Change is a constant part of organisational life. New strategies, restructures, technology, new ways of working, growth, financial pressures and external events can all require organisations to adapt.
We have heard in our annual customer survey that one of the large challenges for leaders in the next 12 months, is leading through change. While change may be necessary, it does not always feel easy for the people experiencing it.
For employees, change can bring uncertainty about their role, workload, relationships, job security and future. Even when the intended outcome is positive, the transition can be stressful. Research has found that organisational change can affect people’s sense of predictability, support and trust, while job insecurity and increased demands can have implications for mental health and wellbeing.
For leaders, this creates an important challenge: how do we lead change effectively while also looking after the people who are experiencing it and maintaining our own wellbeing?
The answer is not to remove all uncertainty. In many situations, that simply isn’t possible. Instead, effective change leadership involves helping people navigate uncertainty with clarity, connection, participation and support.
Change is both a business process and a human experience
Change management is often described in terms of plans, milestones, communications, systems, training and implementation.
These things matter. But successful change also depends on what happens at an individual level.
The ADKAR model describes five elements that need to be considered when leading change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. The approach emphasises that organisational change ultimately requires individuals to change what they do, how they work or how they think: people experience change through their everyday work and relationships.
They may be wondering:
- What does this mean for me?
- Why is this happening?
- What will I need to do differently?
- Will my role still be needed?
- Do my leaders understand what this is like for us?
- Do I have a voice in what happens?
- Can I raise concerns without negative consequences?
These questions are often a natural response to uncertainty.
Acknowledge the uncertainty rather than trying to eliminate it
One of the most helpful things a leader can do during change is to be honest about what is known, what is not yet known and what is still being worked through.
There can be a temptation to communicate only when there is a complete answer. But in periods of uncertainty, waiting for certainty can create an information vacuum that people fill with assumptions, speculation and worry.
Instead, consider communicating:
- What is known
- What is not yet known
- What is being done
- When people can expect an update.
Recent guidance from the American Psychological Association highlights transparency and clear communication as important ways organisations can support people during periods of workplace uncertainty.
Give people as much certainty and control as you can
“What can I make clearer, more predictable or more manageable for my team right now?”
Leaders may not be able to control the external environment, the final organisational structure or every aspect of a change programme. But they can often create clarity around other things:
- What is staying the same
- What decisions have already been made
- What can employees influence
- What are the immediate priorities
- What support is available
- When will the next decision be made
- How will feedback be considered.
This is particularly important because organisational change can reduce people’s perceptions of control, predictability and support.
Create space for people to have a voice
People are more likely to engage with change when they feel they have some opportunity to participate in it.
Don’t confuse resistance with a wellbeing problem – or a commitment problem
Resistance is often treated as something leaders need to overcome. A more useful approach is to become curious about what is underneath it.
- Experiencing a genuine wellbeing or psychological safety concern.
- Concerned about losing something important
- Unclear about what is expected
- Worried about their capability
- Overloaded by the volume of change
- Unconvinced about the reason for the change
- Concerned about the impact on colleagues or customers
- Experiencing a genuine wellbeing or psychological safety concern.
Protect capacity – not just commitment
Change can create significant pressure. The WHO identifies excessive workloads, low job control and poor organisational support as psychosocial risks to mental health. World Health Organization
That might mean reviewing workloads, pausing lower-priority work, adjusting timelines, providing additional resources or allowing people time to learn. Sometimes the most effective wellbeing intervention is simply removing unnecessary pressure.
Look after the leaders who are leading the change
There is another important part of the equation: leaders experience the change too.
Managers can be expected to communicate decisions they did not make, answer questions they cannot yet answer, support anxious employees and continue delivering business outcomes—all while managing their own uncertainty.
Research has found that manager emotional exhaustion can affect leadership behaviours, psychological safety and team readiness for change. PubMed Central (PMC)
This means supporting leaders is not an optional extra. It is part of the change strategy and includes:
- Clear information and regular briefings
- Opportunities to ask difficult questions
- Support from their own leaders
- Realistic expectations about what they can carry
- Coaching or facilitated conversations
- Permission to acknowledge that change is difficult.
A leader does not need to appear unaffected by uncertainty. Appropriately acknowledging their own experience can help create a more human and psychologically safe environment.
“There are still things we don’t know. I know that can feel unsettling, and here’s what I can tell you about what we’re doing next.”
Keep psychological safety in the conversation
Psychological safety becomes particularly important during change.
People need to feel able to ask questions, raise concerns, admit mistakes, challenge assumptions and say when something isn’t working without fear of embarrassment or punishment. Research examining change engagement identifies psychological safety as an important condition for people to engage with organisational change. PubMed Central (PMC)
When change is moving quickly, leaders need: Clarity, Connection and Capacity
1. Clarity – What can I make clearer?
Help people understand the why, what, when and what next.
2. Connection – How am I staying connected to people?
Create opportunities for people to ask questions, express concerns and be heard.
3. Capacity – Do people have the capacity for this change?
Consider workload, competing priorities, skills, resources and recovery.
Leading change with wellbeing in mind
Leaders can make a meaningful difference in how people experience change.
The goal isn’t to promise certainty where certainty doesn’t exist. It is to create enough clarity, connection, participation and support for people to navigate the uncertainty together.
Sources and further reading
World Health Organization. Mental health at work (2024). World Health Organization
World Health Organization. Guidelines on mental health at work (2022). World Health Organization
American Psychological Association. Workers are facing an age of uncertainty (2026). AAPA
Prosci. The Prosci ADKAR Model. Prosci
Prosci. How to Lead Change Effectively During Uncertainty. Prosci
De Jong et al. The ripple effect of strain in times of change: how manager emotional exhaustion affects team psychological safety and readiness to change. PubMed Central (PMC)