PART ONE
Complete The Force field Analysis (Exercise 6.4) for your change initiative due in Week 8. Briefly describe the forces for change and how they could be increased, the forces opposing change and how they could be reduced, and points of leverage. Based on your analysis, what actions can you take to increase the likelihood of a successful change effort?
Toolkit Exercise 6.4 asks you to do a force field analysis in order to develop your skills in this area.
To do a force field analysis,
1. Identify the forces acting in the situation and estimate their strength. Both the immediate and the long-term forces need to be considered. The immediate forces are the ones that are acting now and have an immediate impact (e.g., quarterly sales targets). The long-term forces are those that may have less immediate effect but whose impact may linger longer, such as customer satisfaction or employee morale.
2. Understand how the forces might be altered to produce a more hospitable climate for the change and develop strategies that will maximize your leverage on the driving and restraining forces with the minimum effort. Conserving your energy and resources is important because change management is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash.
3. Look beyond the immediate impact and identify ways to increase support and reduce resistance. Consider unanticipated consequences that may result from what is implemented. For example, you may be able to reduce resistance by throwing financial rewards at individuals, but in doing so you may inadvertently promote unethical behavior, reduce organizational commitment, and destroy your compensation system
