Do You Know Where You're Going? Defining an Intended Outcome for Change 

by Dawn-Marie Turner, PhD 

Every CEO knows the importance of the bottom line when it comes to assessing the financial viability of his or her organization. But what about when it comes to change… do you know your bottom line? John Maxwell in his book “Thinking for a Change” states "if you are only thinking about your bottom line as financial you may be missing opportunities critical to your organization".  

Successfully implementing and sustaining change in an organization needs a bottom line – an "Intended Outcome Statement" is your change bottom line. It describes where the organization is going and what it will look like when it gets there. The intended outcome is the beacon for everyone involved and affected by the change and serves as a benchmark on which to measure success. Documenting and communicating a clearly stated, detailed intended outcome puts the goal of the change in focus for the organization and the individuals affected.  

To be effective the intended outcome should: 

1. State clearly and concisely the direction and purpose of the change 

2. Motivate the individuals to move in the direction of the change 

3. Orientate the leaders and affected individuals around a common goal

The articulation of a detailed and well-documented intended outcome is a critical first step and powerful tool that can dramatically affect the success of change in your organization. The benefit of clearly documenting as well as communicating the intended outcome for any change initiative, is its ability to focus a team’s energy on the future and guide the activities, behaviours and decisions needed to realize successful, sustainable change.    

Here are three questions to help get you started in defining an intended outcome for your organization: 

1. When your organization has successfully completed the transition how will it be different?
2. When the organization has successfully made the transition to the new environment, what will be different about how the affected individuals do their work? 
3. What will your customers/clients say about the organization when the change has been successfully implemented and the transition is complete? 

It is only when your intended outcome has been documented and you've given each affected individual an opportunity to internalize it, can you capture your organization's collective energy to achieve the success you have envisioned. As John Maxwell said, "if you want to be successful tomorrow you need to think intended outcome today".