Developed by the American social psychologist Kurt Lewin, the force field diagram helps in decision-making or contingency planning. The force field diagram is built on the idea that forces - habits, customs, attitudes - both drive and restrain change.

The diagram is very simple - just two columns - but is surprisingly powerful. It is generally constructed with driving forces on the left and restraining forces on the right. All of this information is entered by the team and is fully editable.

The force field diagram can help a team make wiser decisions about implementing change. The balance structure also allows the tools to be used to list pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses, actions and reactions, "What we know, What we don't know" and so on. Users who are new to force field analysis are often amazed at the way this very basic structure helps to clarify a muddy problem or issue.

PathMaker's Force Field diagram software tool is shown here. Users can compare driving and restraining forces.


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