At the beginning of the year, Sylvia Franke-Jordan, Sophie Berger and Jessica Heilfort from TU Dresden published the results of their large-scale study on ‘Change Fatigue in the Workplace’ 2,808 people took part in the survey. You can read all about the results here.
The result: one third of respondents (34 per cent) suffer from change fatigue. What’s more, employees and managers in large companies are affected by it much more frequently than those in small and medium-sized enterprises. Reason enough to take a closer look at the issue here.
What is change fatigue?
Change fatigue describes a state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by repeated, parallel or sustained changes. Typical characteristics of this condition are resignation and loss of motivation (Bernerth et al., 2011; McMillan & Perron, 2013). It is common, but incorrect, to describe change fatigue as a form of burnout. The important difference is that burnout refers to a broader phenomenon of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion. Various researchers have shown that although the two conditions often occur simultaneously, a clear connection has not yet been proven (Beaulieu et al. 2023). Change fatigue arises specifically in the context of change processes and has therefore often been misinterpreted. Either as resistance, i.e. as a conscious countermeasure against change projects, or as change cynicism, i.e. as a sceptical attitude towards change and its proponents. Change fatigue must be distinguished from this: it describes a state of overload and passivity.
What are the causes of change fatigue?
Even a single change project that places increased demands on those affected and cannot be managed with the available resources can be a trigger. Such a change often comes on top of day-to-day business. In addition, it is often not possible to prioritise and thus sequence tasks. Everything is important and urgent. In addition to insufficient time, the necessary skills are often lacking. These are usually not trained at all, trained too late or only to an inadequate standard. Poor decision-making and information processes exacerbate such dysfunctional situations. In contexts with many change initiatives taking place simultaneously and without periods of stabilisation, the problem is magnified many times over, making change fatigue more likely.
What are the main causes of change fatigue?
- Frequency and intensity of change initiatives
- Insufficient resources for adaptation (time/capacity, information, participation, skills/training, work equipment, leadership)
- Lack of recovery phases
- Feelings of loss of control over one’s own work situation
(Bernerth et al. 2011; Brown et al. 2018; McMillan & Perron 2013; McMillan & Perron 2020; Vestal 2013)
What are the symptoms and consequences of change fatigue?
Change fatigue is associated with excessive demands, low job satisfaction, loss of productivity, declining loyalty, increasing absenteeism and higher intention to resign, thus jeopardising the success of change (Bernerth et al., 2011; Brown et al., 2018; Beaulieu et al., 2023; Ouedraogo & Ouakouak, 2020). In the TU Dresden study, one desire of the participants stands out particularly clearly: they want periods of stability before new changes are implemented – a clear signal to better manage the pace and burden of change.
How is change fatigue diagnosed?
The study conducted by TU Dresden used the Change Fatigue Scale (Bernerth et al., 2011). This tool is characterised by a high degree of reliability and validity, enabling the phenomenon to be captured very effectively. The 7-point scale uses 6 items to capture a reliable picture of the mood and helps to identify particularly stressed groups.
For this article, I have developed a questionnaire on the topic of change fatigue. You can download the PDF free of charge via the link. This test will give you an initial assessment of the stress situation in your organisation. You can use the results as a starting point for further discussion of the topic.
How can change fatigue be remedied/prevented?
If you are interested in the success of change projects (which we also consider to include the health of your employees and managers), we recommend that you read more on our page on change management consulting. There you will find everything you need to know for successful change management.
Our 8 tips for dealing with change fatigue:
- Do you suspect change fatigue in your organisation? Use our change fatigue test for self-assessment (in German language) as an introduction to the topic.
- Ensure that sufficient resources are available for the change project. Analyse the resources necessary for the change, make the necessary resources available, defend them and adjust them if necessary.
- Develop a sustainable change architecture. This should be designed around the principle of dialogue and enable participation, learning and sustainable decisions. This leads to stress reduction and increases the chances of success for the project.
- Avoid frustration in your change project by choosing the right change management approach. You can use our Good Approach tool for this.
- Use the Change Engagement tool to check whether the six success factors of change management are being met in your project. Consider the results from the perspective of change fatigue in particular in order to develop effective countermeasures.
- Change fatigue means there is a high chance that the change project is confusing. Use the flow turn map® to locate the project and find out what the most important next step is.
- Successful change projects establish routines. Allow sufficient time and attention for these phases.
- Train the people responsible for the change with change management training for specialists and managers.
Conclusion
The concept of change fatigue closes a gap in change management research. Phenomena that were previously misinterpreted as resistance or cynicism can now be classified more appropriately. This is the basis for developing effective approaches to preventing and managing change projects. Follow our 8 tips to examine your change project for change fatigue and develop effective measures to overcome it. Please contact us if you have any questions or need support.
Yours, Alexander von Bullion
Photo: Klaus G. Kohn
Sources
Beaulieu, L., Seneviratne, C., & Nowell, L. (2023). Change fatigue in nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(2), 454–470.
Bernerth, J. B., Walker, H. J., & Harris, S. G. (2011). Change fatigue: Development and initial validation of a new measure. Work & Stress, 25(4), 321–337.
Brown, R., & Abuatiq, A. (2020). Resilience as a strategy to survive organizational change. Nursing Management, 51(2), 16–21.
Brown, R., Wey, H., & Foland, K. (2018). The Relationship Among Change Fatigue, Resilience, and Job Satisfaction of Hospital Staff Nurses. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 50(3), 306–313.
Franke-Jordan, S., Berger, S. & Heilfort, J., 25 März 2025, Arbeit 5.0: Menschzentrierte Innovationen für die Zukunft der Arbeit : 71. Kongress der Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft e.V. . GfA-Press, S. 312-326.
McMillan, K., & Perron, A. (2013). Nurses Amidst Change: The Concept of Change Fatigue Offers an Alternative Perspective on Organizational Change. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 14(1), 26–32.
McMillan, K., & Perron, A. (2020). Change fatigue in nurses: A qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(10), 2627–2636.
Ouedraogo, N., & Ouakouak, M. L. (2020). Antecedents and outcome of employee change fatigue and change cynicism. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(1), 158–179.
Vestal, K. (2013). Change Fatigue: A Constant Leadership Challenge. Nurse Leader, 11(5), 10–11.
