UX Change Fatigue: Building resilient teams in times of transformation

Presented as a talk at the UXPA Boston 2025 - In an era of relentless transformation, organizations face mounting challenges—from post-pandemic work models and economic uncertainties to the rapid rise of AI and automation. Employees are increasingly overwhelmed, with research indicating their ability to cope with change has declined to 50% of pre-pandemic levels. This phenomenon, known as Change Fatigue, manifests as resistance or passive resignation to organizational shifts, leading to higher attrition and lost productivity. UX teams, in particular, feel this strain as they navigate complexities in aligning with business objectives while advocating for user needs.

This talk explores strategies for UX leaders to build resilient teams capable of withstanding ongoing cycles of change. The foundation of resilience lies in four key pillars: trust, team cohesion, business awareness, and active change management.

Building Trust: Trust is crucial for engagement and transparency within UX teams. Leaders must foster a culture of presence, empathy, and open communication, ensuring team members feel supported and valued.

Enhancing Team Cohesion: A strong sense of belonging and collaboration improves adaptability. Strategies such as cultivating psychological safety, encouraging cross-functional partnerships, and fostering an abundance mindset create a more unified and effective UX practice.

Developing Business Awareness: UX teams gain influence by aligning their work with business goals. Understanding key business drivers and integrating UX impact metrics with organizational success indicators helps position designers as strategic contributors rather than mere executors.

Sustaining through Active Change Management: Leaders must guide their teams through change by prioritizing initiatives, democratizing decision-making, and proactively managing long-term ripple effects to prevent burnout and disengagement.

Ultimately, while the pace of change will not slow, UX teams that cultivate trust, cohesion, business acumen, and adaptability will not only endure transformation but thrive within it. This session provides actionable insights to help UX leaders sustain teams and drive meaningful impact amid continuous organizational evolution.

1. Hello UXPA BOS!
Building Resilient
Teams in times of
Transformation
Presented By: Malini Rao
42
58
UX Change Fatigue
May 09, 2025
@malinitweets

2. 71%
Laid off 14%
Other Reasons 15%
Change Fatigue/ Burnout
Why do
designers quit?
Source: 2023 UX Collective report on 'Why designers quit'

3. Era of Relentless Transformation
01 Usual Market & Competitive pressures
02 Post-pandemic work models
03 Economic uncertainty
04 Workforce shortages
05 Advent of AI & Automation
The average employee experienced 10 planned enterprise changes in 2022
—up from just two in 2016 (Gartner Research).

4. Hello University
Overwhelmed
Workforce
๏ Constant change
๏ Chaos
๏ Increasing expectations
Ciamic
Image source: https://empmonitor.com/blog/strategies-for-feeling-overwhelmed-at-work/

5. Hello University
Ciamic
Image source: https://empmonitor.com/blog/strategies-for-feeling-overwhelmed-at-work/ ; Content source: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/leadership/change-fatigue
50%
Surge Capacity
Of pre-pandemic levels
Change Fatigue

6. What is Change Fatigue?
A resistance or passive resignation to organizational changes.
https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/how-to-reduce-the-risk-of-employee-change-fatigue
Increased
Resistance
Burnout
Increased
Absenteeism
High
Turnover
Anxiety
Increasing
Disengagement
Decreased
Engagement
Cynicism
Decreased
Productivity

7. UX teams feel it
more!
Already constantly fighting for
visibility, recognition and
alignment with business
objectives
Image Source: Adobe Stock
- Jessica Knight, 2020
Gartner ReimagineHR
Conference
“ Employees’ ability
to absorb change
has plummeted
precisely at the
time when more
organizations need
change to reset”

8. Transformation deficit
2016
https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/how-to-reduce-the-risk-of-employee-change-fatigue
2022
Change Effort Required
Change Willingness
The share of employees willing to support enterprise change
collapsed to just 38% in 2022, compared with 74% in 2016.
Leads to:Attrition and lost productivity

9. 4 Pillars
Building Resilient Teams in times of
Transformation

10. Hello University
4 Pillars to building resilient teams
Building Trust
Building Team
Cohesion
Building Business
Awareness in the
Team
Sustaining
through Active
Change
Leadership

11. Building Trust
Image Source: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/managing-smart/building-trust-manager
1

12. Trust is foundational
๏Employees believe leaders/
org has their interests in
mind
๏Communications are clear
๏Promises are followed
through
Image Source: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/leadership/change-fatigue
Average
Employee Today
Low Trust High Trust
2.6 x more capacity to
absorb change
36%
Of Employees

13. Trust Circles
๏Trust reduces as context
gets larger
๏Trust is higher when there
is more access and a
comfortable equation for
control
๏Trust builds upon itself.
Start with 1-1 trust

14. Being available and empathetic
๏Support with presence in
important settings
๏Empower and coach
employee to reach their
best potential
๏Meaningful 1-1s
๏Lots of listening & genuine
interest in the person and
their work
๏Consistent follow-up
Strategies to build trust

15. Be clear and transparent in communications
๏Ongoing alignment on
goals and expectations
๏Fill the gaps about reasons
for change - eliminate late
surprises
๏Be truthful/ vulnerable in
extent of support and your
stance
Strategies to build trust

