{
  "id": 12058869,
  "title": "Change fatigue is an organisational design problem, not a resilience problem",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/change-fatigue-is-an-organisational-design-problem-not-a-resilience",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-05T03:00:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "e27",
    "slug": "e27",
    "url": "https://e27.co/change-fatigue-is-an-organisational-design-problem-not-a-resilience-problem-20261004/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Organizational change has become so common that people have learned to cope with it, even while feeling exhausted by the constant shifts. This fluency in absorbing disruption might appear as resilience from the outside, but it does not necessarily indicate long-term sustainability or personal choice. The gap between how change looks and how it feels often goes unnoticed by decision-makers. A survey by PwC found that 75% of workers in Asia Pacific are eager to adapt, while 59% feel there is too much change occurring simultaneously. Additionally, 68% of employees have experienced more change at work than in the previous year.\n\nLeaders are putting increasing demands on a workforce that is becoming less willing to support change. Gartner research shows that the number of planned enterprise changes per employee has multiplied from two in 2016 to ten by 2022, while the proportion of employees willing to support enterprise change dropped from 74% to 43% over the same period. The capacity for change is not a fixed trait but is influenced by factors such as trust and team cohesion, which leaders can shape.\n\nChange fatigue arises when leaders treat adaptability as a personal quality, focusing only on the individuals who handle change smoothly and expecting others to keep up. Instead, leaders should recognize that adaptability is a product of the environment. The people who absorb extra responsibility and steady their teams become the ones asked to carry more change, leading to weariness and burnout. HR leaders report that 73% of employees are fatigued by change, and 74% believe managers are not equipped to lead it.\n\nTo address change fatigue, leaders should communicate clearly what remains constant during restructuring, providing stable reference points that make the changes more manageable. Sequencing change and allowing time for recovery between transitions can also help. By treating change management as an operational decision, leaders can provide the necessary support for employees to meet the pace of change with a solid foundation.",
  "summary": "In my work with organisations, I often hear people describe barely adjusting to one restructure before the next one begins. The remark is usually made in passing, which tells you something on its own. Change has become familiar enough that people know how to keep functioning through it, even while they are worn out by […] The post Change fatigue is an organisational design problem, not a…",
  "key_points": [
    "Change fatigue stems from treating adaptability as a personal trait, not an environmental factor",
    "75% of workers in Asia Pacific desire to adapt, but 59% feel overwhelmed by simultaneous changes",
    "Leaders must recognize adaptability as a product of the environment, not just individual resilience"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Leaders' failure to account for change fatigue as an organisational design issue rather than a personal resilience problem risks further eroding employees' willingness to support change.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}