In today’s work environment, change is everywhere.
Gartner research found that large organisations are going through ten major changes every year.
When seeing the frequency at which businesses are going through change, the adage ‘practise makes perfect’ may feel like a safe assumption, but this doesn’t appear to be the case. Research has found that 70% of transformation initiatives fail – and its often the people who are the biggest victims of poorly executed change.
Our latest survey uncovered that 100% of HR leaders are seeing employees struggle with change fatigue within their business, while a Gartner study found that 73% of changed-affected employees are facing moderate to high stress levels. It’s no surprise then that 54% of those impacted by change are looking for a new job – people have simply been burned one too many times by poor transformation management.
The blockers to moving through change
If businesses want their change initiatives to succeed, they need to recognise the importance of supporting their people through these turbulent times.
Too much change all at once: Employees will inevitably struggle to handle a major organisational transformation if they’re still coming to terms with the previous one. Yes, businesses are operating in a continuously VUCA world and no longer have the luxury of implementing one change at a time; but when they don’t place sufficient attention on their employees’ readiness for change, transformations fail. Burnout, sickness absence and stress all spike when organisations don’t take the necessary steps to support the mindset and capacity for change of their people.
A lack of control: When change is implemented as a top-down directive without consultation from those being affected, the likelihood of any transformation effort succeeding plummets. People faced with change want to feel a sense of agency and control, which can only be achieved when organisations encourage the input of their employees throughout the change timeline. If businesses are implementing transformation programmes without inviting the ongoing collaborative efforts of their workforce, resistance, disengagement and attrition will only worsen.
Ongoing uncertainty: It isn’t necessarily the knowledge of an impending transformation initiative that places the most strain on employees, it’s the uncertainty around what it will entail. This lack of understanding is what often leads to a pre-determined negative perception of change, with employees catastrophising and filling the gaps in their knowledge with rumours. When left with a mass of unanswered questions, people naturally become increasingly sceptical and discontent – resulting in a lack of buy-in and engagement across the board. Businesses who fail to respond with open and regular lines of communication with their employees are then highly unlikely to find alignment between their talent and the proposed change.
So, how can businesses support their people in moving through change? Our recent webinar examines why line managers and coaching are key components of any successful change initiative.