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4. Change Management

Lewin + force field

The oldest model still earning its keep

Use when

Quick strategy for shifting a stuck behaviour or norm

Lewin + force field, shown as a loop of 4 parts: Map the forces, Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze.
repeats ↻
1Map the forces
2Unfreeze
3Change
4Refreeze
  1. 1

    Map the forces

    Driving vs restraining, on one page, with the people in the room

  2. 2

    Unfreeze

    Weaken restraining forces first; adding push raises tension

  3. 3

    Change

    Move while the system is loose; visible experiments

  4. 4

    Refreeze

    Wire it into process, measure, ritual so it holds

“Reducing restraining forces beats adding driving forces.”

How to use it

The counterintuitive gem: reducing restraining forces beats adding driving forces, because pushing harder against resistance just raises system tension. Run force-field mapping as a live workshop exercise; the room's restraining-forces list is usually more honest than any survey.

Card details

Model type
Loop
Origin status
Established
Content last reviewed
28 July 2026

Origin

Established

Kurt Lewin, 1940s.

Neighbouring models

Adoption sequence (ADKAR)Kotter's 8 stepsBridges' transitionsThe change curveSocial threat response (SCARF)Competing commitments (Immunity to Change)Theory E and Theory OChange execution risk score (DICE)The pre-mortemThe Open Ledger
NextThe nine-box grid→

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