Weary Team

Signs to watch for

• Comments such as ‘another new thing?’ or ‘and when are we supposed to do it?’.
• Little energy when faced with new projects.
• A feeling that every change has added activities without taking any weight away.
• Formal agreement accompanied by growing disengagement.

This is exactly the risk identified in the framework: people who have used up their resources responding to changes without any structural relief, and who now can’t cope any more.

The biggest challenge to face

Finding the energy to face a new change without adding more tiredness to what has already built up.

Possible paths

History does not determine the future, but it can influence the way a team faces a new challenge. Try to notice these possible developments along the path ‘Explore how the team reads the present’.

Where to focus right away

Recognise how much has already been done. The effort that has built up needs to be named before asking people to start again.

Be clear about what AI can really lighten. Avoid overpromising and make visible where there may be a real benefit.

Protect the workload while people learn. Learning the new while carrying on doing all the old risks reproducing exactly the mechanism that has tired the team.

A question to bring to the team

What would really have to change so that this transformation doesn’t simply become more work to absorb?