Learning Module. Force Field Analysis. Overview. Quick Links. Introduction Take Action Improve Your Skills Teach Others Resources

Transcription

1 Learning Module Force Field Analysis Assessing the forces at play in organization change Quick Links Overview Introduction Take Action Improve Your Skills Teach Others Resources To better understand and implement personal and organizational change minutes, anytime Helps you shape and execute strategy by identifying critical goals and success factors, developing approaches to executing and achieving business goals, aligning and focusing organization efforts, and aligning key resources according to strategic priorities.

2 Introduction to Conducting a Force Field Analysis What is a Force Field Analysis? If you want to truly understand something, try to change it. Kurt Lewin When do I use a Force Field Analysis? What are the benefits of using a Force Field Analysis? The Force Field Analysis is a problem-solving tool developed by Dr. Kurt Lewin for analyzing the current state of any given system (yourself, your family, your goals, your department, or your organization) by identifying promoting and restraining forces. The Force Field Analysis provides a framework for looking at the factors (forces) that influence a situation. It looks at forces that are either driving movement toward a goal (promoting forces) or blocking movement toward a goal (restraining forces). In Kurt Lewin s initial study, getting rid of the restrainers was nine times more effective than adding promoters. Leaders use the Force Field Analysis whenever they need to understand and implement change. Individuals or teams increase their effectiveness by planning to reduce the forces that keep essential changes from being fully implemented. Customers are more satisfied because changes that benefit them are better implemented. Associates are freed from the distractions of running the business and are able to adopt change more quickly. Teams are able to focus on being one team with one goal because their change fatigue is lessened as barriers are removed. Leaders are more effective. Leaders are recognized for their strategic thinking and their willingness to build relationships while being accountable for change. U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 2

3 Take Action Getting Started The process of learning about a system and changing that system are, in fact, one and the same. Edgar Schein A Force Field Analysis can be conducted by teams or individuals and can focus on organizational or personal change. There are five steps to completing a Force Field Analysis. Detailed directions are provided in the form of a worksheet on pages 4-5. Use the worksheet individually or with a team by reproducing the worksheet on flipchart paper. Allow 15 to 45 minutes to complete the Force Field Analysis depending on the complexity of the topic and the number of people participating. Forces at Play Restraining and promoting forces in organizational change include: - Attitudes of people - Regulations - Costs - Relationships - Desires - Social or organizational trends - Events - Traditions - Institutional policies or norms - Values - Organizational structures - Vested interests - People - Personal or group needs - Add you own U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 3

4 Force Field Analysis Worksheet, page 1 1. Desired Situation: Where do you want to be? What changes do you want to make? What is an important performance target, organizationally or personally? What new levels do you want strive for? What results do you want to provide? 2. Current Situation: Where are you now? Describe in detail what is happening. What are people saying or doing? What results are being produced? What is the mood or social temperature? What is satisfying and what is dissatisfying? 3. Promoting Forces (Drivers) Identify the work, programs, policies or other system and structure changes in the organization that have already been made or are planned to make the desired change occur. Identify new procedures or training that have been or could be implemented. What is already happening that will promote the desired situation? 4. Restraining Forces (Barriers) Identify factors that are "holding you back" from the defined target or result. What are the barriers? What are some of the repeating patterns of unhealthy behavior in you personally or the organization as a whole? What rules, structures, policies, or behaviors prevent you or others from making the desired changes? U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 4

5 Force Field Analysis Worksheet, page 2 5A. Actions to Prioritize and Remove Barriers Brainstorm as many actions as possible and then prioritize those that have the most positive impact on Customers, Associates, team members and the organization as a whole. Generating Action Ideas Use the questions below to stimulate your brainstorming about strengthening and reducing the forces impacting your change. 5B. Actions to Prioritize and Focus Drivers Brainstorm as many actions as possible and then prioritize those that have the most positive impact on Customers, Associates, team members and the organization as a whole. Are the forces valid? How do we know? How significant is each force? What is the strength of each force? Which forces can be altered? Which cannot? Which forces can be altered quickly? Which forces must be altered slowly? Which forces, if altered, would produce rapid change? Which forces only slow change in the situation? What skills and/or information are needed and available to alter the forces? U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 5

6 Improve Your Skills Assess Your Skills Using the table below, assess how frequently you complete the tasks Associated with conducting a Force Field Analysis. They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. Andy Warhol Conducting a Force Field Analysis Do You: UNDERSTAND CURRENT SITUATION. Do you clarify and analyze the current situation by describing what is happening now? UNDERSTAND DESIRED SITUATION. Do you explicitly state the desired situation by visualizing what success looks like, sounds like and feels like? UNDERSTAND DRIVERS. Do you purposefully outline the forces or drivers that will promote the change or new goal? UNDERSTAND BARRIERS. Do you purposefully outline the forces or barriers that will restrain the change or new goal? ELIMINATE BARRIERS. Do you remove barriers or restraining forces so that you can fully implement change? USE DRIVERS. Do you prioritize drivers or promoting forces so that you can fully implement change? Mostly Rarely Not Sure Things You Can Do You can increase your ability to lead personal and organizational change by applying the Force Field Analysis. Considering your skill assessment, use the table below to identify some next steps. Mostly You mostly complete the tasks Associated with a Force Field Analysis. Teach those around you to apply these strategic steps. Assemble a small group to consider a change. Use this skill-builder to teach the concept and steps. Work as a team to complete a Force Field Analysis. Develop your strength by exploring the resources listed in section four. Solidify your learning by sharing your knowledge with Associates, peers and Leaders. U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 6

