How leaders can combat change fatigue (even in a VUCA world), Part 2

I spent my corporate career working in and observing Learning & Development departments.

I think that gives me a unique understanding of why leaders in our current work environment are so tempted to reorganize their departments multiple times per year.

In L&D, we were viewed by many as semi-necessary overhead.? Which means that cost-cutting measures that may have touched only 5% of a business almost always touched L&D.?

This created a volatile environment, with L&D leaders constantly scrambling to optimize…leading to frequent changes in org structure, processes, and ways of working.

As I reflect on the rising frequency of reorgs that I hear about from clients and in online forums, one viable explanation is that more leaders are exposed to volatility in their environments.? The world is changing…fast.? The popularization of Gen AI, residual effects of a global pandemic, elections framed as “life and death” choices, and the threat of a global recession are just a some of the factors that put pressure on our leaders to optimize.

Add to that the fact that our brain has evolved in a way that our natural inclination amidst volatility and uncertainty is to explore new solutions.?

The prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making and planning, becomes highly engaged when we face uncertainty, prompting us to explore various options to reduce ambiguity and gain control over the situation.

In addition, the anxiety caused by our brain’s inability to effectively predict outcomes, coupled with external pressures, drives us to seek immediate solutions. This urgency often leads to a "quick fix" mentality where multiple strategies are attempted simultaneously or in quick succession, with the hope that one will yield positive results.

Volatile environments invite experimentation. However, trial and error without discipline results in fatigue and disengagement.

When leaders are “throwing spaghetti at the wall” with their org structures, confusion and lack of clarity ensues.? Roles and responsibilities change, slowing work, as the relationships the employee built for collaboration on a shared task are no longer needed.? New understandings of how to get work done and the relationships to do so must be built.

Repeated experiences of this in quick succession go beyond employees’ ability to recreate processes and structures, leaving them feeling powerless, anxiety-ridden, and exhausted.

While adaptability is crucial, leaders must balance it with strategic discipline.

In my experience, many leaders know this, and try to keep the big picture (department vision, long term goals, etc.) in mind when rationalizing/selling the change.

However, leaders often fail to invest enough thought into a couple of key questions:

1) How might the existing structure be better utilized?

2) What will we be losing by moving to a new structure??

Answering these questions is not as exciting, it doesn’t appeal to our brains, and doesn’t feel like we’re making the progress we crave in the midst of uncertainty.?

But without taking the time to explore these questions, the change is doomed to fail.?

After all, even the best-designed new org structures need engaged employees to make them work.