You're at change saturation. Should you stop changing?

When organisations push change too far, their employees may start to show specific signs of distress. What was once enthusiasm for a new initiative may be replaced by indifference, apathy, and disengagement. Debates about a workplace change can give way to weariness, cynicism, and complaints, signalling that your organisation has hit a point of change saturation.

Change saturation can be incredibly damaging. It often presents as automatic resistance to new ideas, no matter how beneficial they are. Business operations can suffer as key staff are pulled into new projects, leaving no energy for daily work or quality control. In the worst-case scenarios, employees see a lot of activity but no tangible results, leading to increased absenteeism and staff turnover. They may simply ignore changes, hoping they will go away.

For change projects themselves, saturation creates a vicious cycle. Less enthusiasm leads to fewer resources, impacting project timelines and quality. Delays can cause a lack of leadership direction, and projects start to compete for limited attention. This "cramming the funnel" effect creates a backlog for shared services as multiple urgent cases pile up, resulting in less being done overall.

Should a Saturated Organisation Stop Changing?

Not necessarily. The key is to manage the change more strategically.

Proactive Strategies to Overcome Change Saturation

Organisations can take proactive steps to monitor and manage saturation, making it a more positive experience for employees.

1. Develop a Portfolio View of Change

Gain a holistic view of all changes underway to avoid overwhelming staff. Start by creating a portfolio of change initiatives, monitoring the number of projects, and tracking employee time dedicated to handling changes. Make this a regular metric to understand if saturation is improving or worsening.

• Gather Feedback: Directly ask employees and managers about their perception of the amount of change. Add questions to regular staff pulse checks or run small focus groups to gain insights.

• Manage Resources Actively: Review and manage resource allocation to projects to ensure key staff aren't overworked.

• Conduct Impact Assessments: Perform detailed change impact assessments to understand the full scope of each new initiative.

  
  

  

2. Organise and Prioritise Changes

After monitoring, it's time to mitigate the effects of saturation by organising the chaos.

• Establish and Communicate Priorities: Senior leaders must clearly decide what work takes priority. Communicating these decisions widely helps everyone focus their efforts and reduces the "funnel-cramming" effect.

• Share the Big Picture: Every prioritised change should serve the organisation’s vision. Align communication channels to frequently and consistently explain how each project contributes to strategic goals.

• Recognise Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate every completed milestone. This helps to reduce the cognitive load on employees and provides positive reinforcement during difficult times.

• Demonstrate the 'Why': Provide a clear and compelling case for why changes are necessary. Without understanding the reason, employees may become resentful and resistant.

• Redefine Expectations: Constant change is the new normal. Help employees shift their thinking by framing change as a standard part of business. A visual roadmap can reduce uncertainty and help staff feel that change is being managed.

• Involve Employees Early: Involving employees in early conversations, design phases, and impact workshops is the best way to foster buy-in. When employees contribute to a change, they move from being on the outside of it to having a sense of ownership.

• Show Empathy: Managers and leaders must acknowledge that the amount of change is challenging. Showing genuine empathy creates a sense of security and helps employees feel they are a valued part of the organisation's future.

Getting Strategic

Effective portfolio governance is essential. Review any projects that aren't strategically aligned and remove the "clutter" to free up resources, time, and attention for more productive work.

The goal is to stagger, sequence, or delay projects, break changes into phases, or consolidate smaller changes into more strategic work streams. Increasing control over new project initiations and maintaining disciplined scope management can create greater collaboration and reduce the competition for resources.

Even when the pace of change is strategically imperative, a portfolio approach—with a focus on organising the chaos and strategic alignment—can help employees understand their priorities and feel supported through change fatigue.

For more change governance support, Agencia Change offers an advisory service for Project Boards and Steering Committees.

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