7 Improve Your Skills, continued Things You Can Do, continued... Rarely Not Sure You rarely complete the tasks Associated with a Force Field Analysis, or you are just not sure. Team Activity: Strategic Tug of War Source: Training for Change, George Lakey Select a personal change and apply the Force Field Analysis. Identify a meaningful change that you want to make and use the Force Field Analysis to lead yourself. Share your insights with a peer, Leader or mentor. Select an organizational change and apply the Force Field Analysis. Identify an important change. Assemble a small group. Work as a team to conduct a Force Field Analysis. Apply the prioritized actions and meet again to debrief the progress of the change and what you are learning from the process. Rope. Fashion a rope that has multiple ends knotted in the middle. Teams & Forces. Create small teams, half identifying a negative force and half identifying a positive force. Action. As each team identifies a force, they take their place on a positive or a negative strand of the rope. Then, action! Huddle. After one side wins, teams huddle; negative force teams ask themselves how their power could be undermined; positive force teams ask themselves how their power could be enhanced. Each team writes its conclusions. Debrief. All teams report to the whole the two most important ways of enhancing or undermining. The group discusses their learning and insight and how they can work differently. Create a Learning Plan Use the ideas below to create a personal learning plan. Action Suggestions Daily Action Ideas Keep blank copies of the Force Field Analysis Worksheet on hand and anytime you are thinking about the best way to make a personal or organizational change, quickly use the worksheet and apply your insights. U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 7

8 Improve Your Skills, continued Create a Learning Plan, continued Bi-Weekly Action Ideas Monthly Action Ideas Your Learning Plan Daily Action Plan What will I do daily? Revisit a Force Field Analysis that you ve completed. Consider the progress of your change and what you ve learned. Update the Force Field Analysis and, if appropriate, redirect your action. Take a completed Force Field Analysis to a team meeting or one-on-one meeting and use it to discuss the change you are leading. This is a great way to teach the process, expand your thinking and model the way of being a U.S. Cellular Leader as Strategist. Bi-Weekly Action Plan What will I do biweekly? Monthly Action Plan What will I do every month? Teach It Who will I teach? U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 8

9 Teach Others Lewin s Force Field Analysis More Details, continued When you teach others how to conduct a Force Field Analysis consider sharing more information about Kurt Lewin s original research. As complex systems, organizations and individuals frequently produce the exact opposite of what they want. It seems that Isaac Newton's third law takes over, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". The Force Field Analysis is a problem solving tool developed by Dr. Kurt Lewin for analyzing the promoting and restraining forces at play in complex systems. Any system can be analyzed using a Force Field Analysis yourself, your family, your goals, your department, or your organization. Lewin's Force Field Analysis was developed during World War II. At the time, the government was trying to increase the levels of consumption of the visceral meat parts. Such parts included lungs, intestines, brains, liver, kidneys and other unpopular meats. The government pushed to improve resourcefulness - especially during a time of war. To get the results they wanted, they advertised to the general public urging them to buy these cuts. They hoped the public would Associate buying this visceral meat with doing their patriotic duty. The government also promoted the low cost of such meats and showed that these meat cuts were high in iron, minerals and vitamins. Despite all their encouragement, the consumption of these visceral meats did not increase. Lewin was brought in to make a study of why there was not an increase in consumption. Lewin observed all the "promoters" that were added, but wanted to identify the restrainers. He asked people what was stopping them from consuming more of the meat. Some of the replies included: I don't know how to cook or prepare it. It tastes terrible and smells terrible. It's against my cultural/ethnic traditions. I don't have any reason to change. I like the other meats better. I used to get this for free, now I have to pay for it. This is "dog-food"--not people food. Lewin found that the more the government pushed the more the people "held back". Newton's third law was clearly working: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". Resistance increased and consumption was stagnant. U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 9

10 Teach Others, continued Lewin s Force Field Analysis More Details Teaching Talking Points Lewin tried an experiment using the framework of his Force Field Analysis. He did a control study for 90 days with two different groups. One control group was made up of people that received more and more promoters. They received more advertising, were given more reasons why visceral meats were good for them, reminded how affordable these cuts were, encouraged to Associate it with doing their patriotic duty, etc. The other control group focused on eliminating the restrainers - such as providing recipes, how to prepare it, making it taste, smell and look better. For the same 90-day period, Lewin helped eliminate the restrainers that got in the way and were holding back consumption. In this study getting rid of the restrainers was nine times more effective than adding promoters. When you teach others how to conduct a Force Field Analysis be sure to: Introduce the Force Field Analysis (page 2) Review the Force Field Analysis Worksheet (pages 3-5) Detail the steps in conducting a Force Field Analysis (pages 3-5) Share the skill assessment and action plan matrices (pages 6-8) Distribute the Force Field Analysis example (pages 12-13) Complete a Force Field Analysis together Apply action insights from your Force Field Analysis Review resources for expanding your knowledge (page 9) U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 10

