IB Business Management HLTopic 6 — The Business Management ToolkitPapers 1, 2 & 3HL only~9 min read
Using Force Field Analysis
Every change in a business has people and pressures pushing it forward, and others pushing straight back. Force field analysis puts both sets of forces on one diagram, gives each a weight, and adds them up. Whichever side is heavier tells you how the change is likely to go.
📘 What you need to know
Driving forces push for the change. Restraining forces push against it.
Both can be internal (staff, machinery, profit targets) or external (laws, rivals, technology).
Each force is given a weight from 1 to 5, where 5 is most important.
Add the driving weights, add the restraining weights, and compare the two totals.
Driving heavier → the change is likely to succeed. Restraining heavier → it is likely to fail as it stands.
Managers can then strengthen a driving force or, usually better, weaken or remove a restraining one.
The diagram
The length of each arrow is its weight. Drawing it this way makes it obvious at a glance which side is heavier, before you add anything up.
Where the forces come from
Type
Internal examples
External examples
Driving
Ageing machinery, falling profit, low staff morale that needs fixing
New technology, changing customer tastes, a rival moving first
Restraining
Fear of the unknown, “we have always done it this way”, the current structure
Government rules, contracts with partners, promises made to customers
The weights are opinions dressed up as numbers. Two managers looking at the same change will score it differently, and that is the single best evaluation point you can make about this tool.
Worked example
WORKED EXAMPLE
Bright Batch Bakery is considering closing its city kitchen and moving production to a cheaper site outside town. Driving forces: lower rent (5), space for bigger ovens (3), easier deliveries (1). Restraining forces: cost of the move (4), staff would face a longer commute (2), production stops for three weeks (4). Use force field analysis to decide whether the move should go ahead. [4 marks]
Step 1: total the driving forces5 + 3 + 1 = 9Step 2: total the restraining forces4 + 2 + 4 = 10Step 3: compareRestraining (10) is greater than driving (9) [1].Step 4: concludeThe move is unlikely to succeed in its current form and should be reconsidered rather than pushed through [1].Restraining 10 v driving 9 — do not proceed yetshow both totals; the marks are for the comparison, not the addition
WORKED EXAMPLE
Identify two actions Bright Batch could take to allow the move to go ahead. [2 marks]
Attack the biggest restraining forces firstBuy in from a contract bakery for three weeks so production never stops, cutting that force from 4 towards 1 [1].Offer a transport allowance or shuttle for staff, reducing the commute objection from 2 to near zero [1].Weaken the restraint, do not just shout louderremoving a restraining force is usually cheaper than adding a new driving one
Why weaken rather than push? Adding pressure to force a change through usually makes the people resisting it dig in harder. Removing their reason to resist changes the total and keeps them on side.
How useful is it?
Strength
Weakness
Simple, visual and easy for any stakeholder to follow
Weightings are subjective, so bias can decide the result
Forces both sides of an argument to be written down
A snapshot only; forces change as the situation moves on
Shows which forces matter most, so effort goes to the right place
Diagnostic, not prescriptive — it will not tell you how to fix anything
Gets teams talking and airing objections early
Oversimplifies complex changes into a handful of arrows
Cheap and quick compared with formal research
A total of 10 versus 9 looks precise but is not
💡 Exam tips
Always show both totals and the comparison, even if the answer looks obvious.
Say which single force is heaviest. That is where a recommendation should aim.
If the totals are close, say the analysis cannot separate them and other evidence is needed.
Suggest weakening a restraint rather than only adding drivers. It shows better judgement.
Mention who assigned the weights. Managers scoring their own idea is a real problem.
Pair it with another tool. Force field says whether change will stick; a decision tree says whether it pays.
⚠ Common mix-ups
Counting the number of forces instead of adding their weights.
Putting a force on the wrong side. Ask: does this help the change happen, or block it?
Treating the totals as facts. They are weighted opinions.
Stopping at “restraining is bigger”. Say what could be done about it.
Forgetting external forces and listing only staff objections.
Confusing it with SWOT. Force field is about one specific change, not the whole business.
Up next: Using Gantt Charts — once a change is agreed, somebody has to schedule it. Gantt charts show what happens when, and what can happen at the same time.
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