In our first blog on learnings from Impact's global webinars on the state of change in 2026, we discovered that change is everywhere, change is powerful and change is more human than ever.
Four human truths about organisational change
In this article, we explore four leadership lessons about change management today, what leaders are doing about it and what we can learn about creating inclusive change.
Collectively, the global industry leaders who joined our webinars had four responses to change in our ever-turbulent times:
- Recognising the change work that’s already happening
- Understanding why technical change is only half of the change process
- Creating three conditions for positive, inclusive change
- Managing the finite constraints that limit change
Let's tackle them in order.
1. Recognise the change work that’s already being done
Change is embedded in everyday work
Because change is everywhere, it often becomes invisible. “70% of our global HR function thought they weren’t involved with change management, but all of them should have been, so how do we begin to frame more actions within the context of change management?” When change isn’t named or framed as such, people are less likely to see themselves as part of it. Yet people can only commit to the change they feel included in.
Inclusion reduces resistance
When people are brought in late, uncertainty fills the gap. “Where is this coming from? Why is this the first time I’m hearing of this?” Inclusive change means involving people early - not just when implementation begins, but when ideas are forming. This helps people see change not as something done to them, but as part of their role and contribution.
2. Why technical change alone fails
Capability takes time, space and context
3. The three conditions for positive, inclusive change
With this clear challenge around involving people in change, how do leaders reduce resistance and build commitment during ongoing change? Across our global webinars, three conditions consistently emerged as the foundation for successful, inclusive change: clarity, trust and purpose.
Clarity: making sense of the change
Without clarity “people don’t understand the purpose, the plan, and how it effects them”, and trust steadily erodes in the face of this kind of ambiguity. It’s not that people don’t believe change is inevitable. And it’s not that absorbing change is something they’re unequipped for. As one leader observed our regular lives are full of huge changes from “a pregnancy test, to a diagnosis, from an email telling us we’ve got a job, to one telling us we’ve lost one”. We can cope with the most profound forms of change when we know what they mean for us, good or bad. One leader described clarity as an equation: "Clarity = curiosity + connectedness + accountability. If you have all three, you’ll nail your change process, but usually at least one of them is missing.”
Trust: built through transparency in the moments that matter
Leaders found they were responsible for answering the tough questions from their people and that when they did trust grew: “We had people who were losing their jobs, thanking us for the leadership, and they said 'we know that this case was out of your hands, we appreciate that you brought us along in what you were thinking through, and I know it's not personal that my job is going'. So, lesson learned: transparency breeds trust, and trust is, for me, everything in a change process.”
Purpose: the meaning of change
Purposeful change doesn't remove difficulty - but it connects deeper alignment to people’s internal motivators, and in the long-run this creates the possibility for more lasting, meaningful and positive experiences of change.
Once leaders are brave enough to answer “what might this change mean for me?" other questions naturally unfold that connect people to the purpose behind the change, questions like “where is this coming from, why is this happening, what happens to us if we don’t respond to the change?” At Impact we say people don’t resist change, they resist being changed. They resist change that doesn’t include them, or which doesn’t allow them to make a positive or active contribution to shaping what’s next. And why shouldn’t they?
4. The finite constraints that limit change
Even with clarity, trust and purpose, change has limits. Time, emotional capacity and energy are finite - and our panellists were keen to design change with this reality in mind. One leader described how a fast moving, forward looking work culture reacted to a 10% reduction in force: “I had to take a step back and say we need to take some time to vent and react emotionally. It was critical to empty the cup a little bit so we could create that space to move forward”
Processing together prevents prolonged drag
The energy to hold emotion in is finite, but so is the space to express it in. While giving people space to feel a change is paramount, managing change can also be about helping them to let go: “I am happier when we take 45 minutes as group to process a change as opposed to three years as individuals. I call it the 'left luggage zone' – what do we need to leave behind and what do we accept is not coming back?”
Resistance often signals unfinished change
Our leaders addressed the multi-stage acceptance process that surrounds change. Not only is change an unavoidable, inexorable force, but so is some degree of resistance to change. As one leader observed resistance is often at its root an outgrowth of unfinished change: “Resistance to change is an indication that there is something that hasn’t been handled effectively by the change itself.”
Prioritisation and partnership protect your energy
Seeing that change work is never done, leaders must decide what really matters - and what can be let go. ”Take that step back: what are we trying to accomplish with this change? Each week we report on the leading actions we’re taking, then we reflect, did those actions contribute to the change? Or did they not? Then we prioritise the things that we have to maintain, or look really critically at our processes to say, we don't need to do this anymore.”
Change can begin with a conversation
Impact has worked at the intersection of change, leadership and experiential learning for nearly 50 years. We’ve supported organisations through decades‑long transformations by designing change with people, not just processes, at the centre.
If change isn't moving you closer to where you want to be, or the energy is low, it may be time to pause and talk. Because however difficult the change, there are steps leaders can take to make it something people are ultimately glad to look back on. If you're interested in hearing more from Impact, please get in touch.