Change Management Meets Enterprise Reality
The Case for Making “Change” a Constant Conversation
-
July 23, 2026
-
Transformation used to feel more episodic. Big initiatives were carefully introduced, and in many cases, it was assumed the ability to execute effectively would require tradeoffs in focus, productivity and other initiatives.
Over the past five years, this thinking has been turned upside down. A global pandemic, economic and political uncertainty and emerging technologies have made continuous change the norm. Organizations don’t get timeouts to evolve, so transformation happens while everything else keeps moving.
It’s time to again adapt the approach to bringing people along in the change journey, fostering cultures that value candid conversation, adaptability and resilience as norms. The success of your strategic plans depends on it.
Good Intentions May Not Have the Intended Result
Let’s face it: Recent changes in the way work gets done – hybrid work, return to office, AI, imperatives for cost reductions – mean that many strategic plans directly affect employees’ day-to-day reality. To their credit, leaders often know their teams are stretched and tired as they continue to be asked to do more with less. And yet additional change is still needed.
There’s a natural and well-intended inclination in these circumstances to keep working groups tight and say as little as possible until action is needed. The approach mitigates distractions until leaders are ready to execute, but it also increases the shock factor when change is announced, eroding trust, jeopardizing execution and potentially even contributing to regrettable attrition.
Suddenly change is happening to the team, rather than with their involvement and buy-in, and it takes longer to bring people from an initial, negative reaction to a place where they’re ready to think and work differently.
Trust Given Is Trust Received… Preparing People To Try for the First Time
Organizations getting the best results from their people have found the right balance. They’re no longer announcing each step as a standalone initiative. The layering of campaigns is too hard for the average employee to follow, and the state of heightened alert is exhausting.
They’re also not completing all of the diligence and planning behind the scenes, and then expecting teams to jump on board overnight. Doing so delays progress in the end.
Instead, the organizations that are best at leading sustained change and transformation are creating rhythms that ensure their people stay focused on the big-picture goals – the vision, the purpose and the longer-term strategy the organization is advancing – as leaders provide incremental information about what’s next in the journey:
- Progress made relative to previously announced plans – and recognition for those contributing
- Overall business results and related case for additional change
- Next steps and how they will show up in the day-to-day work
- How next steps connect to goals and priorities already well established
- What is being done to help those who are most affected
- Where to go for more information
Consistent, predictable cadences create an authentic conversation within an organization, between employees and leaders. The conversation builds trust. Trust fuels buy-in. And buy-in is what allows change to move at the pace the business now demands.
Note from authors: This article is part 1 of 2 in the reapproaching employee experience in change management series.
Related Insights
Published
July 23, 2026
Key Contacts