Change fatigue at middle management: the biggest bottleneck in lots of corporates

When talking to middle managers in large corporates, one striking observation comes back: change fatigue. Lots of corporates have big transformation ambitions. However, in practice, it is often a big struggle to get things done.

1. C-level takes a certain direction, but M-level does not follow. This means that the change goes at two different speed levels which creates frustrations at both levels
2. What if changes from the past are not fully implemented yet? Typically, a source of confusion.
3. Mindset at M-level: “we do it because we have no other choice”.
4. Will it become better? Is this the right way to go? That is often a big question mark.
5. A minority of pessimists and cynics often create a negative atmosphere.

1. The why should be clear: explain the bigger purpose and keep on repeating it.
2. Go in little steps and celebrate successes. Sometimes C-level expects too much change in a too short period of time.
3. Learn from the past: how did other changes go? What can we learn from that?
4. Give the cynic people a key role in the change. Discuss with them why they are cynic. There are very interesting things to learn from them.
5. Create room for regular evaluations and possibilities to change the course of action.