Session Brief: Force Field Analysis

Goal

Artifact: Force Field Map

Working Question

Which forces drive the desired change and which restrain it, and which interventions most strongly shift the balance?

Context

Change objective clearly defined; current state and desired state; known resistances from recent weeks; sponsor with change mandate.

Setup

• Format: Method session
• Duration: 45-90 min
• Mode: Workshop
• Participants: One facilitator; 3-12 stakeholders with change relevance; one sponsor with mandate; scribe for consolidation.
• Owner: One facilitator
• Participation mode: Team round, shared work and alignment
• Outcome logic: Finish artifact

Participation Logic

Use the session for shared understanding. Contributions are collected visibly, assumptions are aligned, and open differences remain traceable in the artifact.

Outcome Logic

The session works directly toward Force Field Map. After the session, the artifact should be shareable, reviewable, or reusable.

Input

Whiteboard or Miro with T-shape: change objective at top, driving forces on the left, restraining forces on the right; sticky notes; pens; rating scale (for example 1-5 per force); timer.

Preparation

Set up T-shape with change objective at top. Left column for driving forces, right for restraining forces. Keep scale visible. Rule: fill one side per phase, not in parallel.

Agenda

1. Phase 1: Clarify change objective (10 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Define current state and desired state, name the gap, and make desired state concrete and observable. Hint: Vague objectives (for example "we want to be more agile") produce arbitrary forces. Define clearly what is different after change. Output: Force Field Map

2. Phase 2: Collect driving forces (15-20 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Individual collection: what supports the change? Examples: market pressure, intrinsic motivation, tooling, sponsor energy. Sticky notes on left. Hint: Drivers are not wishes; they are actual forces. If someone cannot identify drivers, the change has no basis. Output: Change Levers

3. Phase 3: Collect restraining forces (15-20 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Individual collection: what slows the change? Examples: routine, fear of loss, tool lock-in, skill gaps, political conflict. Sticky notes on right. Hint: State restraints openly. Overly polite discussion hides analysis. Offer anonymous collection when topics are sensitive. Output: Risk Notes

4. Phase 4: Evaluate (15-20 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Rate each force by strength (1-5), aggregate. Visualize total score per side and use longer arrows for stronger forces. Hint: When restraining sum is clearly higher than driving sum, change is unlikely without interventions. An honest assessment beats optimistic guessing. Output: Force Field Map

5. Phase 5: Interventions (15-20 min) Owner: Owner Action: Define interventions for top restraining forces to reduce them. Define interventions for top driving forces to strengthen them. Add actions with owner and date. Hint: Reducing restrainers is often more effective than strengthening drivers. If only drivers are pushed, you often reinforce anchors. Output: Change Levers

6. Publish artifact (10 min) Owner: Owner Action: Check the artifact for completeness, define location, set version or status, and name review recipients. Output: Force Field Map

Closeout

• Update result artifact: Force Field Map
• Define location, version, and review recipients.
• Define owner, next step, and review date.

Force Field Map: Force Field Analysis

Working Question

Which forces drive the desired change and which restrain it, and which interventions most strongly shift the balance?

Context

Change objective clearly defined; current state and desired state; known resistances from recent weeks; sponsor with change mandate.

Participants

• Owner: One facilitator
• Participants: One facilitator; 3-12 stakeholders with change relevance; one sponsor with mandate; scribe for consolidation.

Input

Whiteboard or Miro with T-shape: change objective at top, driving forces on the left, restraining forces on the right; sticky notes; pens; rating scale (for example 1-5 per force); timer.

Template

Force Field Analysis Working Template

Goal

Compare the forces that support change with the forces that hold it back.

Context

What change are we examining, and what decision should follow?

Input

• Desired state:
• Current state:
• Evidence:
• Stakeholders:

Working area

• Driving forces:
• Restraining forces:
• Force strength:
• Key leverage points:
• Possible actions:

Output artifacts

• Force field map:
• Action plan:
• Risk notes:

Open questions

• ...

Decision / next step

Owner, date, and success signal.

Completion Check

• Force Field Map is complete enough for review:
• Location:
• Version / status:
• Review by:
• Next step:

Next Step

• Review result
• Mark open questions
• Schedule review or decision