Change is something we all respond to differently. But when it’s constant—in our personal and work lives—many of us experience the same feeling: change fatigue. How can we fight through it and become more resilient? Let’s take a moment to pause and reflect.
- 2022 was predicted to be the year when things would stop changing and return to normal.
- But according to Gartner, plenty more change is needed for organizations to reset from a prolonged state of crisis—also known as the last few years.
- At the same time, the amount of change we can handle has dropped significantly.
- This is no surprise, given that even before COVID we were already dealing with lots of it—re-orgs, leadership transitions and new technologies.
- In many cases, these change initiatives failed because they were mismanaged.
- Teams were too often excluded from planning these major initiatives. Or left in the dark about the reason for or importance of the change.
- This led to teams becoming disengaged and unproductive. And organizations struggling to hire and retain talent—particularly with marketing teams.
- So as this next wave of change arrives, how can we leaders prepare to fight change fatigue?
- Let’s start by getting clear on what the term actually means.
- Change fatigue is defined as feeling apathetic towards or overwhelmed by too many changes. It can lead to burnout, high levels of stress, anxiety, and fear.
- As humans, we’re naturally not great at adapting to change. And we have an innate desire to reduce uncertainty in our lives.
- We leaders must recognize change fatigue as a collective issue instead of an individual one. And take action accordingly.
- We can start by actively checking-in with our team.
- Do they feel heard, valued, trusted, and included? Do they feel like their roles, responsibilities and processes are clear? Do they have the right tools and supports?
- If not, it’s time to dig deeper and learn more. Conduct some surveys and interviews—and do it with empathy.
- When this is done, share your findings with leadership—highlighting key themes and implications.
- Work with them to prioritize the most impactful solutions.
- And tap into your internal influencers—especially those who have experienced change fatigue the most.
- As for moving through change in the future, take a moment to formulate a thoughtful approach.
- We recommend trying Prosci’s ADKAR model. It’s based on the understanding that organizational change can only happen when individuals change.
- Ultimately, fighting change fatigue requires ongoing leadership support.
- But be mindful that there’s only so much you can do on your own.
- And, as always, progress is more important than perfection.
