Do Not Skip Current State Analysis During Change
While it may be tempting to begin important organizational change efforts by looking ahead to the desired future state, we know from project postmortem data that underestimating the need to understand and agree upon the current state before you embark on a change initiative is a big mistake.
What the Change Management Research Says
If you skip doing a thorough current state analysis as part of your change initiative, you could become a failed change program research statistic.
Investing the time to create current state clarity allows you to enlist those most affected by change and to create alignment with key stakeholders by sharing an honest assessment of the current state. While it may feel like a time consuming step in the change process, in our experience it sets the stage to co-create the desired future together and drastically speeds up the “hearts and minds” portion of the change process.
Without a strong foothold in reality and a view of the “whole board,” it is difficult for change leaders to create meaning, encourage positive thinking, and align stakeholders amid the inevitable uncertainties and ambiguities of large scale change. A complete picture starts with conducting a current state analysis during change so you can actively involve and effectively communicate the why, what, when, who, and the how of change to those most affected.
4 Problems for Stakeholders Without a Current State Analysis During Change
Just think about it. Without an accurate, systemic, and agreed-upon picture of the current state, how can you expect to make better informed, more creative, or more impactful decisions around the desired future state?
Those affected by change tell us that an unclear current state during change creates four major problems:
A Roadmap for Organizational Change
Just as with any important journey, organizations going through change need a clear and compelling road map to get from the current set of circumstances to the ideal (and hopefully better) future state. It is critical that you clearly establish where you are now in order to plan the best path to where you want to go.
In our change management simulation, this starting point is what is called the “As-Is” or Current State. Getting the current state analysis during change right allows you to understand, agree upon, and quantify root causes, not just symptoms. Characteristics of the current state that you need to get right include a common understanding of the current:
5 Common Traps of As-Is Analysis
In addition to being so anxious to get going that leaders overlook root cause and current state analysis, here are five additional current analysis traps to avoid during change:
While those percentages seem a bit extreme, there is no doubt that perspectives from the entire organization are required to get an accurate picture of how work gets done.
The Bottom Line
Change experts recognize the value of creating a common understanding of the current state before launching a comprehensive change initiative. Misunderstanding the current state creates incorrect perspectives about the changes to come. Incorrect perspectives about change cause friction, swirl, and faulty decision making. Do you have a holistic, accurate, and agreed-upon map of the current state?
To learn more about successful change management best practices, download the 5 Science-Backed Lenses of Change that Leaders Must Get Right
Explore real world results for clients like you striving to create higher performance