Gaining Ground with a Roadmap to Transformation - Overcoming Change Fatigue

What causes change fatigue?

In the present business climate, organisations are under increasing pressure to quickly adapt to the constantly shifting business environment. This often involves the implementation of transformation programmes to ensure the organisation remains competitive and prepares for disruptive changes. However, the perpetual nature of expectation for change can lead to a state of ‘change fatigue’ amongst employees and a subsequent resistance to transforming activities – in which case, fundamental objectives of the company are not met.

How do companies avoid change fatigues?

To ensure a successful result, organisations should carefully consider the number and duration of transformation programmes happening at any one time. There is a delicate balance between transformation programmes and change fatigue which, if not observed, can lead to an increase in organisational stress and a lack of productivity. To mitigate this, experts suggest that businesses should generally strive to maintain a maximum of three transformation initiatives at one given time.

At such a level, employees can adequately invest the necessary energy and attention into each programme without becoming overwhelmed and bogged down by undertakings.

Adhering to this mantra not only reduces the risk of organisational stress and employee unhappiness, but also increases the likelihood of objectives being met. When organisations decide to launch several large-scale programmes simultaneously, there is a risk of them being unable to complete each one with quality and efficiency. Alternatively, when undertaking smaller-scale programmes in succession, organisations can instead actively draw on the positive energy from the just-completed programmes to spur progress on the following ones.

However, in some cases, such as when a ‘big-bang’ approach is required to ensure the success of a transformation programme, organisations may opt to forego the 3-project rule and pursue multiple simultaneous programmes (albeit, with a greater emphasis on proper staffing and careful management). In any case, when deciding how many transformation programmes to pursue and execute concurrently, it is essential that a balance is struck between transformation efforts and employee fatigue. This will create an environment in which staff are engaged, invigorated, and can successfully adapt to the new form and function of the organisation.

Examples of failed transformation programmes

There are numerous examples of companies who have experienced change fatigue and ultimately failed to deliver large change programmes. One notable example is the US Postal Service, which attempted to modernize in the late 1990s, but eventually had to abandon the project due to a combination of resistance from employees, supplier and contractor problems, and financial losses. Another example is the Volkswagen Group’s transformation programme, which was launched in 2016 with the intention of restructuring the company to be more competitive in the marketplace. Volkswagen spent billions of Euros and suffered significant losses due to employee resistance and failed implementations. Other companies who have experienced change fatigue and failed to deliver large change programmes include Sony, Microsoft, and BP.

When a large transformation programme is failing to deliver results, how do you get it back on track to start delivering before it fails?

Analysing a large and complicated transformation programme is a daunting task, and it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the breakdown in progress may be occurring. However, by breaking down the entire programme into smaller deliverable chunks, it can be much easier to identify and address any issues that may be leading to a lack of progress towards successful delivery.

First, you need to review the entire programme and document all of the different elements which make up the transformation process. This can include activities such as training and communication, budgeting, project management, IT systems, governance, and much more. By getting a full overview of the entire transformation programme, it will be easier to assess where problems may be occurring and identify any potential solutions.

Once you’ve documented all of the elements of the programme, you need to evaluate each element to determine where potential problems may exist. This requires assessing each element of the programme in detail to identify any underlying issues that may be causing the failure to deliver desired results. Consider factors such as timeline estimates, resources allocated, budget constraints, and any existing processes which may be hindering progress.

Next, you will need to work on breaking down the entire transformation programme into smaller deliverable chunks. This can be done by grouping together related elements and dividing them into manageable tasks that can be completed in reasonable time frames. Setting milestones and deadlines can also be beneficial, as they will give you a measurement of progress towards successful delivery.

Finally, it’s important that you don’t forget to measure progress of each deliverable chunk. Using a system such as the Balanced Scorecard can be very helpful in this regard. This system evaluates all aspects of the transformation programme, such as customer satisfaction, cost control, product or service quality, and so on, to measure how successful each deliverable chunk is in terms of achievement.

Through breaking down a large and complicated transformation programme into smaller deliverable chunks, it can be easier to assess the overall progress towards successful delivery. By carefully evaluating each element of the programme, identifying any potential issues which may be hindering progress, and measuring progress towards successful completion of each deliverable, it’s possible to make sure the entire programme is progressing towards desired results.

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Conclusion

In conclusion then, change fatigue is a very real inhibitor to bringing about transformational change. If your transformation is failing to deliver the results you were expecting, then you have to stop and ask yourself why. Doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results is often called stupidity, so if you find yourself in that situation it is worthwhile pausing and doing an assessment of the situation or asking a new pair of eyes to come in and take a look. As with all transformation programmes if people are spread too thinly and have to work long hours for an unsustainable amount of time, it will lead to retention issues and quiet quitting and ultimately the programme will not have the return on investment that was projected at the outset.

If you are thinking about starting on a finance transformation journey, please get in touch for a chat and follow me for more content on transformation discussions.

Copy right???Clair Green