Using Force Field Analysis for Personal Challenges

Using a project management technique to your advantage

Force Field Analysis is a useful technique to help plan the efficient and effective implementation of organisational or project based change.

It can also be used to help with personal change, either at work or in your personal life.

Two prime forces

The technique examines the forces that are driving or resisting a change.

Understanding these forces can help you form a more robust and comprehensive action plan.

Although often used for implementing projects and programmes in the workplace this technique can be adapted and applied to personal circumstances and challenges.

Driving or pulling forces

Driving forces can be seen as exactly that: ‘What is driving me?’ or changed around to ‘What is pulling me?’

It is what is taking you towards your desired destination.

Restraining or holding forces

The restraining forces reflect ‘What is holding me back?’, 'What is restraining my progress?', 'What is giving me barriers to action or the breaking of inertia?'

The idea is simple there are forces that are pulling you to a new situation and there are forces holding you where you are.

Example

Consider a house move, or a move to a new job in a new city or moving country.  All these personal dilemmas see forces pulling and holding you as an individual.

At work, these personal challenges can be moving to a new team, moving to a new role, changing city, taking on a new challenge.  There are many more.

Action

Use this analysis to help you weigh up the options and deal with the forces that are impacting your decision. 

Work out action plans to assess the pulling forces and weight them and then score them. 

Do the same for the holding forces. 

See which forces outweigh the other. 

Use the forces list to devise action plans to deal with the forces that present themselves.  This will help you implement change or resist change in an effective and planned manner.

Simple techniques like this can help structure and organise situations where there are many complex competing issues. 

They bring some order to what at times can be overwhelming and frustrating. 

They can help you take ownership of change and action.