change fatigue

Intermediate 💼 Corporate / Business

Definition

The exhausted apathy employees develop after the seventh reorganization this year, rendering them immune to urgent transformation initiatives. The organizational equivalent of 'boy who cried wolf' syndrome.

Example Usage

We've got serious change fatigue—people just roll their eyes when leadership announces another 'revolutionary' new process.

Origin

Change management literature from the early 2000s

Fun Fact

Change fatigue costs U.S. businesses an estimated $300 billion annually in lost productivity and employee disengagement.

Source: Change management and organizational psychology terminology

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