Each change process should start with a solid analysis. All future decision making and planning will be based on this analysis. Over 50 % of change projects fail due to errors in these first stages of the process.

Your most important role as a leader at this stage of the change is to provide clarity, to incorporate all relevant information, to evaluate possible alternative strategies, and to involve a team of external experts in your analysis, if necessary.

“Something has to change!” is a statement many of us have heard or said before – and questions like these will help to clarify:

– What exactly is our situation today?
– What needs to change?
– Who needs to change it?
– How does it need to change?
– What resources do we have for the change?

But also:
– What needs to remain unchanged?

The most important question of all, however, is WHY – why do we need change?

The question “why” addresses the consequences of change.

What happens if we don’t change?
What negative consequences can we avoid with the right change?
What happens if we do change?
What positive consequences can we achieve with this change?

Asking WHY reveals the motivation behind the change process.