Major Change Initiatives Assessment

Imposing a new order is a tall order. Whenever there is the need for a major organizational initiative, there is a need for the most daunting kind of change — behavioral change. And behavioral change doesn’t just happen; it must be planned and managed with precision and tenacity. So if you are faced with such a daunting challenge, ELG can help assess your organization’s readiness and smooth the way for the change with our Transformation Readiness Assessment. Our Assessment evaluates the following determinants of transformational readiness:

Motivators for Change

True transformational change within an organization can happen only when three general motivators are in place — i.e., a compelling threat (to the status quo), a compelling vision of a new and better future and the leadership to bridge the gap between the two. Our assessment examines the degree to which each of these motivators has been identified and articulated.

Transformational Levers™

ELG’s Transformational Readiness Assessment concentrates on 8 key components, or Transformational Levers™ necessary for successful change implementation. These levers have to be used effectively in order to accomplish the change quickly, with minimal impact on productivity, and to sustain the change after it has been successfully introduced. We will evaluate each one of the Transformational Levers™ and assess whether their operation in your organization represents an advantage to leverage or a roadblock to overcome.

The first 2 levers — Involvement and Communication — are emphasized by many Change Management methodologies, and rightly so. These levers both play a vital role in increasing familiarity with and buy-in to the change and reducing anxiety caused by the change. Their role is absolutely essential to accomplishing the behavioral changes that must accompany major organizational change.

Those first 2 levers, while important, are only part of the Transformational Change formula. Also critical is the creation of strong Whole Goal™, which are inherent in the next 3 levers, Accountability, Measurement and Reinforcement. These levers must be in alignment for the change to work and to stick. If everyone working to implement the change understands how his or her goals contribute to the change, how those goals will be measured and how they will contribute to compensation, the chances of accomplishing the change through a cumulative and coordinated team effort are enhanced.

The next 2 levers — Organization Structure and Resourcing — are necessary to support the change initiative. The right organizational structure to assure specialized support resources and sufficient human and material resources need to be in place to smooth the way toward change.

And, finally, the last lever, Education/Training, needs to be in place and robust enough to give employees the knowledge and skill to implement their part of the change.

Other Forces for (and Against) Change

Besides the necessary high-level motivators and more detailed Transformational Levers™, there undoubtedly will be other forces at work which may stand in the way of change or help expedite it. Many of these forces will be environmental (like the economy or pending legislation). We use the Force Field Analysis technique to identify these additional forces, whether they may inhibit or facilitate the change, and how they can be mitigated or enhanced.

Project Plan for Change

The final part of our Assessment is the examination of the project plan to implement the change. We examine the traditional elements of project planning (schedule, budget, deliverables) as well as accountabilities and the degree to which the plan has incorporated the above elements of successful change.


When we have examined all the determinants of successful organizational change and our Transformational Readiness Assessment is complete, you will have a clear view of how ready your organization is to successfully implement your major change initiative and what it would take to further enhance the chances for success. That information, presented in a detailed report, can serve as a strong foundation for building or modifying the plan for implementing your change.