Personal Change

Personal Change

BUS 370 Organizational Development

Personal Change

Everyone must manage change in their life, whether they want to or not. Life lessons and experience help us through decision making when change happens to us, this is a part of living. With that being said, change happening to us and making change happen are two different things. So how do we initiate change and ensure we find success? First, we need to identify the goal we would like to accomplish, the obstacles in our way and the forces that support us. This takes thought, planning, and analysis. Force Field Analysis is often used for this type of change management. In this paper we will define force field analysis, utilize the tool in analyzing a personal change, discuss how restraining forces impede progress, and an intervention strategy to enhance the driving forces to make change possible.

The Concept of a Force Field Analysis (FFA)

Kurt Lewin originally developed field theory to understand individual behavior. It eventually became more commonly used for analyzing and changing group behaviors . Force field analysis is a method of change management based on the field theory. It is used to examine the human behavior when change is introduced or occurs. FFA is a tool often used by management to identify forces that influence or drive change and obstacles that may impede it .

Lewin suggests that there are three key actions that must take place for change to happen. First, identify forces and factors that create obstacles and then the forces and factors that offer support. Second, determine the forces and factors that can be positively manipulated and controlled to drive the desired change. Third, take action and develop the process for change .

FFA on a Life Issue That Needs to Change

We will create a force field analysis on obtaining a bachelor’s degree. This will help identify how to maximize the forces driving the change and minimize the forces hindering it .

How Restraining Forces Impede Progress

Restraining forces can be real obstacles, negative thoughts or mental barriers. This is the resistance that impedes progress. These restraining forces become lack of motivation and excuses to not take the necessary steps to move forward and complete the task or goal. When it comes to change, we all fight the internal battle between easy, habit and routine versus, change, effort and discomfort. This is why goals are missed, and the desired change fails to ever happen. A negative outlook produces negative results.

Intervention Strategy to Enhance the Driving Forces to Make Change Possible

It is important to not fall victim to pessimism when attempting to make change or accomplish goals. The key to making change possible is being positive. If we take the same line used from the prior paragraph and make a few alterations; When it comes to change, we must fight off easy, habit and routine. We must be courageous and welcome change for the better, take pride in our hard work and optimize our opportunity for growth. This positive mentality combined with the WIIFM process will help enhance the driving forces to make change possible. There is good and bad in everything, it is important to look at the restraining forces and identify how to turn them into positives. For example, possibilities and potentials are not guaranteed. This is a true statement, but if you consider that by doing nothing, you are guaranteed nothing. So, by accomplishing the goal, you are much more likely to achieve the desired driving force, at least there is a chance.

Conclusion

The force field analysis can be extremely helpful in identifying change that needs to happen. This process will help you identify both the driving forces and restraining forces. With this information, you can utilize the driving forces, plan for the restraining forces and identify how they can be adjusted to support the change. Now we have defined force field analysis, utilized the tool in analyzing a personal change, discussed how restraining forces impede progress, and developed an intervention strategy to enhance the driving forces to make change possible.