Force Field Analysis and Business Process Reengineering

Submitted by:

Muhammad Babar Usman Shahid

BEEE 7th (10590)
Submitted to:

Maam Anum

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MODERN LANGUAGES

ISLAMABAD
30 Nov, 2016

1. Force Field Analysis

It is the process for listing, discussing, and evaluating the various forces for and against a proposed
change. When a change is planned, Force Field Analysis helps you look at the big picture by
analyzing all of the forces impacting the change and weighing the pros and cons [1].
1.1 Explanation
Force Field Analysis was developed by Kurt Lewin (1951) and is widely used to inform
decision making, particularly in planning and implementing change management
programs in organizations. It is a powerful method of gaining a comprehensive overview
of the different forces acting on a potential organizational change issue, and for assessing
their source and strength [2].

1.2 Detailed description of the process

Force field analysis is best carried out in small group of about six to eight people using flipchart
paper or overhead transparencies so that everyone can see what is going on. Procedure is divided
into step as follows.

Step.1 Defining the Problem

What is the nature of our current situation that is unacceptable and needs modification? It is useful
to separate the specific problem from those things that are working well.
Step.2 Defining the Change Objective
What is the desired situation that would be worth working toward? Be as specific as possible.
Step.3 Identifying the Driving Forces
What are the factors or pressures that support change in the desired direction? What are the relative
strengths of these forces? Place these driving forces on the chart on the Force Field Analysis
diagram as labeled arrows with the length of the arrow reflecting the relative strength of each force.
What are the inter-relationships among the driving forces?
Step.4 Identifying the Restraining Forces
What are the factors or pressures that resist the proposed change and maintain the status quo?
Represent these forces on the diagram as you did those for the driving forces. What are the interrelationships among the restraining forces?
Step.5 Developing the Comprehensive Change Strategy
The diagram created in steps three and four reflect what could be called a state of quasi-stationary
equilibrium. Although this is a relatively stable state, movement can be achieved altering the
factors currently contributing to this equilibrium. Change can occur as a result of any combination
of the following:

Strengthening any of the driving forces

Adding new driving forces (possibly by transforming a former restraining force)
Removing or reducing any of the restraining forces

This should also include some consideration of some of the possible unintended consequences
when equilibrium forces are altered (e.g. increase resistance, new alliances, fear, etc.).
1.3 Examples:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) adapted force field analysis,
adding an extra element of the organizations control over a situation. For example, in an attempt
to improve success in afforestation and reforestation programs, the agency in question might list
all the driving forces and restraining forces. It then rates each force by its importance and by the
degree of control it exerts over that force. The totals are then calculated and a table developed
which is given below. This means that for each force, the higher the total of importance and control,
the more impact the agency should have in trying to address that force. In addition, if the agency
can find some forces that explain others, the effectiveness of its actions will be greater. For

example, suppose that improved operational planning can reduce losses to fires and grazing as
well as poor procedures for hiring and paying field workers. Because it has these cross-impacts,
in this example, the agency decided to give special attention to operational planning.

2. Business Process Re-engineering

Business process re-engineering (BPR) is the analysis and redesign of workflows within and
between enterprises in order to optimize end-to-end processes and automate non-value-added
tasks.
It is a management approach aiming at improvements by increasing efficiency and effectiveness
of processes. It is Reengineering is a dramatic change initiative that contains five major steps.
Managers should:

Refocus company values on customer needs

Redesign core processes, often using information technology to enable improvements
Reorganize a business into cross-functional teams with end-to-end responsibility for a
process
Rethink basic organizational and people issues
Improve business processes across the organization [3]

