Personal Change
 

In the 1940s, the Force Field Analysis (FFA) was created by Kurt Lewin to analyze a current situation in his work as a social psychologist. A method used in his work to evaluate the equilibrium between forces that drive change and others that resist change. For change to happen the driving force must be strengthened or the resisting forces weakened. This tool is useful for making decisions and communicating the reasoning behind those decisions. in case, I will describe the concept of a Force Field Analysis (FFA) and then creating an FFA on an issue I may have in my life that I would like to change. In essence, the FFA will be used to evaluate the area of issues in my life that I would like to change in time.

In step one of the FFA, I must define my goal or vision of change for I want in life. I currently work for Aramark as a food service worker on Old Dominion University campus at Roger’s Hall Cafe. But I no longer want to serve food to the students nor cook food for the students on campus anymore. I have been with the company for six years and worked in four different locations on the ODU campus. But I want to advance into a new position and better pay on the college campus under Aramark. I started working with the company in 2012 for several reasons. First, the easy commute from my residence to the location I was working on campus reduces travel time and transportation costs for me. Second, the school-friendly schedule that ODU has allowed Aramark employees takes advantage of wanting to advance in their own education or personal endeavors. Third, Aramark employees more likely to become part of the ODU campus community with a better acquaintance with the ODU faculty, staff and students through networking. Nevertheless, my goal is finishing my bachelor’s degree in human resources management to advance to a new position under Aramark. In the _final analysis, Bierema (2014) stated, “[I must ask myself] what were the forces [that was] preventing [that] change? What forces facilitate it?”

In step two of the FFA, I must think about the internal and external forces of driving change for my success. The internal driving force to my success is a desire to be a human resource manager. I want to work closely with other employees, work on a variety of tasks, face new strategies, technologies, and skills, including participating in long-range planning and be needed by all types of businesses or industries. Another internal driving force to my success is to feel valued and respected by others. As a food service worker, my self-esteem needs have been low lately. Negatively, my manager has made feel inferior by saying, “I’m replaceable that anyone can do my job” every turn or when given a lead role my coworker does not take me seriously. The external driving force that is affecting my success is my bad habits. I was not aware of my bad habits nor assessing the areas that that might be holding me back so long. I had a bad habit to let my worries take over me when it’s not going to propel my success. I had to understand there are many things that are out of my control and therefore will not serve me of worry about. In that case, I have to relax and let it be will be before I halt forward my own success in my life.  All in all, the internal and external forces of driving change can either have positive or negative success in whatever is about my life plans in the future.

In step three of the FFA, I must think about the internal and external forces that resist me to change. The internal resisting force to my success is my fear of the unknown. I tend to find myself thinking about the negative outcomes of a new venture that stops me from taking any action at all. I choose to stick with what I know rather than face an uncertain future that comes from anxiety and self-doubt. Not me knowing what to expect or not having enough information about the change can lead me to have anxious feelings. Feeling anxious can stop me to resisting change and self-doubt would allow me to believe phrases such as “I’m not good enough, Not qualified enough or I’m stupid.” Those words will stop me from getting ahead in life. The fear that others may think about this way will stop me taking any action. Therefore, I have to deal with those feelings of anxiety and self-doubt to change by building my self-esteem and self-confidence. This should counter the effects in me to getting rid of those feelings and the fear of the unknown.  The external resisting force to my success is my fear of loss (i.e. job security).  I was told loss is often a part of the change. This fear of loss can cause both physical and psychological symptoms with dire consequences if I don’t deal with negative emotions. To halt those fears within me are the following: to take notice of my own negativity, reduce my insecurities, having a safety net in place, finding a better job somewhere else, adjusting my belief about my identity and trust myself that I’ll be okay no matter what. In the long run, to release those internal and external forces of resisting change is through no worrying but embracing the change.

Finally, “once the problem or opportunity has been thoroughly defined, [I] can outline the desired outcome of the process” (Keenan, 2015). My goal is to be a human resource manager under Aramark or anywhere else. The internal force of driving change for my success is the desire to be a human resource manager in the near future. And the external forces of driving change for my success were my bad habits, but relaxing and let it be will be will not halt me to move forward in life. The internal forces that resist me to change were the fear of the unknown but building my self-esteem and self-confidence will get rid of those feelings in time. Lastly, the external forces that resist me to change were my fear of loss, but to stop worrying about job security and develop new skills that will give me new job security. Overall, the FFA will be used to evaluate the area of issues internally and externally in my life that I would like to change for good.Bottom of Form

References

• Bierema, L. (2014).  An Introduction to Organizational Development. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
• Keenan, M. (2015). Force-field analysis. Salem Press Encyclopedia,