Strategic Business Leader · Managing strategic change

Lewin's Force Field Analysis and Change Models for SBL

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Lewin's model sees change as unfreeze, change, refreeze. Force field analysis lists driving forces for change and restraining forces against it, then plans to strengthen the first and weaken the second. Kotter gives eight steps for leading change. The cultural web shows which cultural elements will block it.

Understand Lewin's Force Field Analysis and Change Models

Change fails more often because of people than because of bad plans. These models help you diagnose why people resist and plan how to move them. In SBL you use them on the case, not just describe them.

Lewin's three-stage model treats an organisation as stable until something disturbs it. Unfreeze means creating dissatisfaction with the current state and a felt need to change. Change (sometimes called moving) means introducing new structures, processes or behaviours. Refreeze means embedding the new ways so people do not slide back, for example through rewards, policies, training and new norms.

Force field analysis is Lewin's tool for diagnosing the balance of forces in a change situation. You can use it at any point in a change, and it is particularly useful when planning how to unfreeze. Any situation is held in balance by driving forces (pushing for change, such as competitors, new technology, regulation or falling profits) and restraining forces (pushing against, such as fear of job loss, lack of skills, entrenched culture or cost). Change happens when the driving forces outweigh the restraining forces. You can raise the drivers, but it is often more effective to reduce the restrainers, because pushing harder on drivers can simply raise resistance.

Kotter's eight steps give a practical sequence for leaders: create urgency; build a guiding coalition; form a strategic vision; enlist a volunteer army (communicate the vision); enable action by removing barriers; generate short-term wins; sustain acceleration (build on the change and do not declare victory too early); and institute change by anchoring it in the culture. The mapping to Lewin is only approximate, and authors place the steps differently. Steps 1 to 4 are often linked to unfreezing, 5 to 7 to change, and 8 to refreezing.

Johnson and Scholes' cultural web describes culture through the paradigm at the centre, surrounded by stories, symbols, power structures, organisational structures, control systems, and rituals and routines. In change, you map the current web, note which elements support the old way, and decide what must change in each element. If the web stays the same, the old culture pulls the organisation back.

Key rules to remember

Lewin's three stages: Unfreeze → Change (move) → Refreeze; Unfreeze builds the need for change. Refreeze embeds it so people do not revert.
Force field balance: Change occurs when driving forces > restraining forces; Equilibrium holds when they are equal. Reducing restraining forces is often more effective than pushing drivers harder.
Kotter's eight steps: 1 Urgency; 2 Guiding coalition; 3 Vision; 4 Communicate vision; 5 Remove barriers; 6 Short-term wins; 7 Sustain acceleration (build on the change); 8 Anchor in culture; Wording varies by source. Learn the sequence and the purpose of each step. The match to Lewin's stages is approximate.
Cultural web elements: Paradigm; stories; symbols; power structures; organisational structures; control systems; rituals and routines; Use all elements that the scenario gives evidence for, not a memorised list for its own sake.

How to solve Lewin's Force Field Analysis and Change Models questions

Use this method for any SBL task asking you to analyse resistance, plan change or advise on implementing it.

1Read the requirement and identify the model asked for, or the problem to solve, such as resistance or a failed change.
2Define the change in one line: what is changing, for whom and why.
3Pick the model that fits. Use force field analysis to diagnose, Lewin or Kotter to sequence the plan, and the cultural web to test cultural fit.
4Apply it with case facts. List specific drivers and restrainers, or specific web elements, from the scenario.
5Prioritise. Decide which restraining forces or web elements matter most and why.
6Recommend actions for each stage: how to unfreeze, how to implement, how to embed.
7Link to stakeholders, risks and likely resistance, and give a balanced conclusion.
8Write in the required format and tone, keeping professional skills marks in mind.

Quickest way: Drivers, restrainers, three stages

When to use it: Use when time is short and the task asks how to manage or implement a change.

Draw two columns on your plan: drivers and restrainers, with case facts only.
Circle the two or three biggest restrainers.
Write one action per circled restrainer under Unfreeze, Change or Refreeze.
Add one cultural web point showing what in the culture could pull people back.
Write each point as a short paragraph: point, case evidence, recommendation.