2.1 Explanation
Business process reengineering (BPR) is the practice of rethinking and redesigning the way work
is done to better support an organization's mission and reduce costs. Reengineering starts with a
high-level assessment of the organization's mission, strategic goals, and customer needs. Basic
questions are asked, such as "Does our mission need to be redefined? Are our strategic goals
aligned with our mission? Who are our customers?" An organization may find that it is operating
on questionable assumptions, particularly in terms of the wants and needs of its customers. Only
after the organization rethinks what it should be doing, does it go on to decide how best to do it.
Within the framework of this basic assessment of mission and goals, re-engineering focuses on the
organization's business processesthe steps and procedures that govern how resources are used
to create products and services that meet the needs of particular customers or markets.
Organizations use Business Process Reengineering to improve performance substantially on key
processes that impact customers. Business Process Reengineering can:

Reduce costs and cycle time

Business Process Reengineering reduces costs and cycle times by eliminating
unproductive activities and the employees who perform them. Reorganization by teams
decreases the need for management layers, accelerates information flows, and eliminates
the errors and rework caused by multiple handoffs.
Improve quality
. Business Process Reengineering improves quality by reducing the fragmentation of
work and establishing clear ownership of processes. Workers gain responsibility for their
output and can measure their performance based on prompt feedback.

2.2 Examples
Lets discuss some examples of business reengineering.

2.2.1 Taco Bell Company

Taco Bell created the Kitchen less restaurant based on their belief that they are a retail
service company, not a manufacturing company. In the new process, meat, beans, corn
shells, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese for their products are prepared outside of the restaurant
in central commissaries. At the Taco Bell restaurants, the food ingredients are prepared
when ordered for customer consumption. Taco Bell cites the following results: greater
quality control, better employee morale, fewer employee accidents and injuries (due to
preparation task off-site), big savings and more time to focus on the customer business
processes. Currently they are redefining how to deliver their food services, by taking their
food service to places where people gather such as dining centers, schools, universities,
airport, and stadiums [4].
2.2.2 Hallmark Organization
Using BPR, Hallmark, redesigned the process they used to bring new card concepts to
market. Their product cycle time was approximately 3 years. The growing trend of more
and more niche markets convinced Hallmark executives that the product development
process needed changing. The company's goal was to get new products to market within
one year. Hallmark has always assumed that the product development was comprised
mostly of printing and production rework time. Much to their surprise two-thirds of the
time was spent in developing the plan and concept for the card. They also found that from
the time a concept was given to the creative staff, numerous hand-offs were completed.
The concept spent 90% of the time within the creative staff sitting in someone's in/out slot.
In developing a new line of cards in 1991 Hallmark used BPR to create a cross functional
team approach to product development bring the new card to market 8 months ahead of
schedule.

2.2.3 U.S. Sprint Telecom Company

U. S. Sprint is the third largest U.S. telecommunication company facing fierce competition.
Their business issues included a customer service and billing processes that was not
keeping pace with their expanding business and the need to increase customer retention
and satisfaction. Using BPR they instituted an invoice-processing system in which Service
Agents review customer accounts every six months to ensure customers are sign-up for the
services that meet their calling needs and save them money. This effort has helped to
decrease U.S. Sprint's customer turnover rate.
2.2.4 Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company
Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance is the sixth oldest American life insurer with
approximately 1.3 million policyholders, was facing business issues stemming from the
company's financial rating, fragmented operations, labor/paper intensive processes and a
small work force that was over burden. The fragmented operation and unconnected systems
caused both policyholders and agents to have to interact with several departments of the

company at one time to resolve problems or provide service. To resolve this issue the
company redesigned its computer system from a host-based system that had been
configured to meet the companies vertical business needs. The new system consisted of a
client/server document management system with relational databases that provides its
representatives with a client's complete record. This action resulted in increased response
time to the policyholder and increased productivity [4].

References
[1] Lyndsay Swinton. Management for rest of us Force field analysis: 1-9.
[2] A detailed discussion on Force filed analysis. http://www.change-managementcoach.com/force-field-analysis.html last accessed on 24 November 2016
[3] Ernie Imperial. Business process reengineering. Business Transformation Office
MERALCO. PP 3-4
[4] Business process reengineering. URL: https://www.heflo.com/blog/bpm/business-processreengineering-examples/ last accessed 29 Nov. 2016.