U4AOS1 - Reviewing Performance Flashcards
Lewin’s Force Field Analysis
looks at the forces that are either driving movement towards a goal or change or blocking movement towards a goal or change
driving force
forces affecting a situation that are pushing in a particular direction and are supporting the goal or personal change
restraining force
personal and organisational resistance to change that acts against the driving forces and could include management, employees, cost, legislation and competitors
steps of Lewins’ model
- define the target of change 2. identify the driving forces and the restraining forces 3. analyse the forces that can be changed 4. develop an action plan based on what can be changed
harnessing forces for change
the ability of a business to successfully implement changes can be influenced by the comparative strength of driving and restraining forces
key points Lewin
- when driving forces are more dominant the change will be successful 2. if the driving forces are met by the restraining forces at a similar level it is likely the change won’t be successful 3. if the restraining forces are more powerful than driving forces it is unlikely the change will be successful
driving forces
managers
employees
competitors
legislation
pursuit of profit
reduction in costs
globalisation
technology
innovation
societal attitudes
managers
- act as an important driving force - either have influence on the business and provide direction for change or be involved in a hands on approach to ensure the change is implemented successfully
employees
- critical as they may support the change and make it easy to successfully implement it - a few key staff members may be able to influence others - employees may come up with new ideas and innovation one of the biggest reasons for success or failure of change
competitors
- some industry sectors in the economy are highly competitive and business’ need to be able to respond to changes quickly - competitors can come from anywhere in the world making management more complex - if a business is able to keep up with their competitors and comes up with the right changes before businesses are likely to keep ahead of its rivals
legislation
- businesses have to deal with three levels of government in Australia, federal, state and local - legislation controls what a business can or can’t do within the business
pursuit of profit
- profit drives many businesses to change / profit needs to be sustained over time
- may preserve profit by cutting expenses and costs
reduction in costs
- quick way to increase profitability
globalisation
can be defined as the process of increasing increasing business between countries gives increased access to markets around the world
- providing opportunity for customs to improve their standard of living through increased access to goods and service
- provides potential for future business growth or companies develop more trading relationships with other countries
technology
- tech impacts on all areas of a business and is a major driver for change
- businesses now have potential to be online only
innovation
- generally refers to changing or creating more effective processes, products and ideas and can increase the likelihood of a business succeeding
societal attitudes
- society constantly occurs and views change all the time
- demographic makeup of the population impacts on society
- new policies based on this may affect communication, language etc.
restraining forces
- managers
- employees
- time
- organisational inertia
- legislation
- financial considerations
managers
- crucial and may stop a change from being introduced
- managers may not support policies which makes them feel as though their role or position is threatened
- the levels of management may also add complexity
employees
- employees who feel left out or unheard are less likely to support change
- fear of change can prevent moving forward for a business
time
- lack of time can impact a business adversely and not leave them enough time to get change completed
- this can also be an issue if a business drags behind its competitors
organisational inertia
- lack of a business’ ability to react to internal and external pressures for change, as it tends to continue on its well entrenched way
- made up of: resource rigidity nature rigidity
resource rigidity
unwilling to invest resources or time
nature rigidity
inability to change patterns
legislation
- a business may find it hard to adapt or change for new laws
- other laws may affect the operation of the business
financial considerations
- lack of access to finance can inhibit a business (especially smaller businesses)
- inability to obtain necessary funds can restrain a business