16. Allow for Flexibility and Autonomy
๏Accountability first.
Advocacy next.
๏Setup your employees for
success and ensure they
get due recognition
๏Avoid micro-management
๏Provide safety to take risks
and/or fail
Strategies to build trust

17. Building
Team
Cohesion
Image Source: https://www.franchising.com/articles/4_ways_to_create_cohesive_team_dynamics.html
2

18. Team Cohesion is more valuable than
raw talent
๏Extent to which team
members share a sense of
belonging and connection,
and commitment to and
accountability for a
collective goal
๏A leader is only as strong
as her team
๏Team is the smallest unit of
maximum influence,
shared paths & fate
High sense of team
cohesion gives 1.8x
increase in change capacity

19. Cultivating Psychological Safety
๏Creating a safe
environment where team
members feel empowered
to speak up and share their
ideas
๏Culture of constructive
debate - Convince or be
convinced
๏Skills essential for
collaborating across
functions and driving
innovation
Strategies to build team cohesion

20. Sparking Creativity and inspiration
๏Once a month creative,
non-task focused activities
๏Skill sharing workshops,
brainstorming sessions
๏Sense of Community &
collective growth
๏Refresh perspectives
๏Inspire new ideas
๏Strengthen team bonds
Strategies to build team cohesion

21. Creative reflections on giving and
receiving feedback using
sketching, play dough and
theatrical storytelling

22. Learn together
๏Developing soft skills for
success as a UXer -
influencing without
authority, negotiation, or
balancing risk taking and
predictable outcomes
๏Inculcate and balance
humility and confidence
for flexibility as
expectations of roles
evolve
Strategies to build team cohesion

23. Nurturing an abundance mindset
๏Reframing challenges
as opportunities
ensures that the team
remains resilient and
focused on solutions
๏Team members
support one another
professionally and
during personal
challenges - Culture of
mutual care &
respect.
Strategies to build team cohesion
Creativity
Encourages innovative
thinking and problem-
solving
Collaboration
Promotes teamwork and
shared effort
Gratitude
Fosters appreciation and
positive outlook
Opportunities
Focuses on potential and
possibilities
Positive Approach
Encourages optimism and
constructive action
Productivity
Enhances efficiency and
effectiveness

24. More Ideas…
๏Celebrating the individual boosts
individual morale and team
cohesion - builds trust that creates
resilience during challenging times
๏Facilitate in-person team bonding -
chance for deeper connection &
lasting relationships and deeper
problem solving over challenges
๏Celebrate journeys - celebrate
progress and maturity even if goals
shifted due to change
Strategies to build team cohesion

25. Image Source: https://bernardmarr.com/how-to-measure-brand-awareness/
3
Building Business Awareness

26. Start with being a business aware leader
๏Learn the basics business vocabulary & key
business and product metrics
๏Demonstrate understanding of desired
business outcomes in asks and
presentations
๏Percolate relevant business information to
your team - become the bridge between
business and design
๏Expect team to be business aware - instill a
pragmatic design practice
Strategies to build a business aware team

27. Instill a pragmatic design practice
๏Design for the investment - Train design teams
to do their best work within the budget of that
project
๏Wear the business hat through the design
process - present your insight in the context of
business drivers and outcomes
๏Train designers to be critical of their own asks -
weigh pros and cons
๏Train designers to break vision into
incremental execution phases balancing
continuous value to customers & execution
efficiency
Strategies to build a business aware team

28. Measure and demonstrate impact
๏Find a couple experience metrics
that can roll up to a higher
business impact and make progress
trends visible to decision makers
๏Correlate with cross-functional
metrics where possible
๏Set measurable target KPIs for the
experience
๏Use the target scores to influence
prioritization
Strategies to build a business aware team

29. •Suite level progress trends
•Insight into whether level
of investment is tracking
towards desired outcomes
•Deeper level metrics
become way to see how
to impact overall trends
•CorrelatJons with other
cross functJonal metrics
determine if scores are
impacted by UX alone or
other factors
Quarterly SUS Score Trends at the Product suite level
The bigger the customer, the more satJszJed they were!
AggregatJng granular insights for
suite-wide priority
Employee Tasks - Perceived Ease of Use

30. Hello University
4 Pillars to building resilient teams
Building Trust
Building Team
Cohesion
Building Business
Awareness in the
Team
Sustaining
through Active
Change
Leadership

31. Image Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sherzododilov/2024/04/03/what-makes-a-great-change-leader/
4Sustaining through Active Change Leadership

32. The Basics
๏Transparent and open
communication about -
๏the change
๏the reasons
๏the impacts
๏the shifts in expectations
Strategies for Change Leadership during active periods of change

33. Beyond the basics…
๏Prioritize the change
๏Open source your change plans
๏Involve employees in the decision-
making and implementation planning
๏Ensure final alignment on the vision &
direction is from the leader
๏Build in periods of proactive rest to
sustain change energy
๏Manage the bang and the ripples
Strategies for Change Leadership during active periods of change

34. Hello University
4 Pillars to building resilient teams
Building Trust
Building Team
Cohesion
Building Business
Awareness in the
Team
Sustaining
through Active
Change
Leadership

35. THANK YOU!
Presenter: Malini Rao
@malinitweets
Open to New Opportunities
in UX Leadership and
Strategy. Let’s Connect!
[email protected]