INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY
New survey reveals growing risk of change fatigue and‘ cascade crisis’ for employees navigating AI
Anew Wiley survey points to a growing risk of change fatigue for employees continuously navigating the impact of Artificial Intelligence( AI) at work. The report suggests the combination of constant change and rising stress levels threatens to create a‘ cascade crisis’, where employees are repeatedly battered by new disruptions before they’ ve had a chance to recover from previous ones.
Recent Wiley research has revealed significant and growing levels of stress in the workforce caused by recurring changes in organisations, including the rapid ascension and use of AI. In the newest Wiley Workplace Intelligence report, Navigating the AI Era: Five Key Insights for Managing Change, two-thirds( 67 %) of respondents say they expect more change in the near future, with more than a third( 35 %) reporting severe stress levels.
“ When employees are perpetually in reactive mode, there’ s a growing risk of change fatigue setting in, impacting their ability to adapt, innovate and perform and hurting productivity,” said Wiley researcher, Dr Tracey Carney, who headed the study.“ To address these issues, it’ s important for organisations to develop clear policies around AI, offer effective training and build a changeresilient culture, moving from reactive management to proactive change leadership.”
Managers hit hard
The findings suggest managers have been hit particularly hard by this combination of factors, which has put them under immense pressure. More than half( 52 %) of managers say they feel responsible for helping their teams navigate change, yet fewer than half( 45 %) feel adequately supported by senior leadership.
Many organisations, however, don’ t appear to be keeping pace. A third of respondents( 33 %) aren’ t sure if their company has AI policies and nearly as many( 30 %) don’ t know how their employer views AI usage. In addition, only 18 % say their organisation gives them comprehensive change training, despite the large majority( 78 %) feeling such training would be valuable.
Recommendations
To successfully handle the integration of AI, the report suggests organisations must develop clear policies, offer robust training and embed AI into change management strategies. It recommends employers work to build change-resilient cultures that empower middle managers, integrate support systems and communicate clearly about both current changes and future AI integration.
To build a change-resilient culture, the report recommends organisations:
• Create space for recovery between disruptions
• Support managers with clear information and leadership backing
• Prioritise communication as a strategic tool
• Align AI enthusiasm with organisational readiness
Wiley offers professional learning solutions including Everything DiSC, The Leadership Challenge, The Five Behaviors and PXT Select, designed to help companies, managers and individual employees assess and improve workplace skills, perform better and become more successful. x
The biggest challenge for managers isn’ t resistance to change from their employees, which few cite as a problem. Instead, their main obstacles are a lack of clear information from their organisation and the struggle to balance productivity with adaptation.
Employees up for AI; organisations behind
On the positive side, the survey findings indicate that employees are largely open to AI, with more than two-thirds( 68 %) saying they feel excited or curious about it and close to half( 44 %) reporting they already use it at least weekly.
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