CATEGORIES: TAKING ACTION

Breaking Through Change Fatigue: Pitfalls to Avoid and Solutions That Work

In the last year, I’ve noticed some big shifts in workforce dynamics among Newmeasures’ clients. The nature of work is changing rapidly, and organizations are evolving in tandem. While navigating change fosters organizational agility, it can easily lead to a hidden threat to your success – change fatigue. Change fatigue is when employees feel overwhelmed from organizational changes, which often leads to counterproductive behaviors such as disengagement or passive compliance. In my experience, change fatigue most commonly occurs when organizations implement too many changes at once or do not provide an ample amount of time for employees to integrate changes fully into their daily work processes.

In this blog, I’ll explore how to manage change effectively, keeping the prevention of change fatigue front and center. To do that, we need a framework that helps guide us through the process. I’ve chosen to use the ADKAR model, which is widely recognized and familiar to many change leaders. It’s a helpful way to consider the human side of organizational change, but the principles I’ll discuss can apply even if you don’t formally follow the framework.

Awareness

I think of awareness as the most foundational step in mitigating change fatigue. Do not underestimate the power of explaining the reason behind the change and how it positively contributes to the organization’s mission and goals. People want to feel “in the loop.” Make sure everyone understands the change that is coming and why it is necessary.

Without establishing awareness, we commonly see challenges such as:

  • Change communications do not reach all parts of the organization.
  • Employees do not understand why the change is taking place.
  • Employees do not believe the change is aligned with the organization’s mission and goals.

Solutions:

  • Be strategic about your approach when communicating the change initiative. Develop a detailed change communication plan that includes cascaded messages for all levels of leadership.
  • Link the change to the organization’s mission and goals. Help employees understand why the change is necessary for your business to remain competitive.
  • Facilitate a Q&A session where senior leaders can answer employee questions directly and hear their suggestions.

CLIENT EXAMPLE

A small mental health organization rolled out a new peer recognition platform for all employees. They approached the change by using a comprehensive communication strategy. They let employees know the change was happening early, clearly communicating why they were investing in the platform and how they envisioned it being used. To build excitement, they even hosted platform demos as teasers before the official launch.

Desire

When people feel that the change is important, they’re less likely to experience fatigue because they see the effort as worthwhile. Help build that buy-in, so your employees are more likely to champion the change. Once the significance is clear, it creates more positive experience for everyone.

Without building this desire in employees, we commonly see challenges such as:

  • Employees resist the change.
  • The new change initiative contradicts another recent change initiative.
  • Employees do not have time to focus on the new change.
  • Employees don’t understand why the change is important and why the effort is worth it.

Solutions:

  • Communicate the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) from the start.
  • Identify champions and encourage them to socialize the change, highlighting the benefits.
  • Identify the root cause of resistance or indifference for each employee who is not on board with the change. Address their concerns and help them understand how they will benefit from the change personally.
  • Review workloads and projects with your team regularly. Put lower-priority projects on the back burner or eliminate them. Keep employees focused on the most important work.

Knowledge

Set your employees up for success by providing the right information at the right time, before, during, and after the change. There is no such thing as over-communicating during times of transformation! Employees should feel confident talking about the change and how it impacts their work before the change ever happens.

When organizations overlook the importance of knowledge, we commonly see challenges such as:

  • Employees do not feel confident in their ability to articulate the change.
  • Employees may struggle to translate the change into tangible, everyday actions.
  • Well-respected employees may shift from feeling like experts to feeling incompetent in the area of change.

Solutions:

  • House change communications in intuitive places that can be accessed by all employees. If your organization utilizes an intranet system for company-wide communications, there should be a dedicated place within the platform to learn about changes.
  • Offer ongoing training and support to build employee confidence in executing the change. If possible, build asynchronous training into your learning management system that can be accessed when needed.
  • If appropriate, demo the change for employees. Providing a demonstration for employees helps them envision the desired future state and how they may apply it to their work.
  • Acknowledge the emotional aspects of change. Reassure your employees that the change is an opportunity for everyone to learn new skills.
  • Identify respected employees who are challenged by the change and invite them to help lead the change. Solicit their ideas for identifying barriers to change and solutions to remove them.

Ability

In my experience working with our clients, employees typically need time and resources to develop the skills required for effective change execution. Help employees expand their abilities and effectively implement the change in their daily work by providing training support and other relevant resources.

Failing to address gaps in abilities can result in challenges such as:

  • Employees do not have time to practice the new skills required to implement the change.
  • Employees do not have all the resources needed to implement the change.
  • Existing work processes do not support the desired change.

Solutions:

  • Adjust workloads or reallocate tasks to ensure employees have an opportunity to learn new skills needed to implement the change.
  • Foster a safe learning environment. Encourage employees to practice new skills and let them know it is okay to make mistakes.
  • Reflect on existing work processes. Identify existing processes that do not support the change. Decide whether the process needs to be adjusted, redesigned, or eliminated.

CLIENT EXAMPLE

A mid-sized non-profit recently implemented a new technology system across the entire organization. To ensure the transition was successful, they organized a series of training webinars over several weeks, giving everyone time to absorb the new system. Managers were encouraged to reassure their teams that it was okay to make mistakes during the learning process, which helped ease any pressure employees felt. They also set up a dedicated Microsoft Teams channel where staff could troubleshoot issues directly with the IT team. On top of that, their IT department checked in with each business unit throughout the first quarter to provide ongoing support and address any challenges that came up.

Reinforcement

To make sure the change sticks, it’s important to reinforce the behaviors that support it. Celebrate and acknowledge employees who demonstrate new desired behaviors. This is also important for helping employees feel appreciated and recognized. When they feel seen and valued, they are less likely to feel fatigued from change.

Without reinforcement, organizations often find:

  • The change feels like a one-time action, not a culture shift.
  • The organization does not incentivize desired change behaviors. In some cases, employees are incentivized to continue old behaviors.
  • There may be pockets of the organization that are adapting to the change better than others. This can be discouraging to teams that are further behind in the process.

Solutions:

  • Openly celebrate wins. Share success stories across the organization.
  • Publicly recognize desired behaviors.
  • Align your organization’s rewards systems with the desired change behaviors.
  • Share best practices with all parts of the organization. Provide tailored support to struggling teams.

Change fatigue is a common challenge during periods of transformation, but it’s something we can overcome. The suggestions I’ve shared here leverage the ADKAR model to overcome these challenges, but the suggestions can be applied to any change approach. Reflect on your organization’s journey. What’s working well? Where are you facing the most challenges? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

References

Hiatt, J. M. (2006). ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government, and Our Community. Prosci Research.

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Genicia Corney
Insights Consultant & Organizational Psychologist

Genicia is dedicated to fostering employee-centered organizational effectiveness. Drawing on her leadership and operations expertise, she crafts practical solutions to address the evolving challenges of today’s workplaces. Connect with Genicia at LinkedIn.