Aligning Change Strategies With Employee Expectations

OK Boomer, Gen Z Doesn't Want Your 2000s Change Management Playbook! A leader was puzzled over why their meticulously planned technology rollout was meeting unexpected resistance from newer employees. The communication plan was comprehensive, training well-documented, and leadership aligned. The problem? Their entire change approach was designed for a workforce that no longer exists. 💼 Generation Z Has Entered the Workforce Born between 1997-2012, Gen Z now constitutes over 20% of the workforce. They're not just younger millennials – they're the first true digital natives with fundamentally different expectations for organizational change. The generational shift demands we rethink core OCM practices: ⚡ Communication: From Documents to Micro-Content Traditional Approach: Multi-page email announcements, detailed PDF attachments, formal town halls  Gen Z Expectation: 60-second explainer videos, visual infographics, authentic peer messaging When one bank shifted from traditional change communications to micro-content delivered through multiple channels, engagement rates increased by 64% among Gen Z employees. 🤝 Engagement: From Involvement to Co-Creation Traditional Approach: Change champions appointed to represent teams Gen Z Expectation: Direct participation in design, transparent feedback loops, social proof Gen Z employees are 3x more likely to disengage from changes without visible impact within 30 days. They expect their input to be implemented rapidly and visibly. 🌱 Motivators: From Compliance to Purpose Traditional Approach: Focus on organizational benefits and necessity Gen Z Expectation: Focus on personal impact, societal value, and authentic rationale A financial tech transformation that reframed messaging around customer benefit and social impact saw higher adoption rates among Gen Z than when using traditional business case messages. 🦋 Timeline: From Projects to Continuous Evolution Traditional Approach: Defined projects with clear start/end dates Gen Z Expectation: Agile, iterative changes with regular improvements Gen Z has grown up with software that updates weekly or daily. The concept of a "frozen" system post-implementation makes little sense to them. 📖 Your OCM 2.0 Playbook To evolve your change approach for the next generation: - Replace monolithic communications with multi-format micro-content - Build social proof through peer advocacy, not just leadership messaging - Connect changes to meaningful impact, not just business metrics - Implement feedback visibly and rapidly - Embrace continuous improvement over "project completion" Gen Z isn't resistant to change—they're resistant to change management that feels outdated, inauthentic, or disconnected from their digital reality. Has your organization updated its change approach for Gen Z employees? What generational differences have you observed in change receptivity? #ChangeManagement #GenZ #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalChange

I just wrapped up a call with a new client in the education space, and one thing became crystal clear: no matter how innovative the technology, adoption hinges on people, communication, and alignment. The district is rolling out Promethean boards, moving away from Smart Boards to enhance the classroom experience. But here's the challenge: faculty and staff weren’t looped into the "why" behind the shift, the broader technology strategy, or even how this change benefits them. No wonder the training sessions are going unattended! In less than an hour, we tackled the root issues: 👥 People First: Ensuring faculty and staff feel seen, heard, and valued. 📢 Clarity in Communication: Why the change? How does it fit into the district’s vision? 🤝 Alignment Through Engagement: Involving faculty and staff in the conversation to understand their concerns and needs. And then we established actionable next steps: A clear plan to identify impacted employees, what their needs are and ideas to engage them in the change; and of course, how they're going to communicate the strategy, including what, when, why, and how it's happening to ensure training feels meaningful and accessible. Promethean boards have incredible potential to transform the classroom, and as with any innovation, success depends on how well people are brought along for the journey. Technology is a tool, but it’s the people who make transformation happen. When leadership takes the time to connect the dots, change starts to feel less like something done to employees and more like something built with them. Have you ever seen a promising change falter because people weren’t on board? How did you turn things around? #Leadership #Change #EmployeeEngagement #Technology #TrainingIsNotChangeManagement

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆? 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁. That is not an opinion—it is backed by facts. I spent this past weekend reading through a bunch of surveys, articles, and other publications. Here's what it boils down to: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 There is a massive disconnect between what executives think they’re communicating and what workers actually hear: ❗𝟲𝟲% 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 believe they’re aligned with employees on business goals. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟰𝟰% 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲. (2023 𝘎𝘌/𝘐𝘱𝘴𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦: 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵) ❗𝟳𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 say they provide enough context. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟰𝟲% 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁. 𝗢𝘂𝗰𝗵. 1️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱: Employees still have full-time jobs while navigating change. 2️⃣ 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: Less than half of organizations create space for real dialogue. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ≠ 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Overwhelming workers with messages results in disengagement. 4️⃣ 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Leaders focus on strategy; employees focus on daily realities. If you want your teams to 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, start with: ✅ 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. Host listening circles where leaders ask and don’t defend. ✅ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘁𝘀. Explain the why behind changes and how they fit into the bigger picture. ✅ Speak their language. Tailor messages to different levels—what matters to frontline workers differs from executives. ✅ Lead by doing. Employees believe what they see more than what they hear. ✅ Close the loop. Act on feedback. Employees stop speaking up when nothing changes. Change won’t fail due to strategy. It will fail due to people feeling unheard. Were you ever surprised by the manner in which teams really felt about a change? What did you do? Share your thoughts below. 👇 ----- Change happens. Fractional leaders help. And coffee. All the time. 👋 I’m Lars – I deliver transformation that sticks. 🔔 Follow me for more on fractional leadership and change management. ✉️ DM me ‘READY’ for more insights