Picture this: There’s a long plank balanced evenly atop a fulcrum. A coil spring is attached to the bottom of each end. Stretched to even tension, these springs hold the plank perfectly level. On the left-hand side of the plank sits a ball. Without touching the ball, your challenge is to move the ball from the left to the right side. What do you do?
The obvious answer is to apply weight to the right side of the plank. The plank tilts. The ball rolls to the right. Mission accomplished. But there’s a second, less obvious way. Imagine if instead of applying force to the right side of the system, you released tension in the spring holding down the left side. The net result would be the same: the ball rolls right. In the former, you applied force; in the latter, you removed it.
This elementary physics challenge may seem silly, but it holds a useful business insight. It is based on the Force Field Analysis change model, which was established by psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1940s. And its lessons can be incredibly helpful to any individual or organization going through times of change.
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Let’s go back to our imaginary system. This time, imagine it as a metaphor for your business. The ball represents your team; moving it to the right represents a change initiative you are implementing — a new process or software implementation, for example. You’ve tried to get the ball moving, but progress has stalled. Now what?
Driving Forces
It’s likely that your first instinct is to apply more force. You reiterate your reasons for the change ad nauseam. You create incentive programs. You highlight all the great outcomes the change will enable. Perhaps you “crack the whip,” threatening punitive action if the behaviors don’t change. But none of it works. Despite all the demonstrable reasons change is needed, you’re stuck, frustrated, and perplexed.
In the Force Field Analysis model, the above tactics are considered driving forces. Such tactics can produce results, at least in the short term. But leaning on driving forces to implement change is problematic.
Going back to our plank and ball visual, driving forces are the equivalent of pushing down on the right side of the system; the ball may start rolling, but now the system is full of tension. The moment you stop applying pressure, the ball goes flying, and the whole system returns to its original state.
Creating meaningful, lasting change requires a better approach.
Restraining Forces
Any time we push for change, we’re going to encounter resistance. Lewin calls the collection of forces that push against our efforts “restraining forces.” Examples are everywhere, including fear, uncertainty, confusion, doubt, a lack of knowledge or training, and bandwidth constraints, just to name a few.
Lewin argues that addressing these restraining forces is the most effective and efficient way to push your organization forward. By attacking the restraining forces, you remove tension from the system, decreasing the overall amount of energy required to make a lasting change.
The next time you find yourself struggling with a change in your organization, resist the urge to simply apply more pressure. Instead, stop and ask yourself, “What restraining forces are at play here? Have I done everything in my power to address them?” If you’re willing to dig deep enough, you’ll surely find restraining forces that need to be addressed.
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As leaders and managers pushing for change in our businesses, our natural instinct is to apply driving forces. We have got a lot on our plates, and issuing directives is a lot simpler than doing the deep work required to truly understand what’s holding your team back.
The short-term progress that driving forces create gives us the illusion of progress, but such change comes at the cost of organizational tension. Creating a sustainable and healthy relationship with organizational change demands that we focus on addressing restraining forces. This is not a trivial task. Rooting out and resolving these forces requires time and energy. But if you want to create a positive culture — one that doesn’t begrudge change but embraces it — then this is the only path forward.