11 Force Field Analysis Example 1. Desired Situation: Where do you want to be? What changes do you want to make? What is an important performance target, organizationally or personally? What new levels do you want strive for? What results do you want to provide? The Blue Region Area Sales Managers are participating in a team project. Every retail wireless consultant (RWC) in the Blue Region consistently, confidently and effectively asks for the sale at every opportunity. Sales quotas are easily exceeded and RWCs feel good about asking for sale while Sales Managers are excited to help their Associates grow and develop. 2. Current Situation: Where are you now? Describe in detail what is happening. What are people saying or doing? What results are being produced? What is the mood or social temperature? What is satisfying and what is dissatisfying? In the Blue Region, sales are lower than forecasted and store observations show that retail wireless consultants tend to ask for the sale about half the time. Also, when some RWCs ask for the sale they seem unsure of themselves, apologetic and struggle to close the sale. Sales Managers are discouraged and don t seem to have the time necessary to make a difference. 3. Promoting Forces (Drivers) Identify the work, programs, policies or other system and structure changes in the organization that have already been made or are planned to make the desired change occur. Identify new procedures or training and that have been or could be implemented. What is already happening that will promote the desired situation? Dynamic Beginnings training Sales training Mass communication about expectations Store team huddle discussions Huddle boards One-on-one discussions Individual coaching sessions 4. Restraining Forces (Barriers) Identify factors that are "holding you back" from the defined target or result. What are the barriers? What are some of the repeating patterns of unhealthy behavior in you personally or the organization as a whole? What rules, structures, policies, or behaviors prevent you or others from making the desired changes? RWCs don t want to be perceived as slick, pushy RWCs trust Customers to tell them when they are ready to buy RWCs are being considerate of Customers and giving them time to decide on their own RWCs don t remember sales training Sales Managers are hesitant to use Achievement Plans Sales Managers don t have time to observe and coach performance, they are doing inventory and selling U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 11

12 5A. Actions to Prioritize and Remove Barriers Brainstorm as many actions as possible and then prioritize those that have the most positive impact on Customers, Associates, team members and the organization as a whole. 5. All Leaders use appreciative questions to evoke positive sales experiences and outline respectful and effective ways to ask for the sale. 4. All Leaders use appreciative questions to get RWCs talking about their successes when asking for sale. 3. ASMs, Store Managers and Sales Managers model in real selling situations how to ask for the sale respectfully and effectively. 1. ASMs work with their Directors, RVP and Sales Operations to remove the operations distractions that keep Sales Managers from being able to observe and coach sales performance. 2. ASMs, when visiting stores, conduct 1:1 sessions with all RWCs to discover what is helping RWCs and keeping RWCs from asking for the sale. ASMs co-create an action plan for each location with the store and sales managers. 5B. Actions to Prioritize and Focus Drivers Brainstorm as many actions as possible and then prioritize those that have the most positive impact on Customers, Associates, team members and the organization as a whole. 1. Sales Managers deliver Asking for the Sale Achievement Plans more consistently and effectively. ASMs sit in on sessions and provide encouragement. 3. All Leaders reinforce and discuss the already communicated reasons that Customers expect us to ask for the sale. 4. During huddles and dedicated team meetings all Leaders reinforce and expand on existing sales training. 2. All Leaders emphasize the huddle board and get RWCs to tell the stories behind their selling success during huddles. Generating Action Ideas Use the questions below to simulate your brainstorming about strengthening and reducing the forces impacting your change. Are the forces valid? How do we know? How significant is each force? What is the strength of each force? Which forces can be altered? Which cannot? Which forces can be altered quickly? Which forces must be altered slowly? Which forces, if altered, would produce rapid change? Which forces only slow change in the situation? What skills and/or information are needed and available to alter the forces? U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 12

13 Resources for Development Resource Medium Action Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail (HBR Classic) by John P. Kotter Harvard Business Review Article Read and share insights with Associates, peers and Leaders. The Memory Jogger II: A Pocket Guide of Tools for Continuous Improvement by Michael Brassard Resolving Social Conflicts and Field Theory in Social Science by Kurt Lewin Root Cause Analysis: Simplified Tools and Techniques, Second Edition by Bjorn Andersen, Tom Fagerhaug Book Book Book Read and share insights with Associates, peers and Leaders. Read and share insights with Associates, peers and Leaders. Read and share insights with Associates, peers and Leaders. U.S. Cellular Skill Builders for Leaders 13