Your team is struggling with constant changes. How can you provide support to overwhelmed members?

If your team is struggling with constant change, perhaps it's an appropriate time to: 1. Reduce the volume of changes, 2. Group your changes into releases that are less frequent but still contain all the changes, or 3. Set 'black-out' periods for new changes so you know your teams have planned periods to embed past changes. As a General Manager Change Management, I'm know that organisations need to continuously adapt, improve and evolve; however, it has to align with the capacity of the team to absorb that change for it all to be a worthwhile investment. An organisation may struggle to see the benefits and returns if their workforce is overwhelmed and not consuming the change to really shift the dial the way the organisation intended.

1)Open, transparent communication about the work and organization changes 2)Acknowledge the stressful situation 3)Offer support, provide resources, create a safe place to work, communicate and voice out opinions without judgement 4)Address concerns, provide clarity with information regularly can reduce anxiety and uncertainty. 5)Encourage collaboration and peer group/colleagues. Buddy programs with a coach to provide support. 6)Set realistic expectations at work to avoid burnout or being stressed out. Allow breaks at work or time away. 7)Recognize, celebrate wins and efforts 8)Promote and implement wellbeing programs 9)Lead by examples-resilience with positive attitude, agility.

Change is the law of nature. 1. If a right direction and a genuine reason is given before applying the change, the change is more likely to be absorbed. 2. What effective and efficient outcome and results are driven by applying each change should be shared to team openly so as to get positive response should there be any change next time.

Stress darf nur die überschrift sein. Ich habe klar die Definition von Mikrostress im Hinterkopf. Um hier mein Team zu unterstützen gehe ich wie folgt vor. Um Mikrostress im Team zu reduzieren, ist Bewusstsein der erste Schritt. Ich sensibilisiere mein Team dafür, dass oft kleine, wiederkehrende Stressoren die Ursache sind. Identifiziere gemeinsam h?ufige Stressquellen wie unklare Deadlines oder unerwartete Aufgaben?nderungen und suche im Team gezielt nach L?sungen. Ich f?rdere regelm??ige Pausen und digitale Detox-Zeiten, um st?ndige Erreichbarkeit zu vermeiden. Ich verbessere die Kommunikation durch offene Feedbackrunden und biete Workshops zu Achtsamkeit und Resilienz an, um die Stressbew?ltigung nachhaltig zu st?rken.

Stress, anxiety, fear - all are normal responses to change and can be triggered when change occurs. However, if teams feel overwhelmed and ill informed about the future, then these feelings can be aggravated and result in resistance, inaction and negativity. So yes, do acknowledge stress and other negative feelings and most importantly the early signs of these. And then do take the necessary actions to create a positive change experience. Communicate and engage and empower people. Create space for the team to share their emotions and ask questions.

Consider having quick 5 minute daily sessions to update on the most recent changes - this creates a "They update us on what is happening on time" culture.

When people see the change as an opportunity for personal growth and development, they will react with positivity and be willing to participate in the new ways of working. Providing training, synchronous and asynchronous, is important in supporting people to learn the new ways of working, to understand how to use a new tool or to adopt a new technology. In addition, we should encourage our teams to view the opportunity for training with excitement. In an HBR article, it was recommended that in order to move a team from stress to a growth mindset is to tell themselves "I am a person learning to.." instead of "I cannot do this" or "I do not know how to do this". This way, teams start to see themselves as part of the change.

Consider establishing feedback loops that turn feedback into an ongoing dialogue. Explore the concept of peer-to-peer feedback alongside traditional top-down feedback, by providing input to one another fosters a culture of mutual support and collective responsibility for the success of the change initiative. Think about integrating feedforward—focusing on future solutions rather than past mistakes—into our feedback process. Lastly, ensure that feedback mechanisms are inclusive by actively seeking out diverse perspectives, including those that might be less vocal or traditionally marginalized, to capture a full spectrum of insights that can lead to more comprehensive and effective change solutions.

Feedback from your team and stakeholders during a project is critical communication before, during and post implementation. Project leaders should gather risk, issues and constraints from the team and sponsor before the project launches. During the project gather risks at each stage or major milestone to adjust the scope, schedule or resources. Post implementation deliver a lessons learned session to gather feedback on how the project went, what could have been improved and how to improve delivery of future projects.

All the comments I've read in this forum are accurate. However, stress originates in the mind. You feel a sense of responsibility, you aim to reach goals, you fear failure, and you strive for success, among other things. It's important to communicate to the team that you, as an individual, are not solely responsible for everything; you can't always meet all goals, sometimes success is unattainable, and yes, failure does occur. Assist the team in adopting a more relaxed stance towards the situation. Compromising mental health is perilous, whereas missing a deadline in an internal project is not.

Create regular, structured opportunities for feedback—such as check-ins, retrospectives, or open forums. Recognize the importance of transparency in feedback outcomes-clearly communicate what actions were taken based on feedback and why, including when certain suggestions can't be implemented. This transparency builds trust and demonstrates that every voice is heard, even if not all ideas can be acted upon. Finally, consider celebrating the process of feedback itself, acknowledging the courage and thoughtfulness it takes to share honest opinions, thereby reinforcing a culture where feedback is not just welcomed but actively encouraged and valued as a driver of continuous improvement.

Resilience is a key element of change. We should support our teams in building a resilient attitude, one that happily accepts change and the learning, improvement and even challenges that come with it. A resilient team is not resilient in one occasion; instead, they are resilient to the waves of change that happen in today's business world. Two effective ways in building resilience within a team are: 1) To foster psychological safety. When teams feel comfortable speaking up, they are more likely to collaborate and bounce back from setbacks. 2) To encourage continuous learning. Providing ongoing training and opportunities for professional development equips the team with the skills to adapt to change and overcome obstacles.

Consider the value of cross-functional support networks that bring together individuals from different departments or roles. This can foster diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, allowing team members to learn from each other's experiences and approaches to change. Additionally, cultivate a culture of psychological safety where employees feel comfortable voicing concerns, asking questions, and offering suggestions without fear of judgment. This openness can transform support networks from merely coping mechanisms into dynamic spaces for innovation and growth during change. Finally, consider periodic pulse checks to assess the effectiveness of these support networks, ensuring they evolve in response to the changing need.

One time, we launched a campaign on Viva Engage which enabled people to share what they are feeling and have colleagues comment and create an environment of caring. Created gamification strategies on the platform as well.