

Use this worksheet to analyze a problem or opportunity in your work area.

184 SECTION 6 TOOLS FORCRITICALTHINKING ANDINNOVATION