3 Ways To Lighten The Load Of Constant Change

Change fatigue isn’t just a result of “too much change,” but rather how change is introduced and managed.

It’s the feeling of exhaustion and frustration that people experience when faced with too many changes at work, ESPECIALLY when those changes feel constant, unpredictable, or disconnected from their everyday goals.


⚠️ It’s not just the big company-wide transformations that wear people down; it’s also the steady stream of minor adjustments that add up. This kind of change isn’t typically planned or expected—it’s sprung on people, with little time to understand or adjust.

⚠️ While change is inevitable, it’s not necessary to have a RELENTLESS flow of small changes introduced in daily work routines.

⚠️ People are opening their inbox every morning, and there’s an email asking them to follow a new process, change how they use the software, log their hours differently, stop using email , start using an app….

⚠️ In meetings, there’s talk of new goals, fresh targets, and updated priorities.

The list goes on.

It’s EXHAUSTING!

The biggest causes of change fatigue right now are:

👉 Too many changes at once, in addition to
👉 Lack of clear direction
👉 Poor communication
👉 Poor leadership/ mentoring support
👉 Unrealistic expectations

As you can see, the majority of these are caused by HOW change is communicated and managed.

So…

It’s time to level the load.
(Which is what we are taught to do as Lean practitioners, but ironically many people don’t apply this to their own change leadership style)

The top three tips I can give you to help you here are:

1️⃣ Empower People to Shape Change:
Gather people together to share input on changes before they’re rolled out. Giving them some control over the process makes adjustments feel like collaborative efforts rather than directives.

2️⃣ Group Small Changes:
Instead of constant, daily tweaks, collect smaller changes and communicate them in a scheduled update. This helps people anticipate adjustments rather than feel ambushed. This works really well with policy and procedure updates for example.

3️⃣ Build Predictability into Change:
Set regular times (like a weekly email or a monthly meeting) for change-related announcements, so people know when to expect updates. This allows them to mentally prepare and makes change feel less sudden.