Leading Change Fatigue: Evidence from Health Systems

Abstract

Health organisations have undergone successive reforms, leaving many clinicians weary of new initiatives. This study examines change fatigue across six hospital groups using a two-wave survey of 940 staff and interviews with 38 managers. Fatigue was highest where changes overlapped and where employees saw little connection between a new programme and patient care. Leaders who sequenced initiatives, explained trade-offs and removed old tasks when adding new ones reduced fatigue and kept engagement steady. We argue that stopping work is as important a leadership skill as starting it.