Focus on Change: Change Fatigue
As community members continue to navigate transitions across the university, the Focus on Change series can be used as a resource supporting reflection, learning, and conversation about these adjustments.
The previous story—”How to Prepare for Change“— shows how preparation can serve as an anchor, providing steadiness as change continues to unfold. This month’s article, Change Fatigue, explores the ways in which constant change can lead to exhaustion, and how to manage the human cost of change.
Tired of change
These days, change in our lives and work organizations is continuous, often with multiple change events occurring simultaneously. While it’s often unavoidable, this amount of change can be exhausting. The human cost of constant change is referred to as “change fatigue.”
Change fatigue is a serious organizational risk. Employees experiencing change fatigue become less engaged and less productive, which can undermine project success. This makes it crucially important that organizational leaders can recognize change fatigue in their staff, and learn how to energize their teams.
How to recognize change fatigue
Does your typically perky colleague look more tired than usual? Is your otherwise stoic staff member complaining that they’re overwhelmed? Has an employee who is normally chatty and invested grown quiet and indifferent to a project’s success? These are all signs of change fatigue.
Strategies that build team change resilience
Once you recognize change fatigue in your staff, here are some initial steps you can take to address it:
- Reassess projects. While your organization is managing through chaos, are there certain projects that can be delayed or reimagined? Find those and realign resources and timelines. This helps ease the burden of change facing your employees.
- Ask your team how they’re doing. You can do this in person, or send a survey asking how your people are experiencing the current change. Use the data you collect to help improve management of projects, and pay attention to resource allocation. Make sure team members who are experiencing change fatigue are assigned a reasonable schedule and have the tools they need to be successful.
- Share stress management techniques with the team. Check out the Organizational Change Management web page for resources on managing change. Cornell University also offers several change workshops and discuss groups, including:
- Steadying Ourselves Together in Uncertain Times: Supportive space for faculty and staff to navigate complex emotions together. 12pm-1pm via Zoom.
- Supporting your Team through Staffing Changes: Monthly discussion groups. 12pm-1pm via Zoom.
Change as the rule, but not the ruler
Author Denis Waitley said, “You must welcome change as the rule, but not your ruler.” Change in life and work is inevitable, but external chaos does not have to dominate your inner world. Rest and recalibration are vital for managing change effectively. Chaotic times don’t often hand us space to rest, which means you must be bold in seizing it for yourself and your team by being aware of change fatigue, and knowing how to build your team’s resilience.
How to talk about change fatigue
Watch this video on Change Fatigue, and discuss the questions below with your team:
- What signs of change fatigue do you recognize in yourself or others?
- Are there specific changes that have felt especially exhausting or difficult?
- What strategies from the video seemed helpful or realistic?
- How can we create space for rest, reflection, or stability in our team?
Learn more
Additional resources related to navigating change are available through:
Previous Focus on Change feature: “How to prepare for Change”