We operate in change saturated organisations, in which the volume, speed and complexity of change is ever increasing. Constant change is the norm and as a result, managers and employees suffer from change fatigue. In this interactive webinar, we will cover: - What is change saturation? - Common symptoms - Snapshot of Best Practices Research - Top 5 Tips to succeed with change in a change saturated organisation - Q & A

1. Succeeding in a
Change Saturated
Environment
Presented by:
Catherine Smithson
March 2017
Change Community
of Practice Webinars

2. Introducing Being Human
• Founded in 1993
• Our mission: develop
change-capable people and
organisations so they
achieve the benefits of
change
• Prosci Primary Affiliate
Australia and New Zealand
since 2006
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3. Agenda
• What is change saturation?
• Common symptoms
• Snapshot of Best Practices
Research
• Top 5 Tips to succeed
• Q & A
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The floating tap fountain is a clever illusion.
Located at Aqualand, Puerto de Santa María, Spain.

4. What is change saturation?
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“Change saturation is… how much change is going on in the
organisation (change disruption) compared to how much change
the organisation can handle (change capacity).
An organisation is at or past the point of change saturation when
there are so many changes going on that it can no longer
effectively handle additional changes.”
Tim Creasey, Chief Innovation Officer, Prosci
blog.prosci.com/blog/managing-change-saturation
Change
disruption
Change
capacity>

5. Change fatigue
When people are emotionally and
psychologically exhausted by adapting to
change … when they have no more capacity
to absorb change
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7. Best Practices Snapshot
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Amount of change expected
in the next 2 years:
Increase significantly: 36%
Increase slightly: 36%
Remain unchanged: 20%
Decrease slightly: 7%
Decrease significantly: 2%
Australia and New Zealand are
ranked as the most change
saturated regions – 83%
Study average: 78%
Percentage of
organisations
reporting they are
PAST or NEAR the
saturation point:
2016: 79%
2011: 73%
2007: 59%
2016 Best Practices in Change Management Report.
1120 participants in 56 countries. Prosci copyright 2015.

9. Why saturation matters - from an IT Executive
“Because the ‘full’ sign doesn’t automatically switch on when
the organisation reaches change capacity, we keep
launching more changes…and we tell ourselves our people
will make it happen…
“It’s like air traffic control authorising multiple takeoffs – but
not thinking about if all the planes in the air will land.”
“Success is not directing planes to take off, it’s landing them.
We need organise ourselves better so we land ALL of
changes and achieve the benefits.”
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10. Consequences of a change saturated
organisation
Individual Level
• Absenteeism/staff turnover
• BAU performance suffers
• Change fatigue, frustration,
cynicism
• Reduced employee
engagement
• Poor engagement and
involvement in change
• Resistance to change
• Management time spent
dealing with fatigue and
saturation – fire fighting
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Organisational level
• Success rates of projects
reduced
• “Winners and Losers” – rather
than consistent success
• Benefits of changes not
realised
• Customers impacted by poorly
implemented change
Project Level
• Reduced availability of SMEs
from the business
• Insufficient Project
Management resources/
capability
• Effective Sponsorship - #
success factor – not available
• Project collisions - at all
phases
• Competing priorities for project
teams, stakeholders
• Project governance,
infrastructure and resourcing
can’t accommodate volume
and complexity of projects

11. Two approaches to managing saturation
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Manage the
volume of change
Increase the
capacity of the
organisation

12. Managing the change portfolio – coming soon!
• Next wave of Change Management
• “Single view” of change will be a standard decision
making tool for Executives and Steering Committees
• Identify the composition of the change portfolio – how many
changes are underway?
• Prioritise and sequence projects
• Manage the portfolio
• Allocate PM and CM resources
• Identify and avoid potential collisions
• Track effectiveness of Change Management
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13. Current tools are not up to the job for
multi million/billion change portfolios
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14. Increase people’s capacity to absorb change
• Improve Change Management on change
projects
• Across more changes
• Start earlier at business case stage
• Objective allocation of CM resources
• Equip Sponsors to perform their role
• Involve people leaders in Change Management
planning
• Build capabilities of people leaders at all levels
to lead change with their teams
• Change Management training
• Resilience training
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16. Tip 1: Do a stock stake of current changes and
check priorities and sequence with the Sponsor/s
• Deal in facts – get the data on the change portfolio
• Focus on a department or business unit if you can’t do the
whole organisation
• This gives Sponsors a clearer picture of where to concentrate
• Ask the question of the sponsor: “Why is this change needed
NOW?” (Purpose column of Prosci 4Ps)
• If it is a priority, are there any other initiatives that could be
delayed or put on hold?
• People will put up with a lot if they understand why the change
is needed and why now. If it is just seen like the next shiny
thing, then people will find it hard to buy-in
• Executives sometimes need to reprioritise – but they need to
know the tipping point has been reached.

17. Tip 2: Build the change capability in the
organisation:
• Make sure executives and managers/supervisors
understand their roles in leading and managing change.
• Once they have the knowledge and skills to do this, then
the organisation will be able to handle more change.
• Connect people leaders to support each other
• Change Exchange forums to share ideas and solutions to common
challenges
• Sponsor training to uplift capability
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18. Tip 3: Build a heat map of changes
• Create a heat map of who is being impacted and when
• Include teams being impacted during the change and after
the change.
• Use other CMs Prosci Impact Index to help identify
impacted groups
• Often the teams impacted DURING the change e.g. web
team etc who are red-hot as every change initiative needs
them to do something for them.
• Early engagement will give them a heads-up of what you
need and when.
• An early call out may result in additional resources being
made available in that area.
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19. • If you are doing Agile development, make sure everyone
knows their role.
• Agile requires on-going business engagement, so it can
seem like a much harder way of doing change unless
managers and teams know why Agile is the best way for
this project, how it works and their role in it.
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Tip 4: Educate teams about Agile

20. Tip 5: Don’t take it personally.. And check what
the real issue is
• Understand that any resistance you meet isn’t necessarily
aimed at you or your change. You are just the tipping point
for some people. Put yourself in their shoes and
understand why they are feeling like this.
• Then go back to Tip 1!
• Check what the real issue is…
• Is it change saturation or….
• Lack of Awareness, Desire or another stage in Prosci’s ADKAR
model?
• Ineffective Sponsorship?

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26. More info
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