The End State is when the past, the present and the future come together in the same moment.
It helps to think of change management this way because each of the three often represent a certain kind of stakeholder or stakeholder group. And those groups often have their own perspective about how the world should unfold in front of them, especially when it comes to change.
Past-
Someone who makes decisions or participates based on the past will most likely be comfortable with the status quo. There may be things they would like to change, but the effort it would take to get back to comfortable again is enough to hold them back. If there is change they appreciate different versions of things they have seen before rather than anything transformational. If there is to be a merging of cultures they will want the other to take their own. They appreciate culture, tradition and common practices. Rules and accountability they like because that slows down time and keeps things predictable.
For change management their strength is in their ability to articulate the difficulties of change for environment and culture.
Present-
Someone who has a present focused perspective will believe that things should be managed, organized, controlled and measured. They will usually be OK with change if it makes sense, is well thought out and can produce measurable rewards and profit. Since they are excellent managers they would like to see something in the change that is helpful for and applies to the people involved as much as the organization as a whole. They appreciate the “way we get things done around here” which has more to do with process and collaboration than status quo. They will be enamored with guidelines, templates and deliverables.
For change management their strength is in their ability to act and get things done.
Future-
Someone who has a future perspective will be onboard quickly with energetic participation if they can be shown why. The “Why” can be their connection, organizational advantages of change, the benefits of doing things differently and the advantages competitively with sensible innovation. They will be most comfortable and most willing with roles in the beginning of initiatives. Doing things a little differently in all aspects will be there perspective. If they are grounded in either of the other two areas (present being the best) they will believe in doing things in the most effective way possible, whether new or historical approaches.
For change management their strength is in describing a big picture/end state and, often, making the translation to the other two groups.
There will always be a mix of all three and if you are lucky as an executive there will be many that have a foot in one category while delivering and participating from another. If the change consultant and or team is not considering these different ways of viewing change success will always fleeting or difficult to obtain.