Language is one of the earliest and often overlooked indicators that your change is on track.

As I sit here looking at the snow outside my window in the middle of another Manitoba winter, I wonder if summer will ever come. Sometimes it feels the same way when you are in the middle of a large organizational change. Having transition outcome indicators can really help.

Transition outcome indicators (what I call the TOIS of change) provide a dashboard for assessing and monitoring people’s progress through the transition. They are like an early warning system that lets you know if people are moving in the direction of the change.

Think for a moment about the transition from winter to summer. One of the first and most subtle indicators that the transition has begun is the lengthening days. Like the transition from winter to summer, every organizational change also has early transition indicators. These indicators tell you how the people are responding and progressing through the change process.
One transition outcome indicator is language. language

Every change begins with a shift in language.

In a merger, one of the first indicators that people are making the transition is that they start self-identifying with the newly merged company instead of the old company. In a Lean initiative people will start to use the vocabulary of Lean. They will begin to talk about kaizen or reducing steps. In one organization that was adopting change management practices, leaders began talking about collaboration, participation and the case for change.

Just like longer days are not enough to bring about summer, language alone will not build the commitment needed for success but it can tell you if your change is progressing.

What is the language in your organization telling you about your change initiative?

DIscover 10 Essential Elements for Successful Organizational Change (Free E-book plus 10-part email mentoring series and monthly ThinkTransition newsletter) HERE