4. Change Management
Lewin + force field
The oldest model still earning its keep
Use when
Quick strategy for shifting a stuck behaviour or norm
repeats ↻
1Map the forces
2Unfreeze
3Change
4Refreeze
- 1
Map the forces
Driving vs restraining, on one page, with the people in the room
- 2
Unfreeze
Weaken restraining forces first; adding push raises tension
- 3
Change
Move while the system is loose; visible experiments
- 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
EstablishedKurt Lewin, 1940s.