Common mistakes in Lewin's Force Field Analysis and Change Models

Describing the models without applying them to the case
Students memorise textbook definitions and write them out.
Fix: Spend most of your answer on case facts. Every model point should name something from the scenario.
Listing forces without weighing them
A neat two-column list feels complete.
Fix: State which forces are strongest and what that means for the plan.
Ignoring refreezing
Students focus on launching the change and forget what happens afterwards.
Fix: Always include embedding actions, such as new reward systems, policies, training and monitoring.
Treating Kotter as a checklist to repeat
The eight steps are easy to recall in order.
Fix: Select the steps that matter for the case and explain what the leader should do at each one.
Using the cultural web with only a few elements and no conclusion
Students run out of time or case evidence.
Fix: Cover the elements the case supports, then state the paradigm and what must change to make the new strategy work.
Suggesting only more pressure on drivers
It seems logical to push harder for change.
Fix: Show that you understand resistance. Explain how to reduce restrainers through communication, involvement, training and support.

Worked examples

Example 1

Zenith Retail plans to close most of its stores and move online. Staff fear redundancy, managers are used to store autonomy, and sales are falling as customers shop online. The board wants to know how Lewin's force field analysis helps. Advise the board.

Show the solution

Define the change: moving from a store-based model to an online-led model.
Identify driving forces from the case: falling sales, customers shifting to online shopping, and competitive pressure.
Identify restraining forces: staff fear of redundancy, managers' attachment to store autonomy, and the likely skills gap in online operations.
Weigh them. The fear of redundancy and loss of autonomy are the most serious restrainers because they affect the people who must deliver the change.
Recommend reducing restrainers: be open about job impact, offer retraining and redeployment, and involve store managers in designing the online model.
Use the drivers carefully: share the sales data so staff see why change is needed, without creating panic.
Conclude that change will happen once driving forces exceed restraining forces, and that the board should focus mainly on cutting resistance.

Answer: Force field analysis shows that Zenith's falling sales and customer shift are strong drivers, but staff fear and managers' loss of autonomy restrain change. The board should mainly reduce restrainers through honest communication, retraining and involving managers, while using the sales evidence to build urgency.

Example 2

Harbour Logistics has a long-standing culture of hierarchy. Stories celebrate founders who made decisions alone, and the control system rewards individual targets. The new CEO wants collaborative cross-functional teams. Using the cultural web and Lewin's model, advise on the change.

Show the solution

Identify the current paradigm: a hierarchical, individual-decision culture.
Map web elements from the case: stories celebrate lone decision-makers; the control system rewards individual targets; power structures sit with senior managers.
State the conflict: these elements all support the old way and would pull people back to it.
Unfreeze: use evidence, such as delays and poor coordination, to show the current approach is failing. Have the CEO explain the need for collaboration.
Change: create cross-functional teams, give them decision authority, and change stories and symbols by publicising team successes.
Refreeze: change the control system so team targets are rewarded, and adjust power structures so team leaders are empowered.
Conclude that if the control system and stories stay unchanged, people will revert to individual behaviour.

Answer: The cultural web shows that stories, control systems and power structures all reinforce hierarchy. Harbour should unfreeze by showing the cost of the current approach, introduce cross-functional teams, and refreeze by changing rewards, stories and decision authority so collaboration becomes the norm.

Exam tips

Always use case facts. A model without evidence from the scenario earns few marks.
Plan your answer with the model as the skeleton, but write full sentences with advice and reasoning.
Show professional skills: weigh options, spot likely resistance and give a clear, practical recommendation.
When asked about resistance or culture, link the models together: force field to diagnose, cultural web to explain, Lewin or Kotter to plan.
Do not forget refreezing or anchoring change. Examiners look for sustaining actions.

Practice questions from Managing strategic change

Lewin's Force Field Analysis and Change Models: frequently asked questions

What is Lewin's force field analysis?

It is a tool that lists driving forces for change and restraining forces against it. Change happens when drivers outweigh restrainers. In practice you plan to reduce the restrainers or strengthen the drivers.

How do Lewin's model and Kotter's steps relate?

Kotter's steps can be read as expanding Lewin's three stages, though the match is approximate. Early steps create urgency and vision, which resemble unfreezing. Middle steps drive action, and the final step anchors the change in culture, like refreezing.

How is the cultural web used in change?

You map the current culture using its elements, then identify which elements will resist the new strategy. The change plan should address each element, such as control systems (including rewards), symbols and power structures, so the new behaviour sticks.

Do I need to learn all eight Kotter steps for SBL?

You should know them and what each is for. In the exam, apply the steps that are most relevant to the case rather than reciting all eight.