Think back to any change you have experienced or led. What made it real? Actual new behavior! While we need to address the hearts and minds of the people on our teams and ourselves, we never know if a change has occurred until we can see different behaviors. In my old tech days we would say, what you see is what you get or 
In other words, to make it real, successful change requires the implementation and demonstration of desired new behaviors. The first element of change leadership is to assess the current state and how it is different from your desired future state. This gap analysis will drive your strategy for change and the successful demonstration of the desired new behaviors.
The Implementation Institute, a change management firm, highlights five organizational elements to include in your gap analysis:
- Organizational Strategy or Mission
- The Formal & Informal Systems of How Work Gets Done
- Your Organizational Structure and Hierarchy
- The Talent in Your Organization
- Your Organizational Culture or The Way Work Gets Done
Working with the people you lead to clearly describe where your team or institution is on each element (current state) and where you need to go (future state) will start to make the change real and provide a solid foundation for the work required to actually change behaviors.
Thinking about your crucial changes ahead, do you clearly know what your current state is? Equally importantly, do the people on your team?
Todd Thorsgaard
Higher EDge 