To Manage Workplace Disruptions, Start Before Change Hits

Forbes

a day ago

Research shows that managers can help employees deal with workplace disruption by understanding ... More their unmet needs.
Radical workplace changes are as ubiquitous as they are challenging. Whether due to digitalization, geopolitical shifts, climate change or organizational restructuring, such disruptions fundamentally reshape our work.
Big workplace changes takes their toll. A 12-year study of over 53,000 employees found that nearly all had experienced a major change, leading to a decline in their wellbeing. Another two-year study tracking reactions to a workplace language switch showed that anxiety and frustration not only emerged but worsened over time. But are these reactions caused by the disruption itself — or by unmet needs that were already in place before the change?
Our research drawing on repeated interviews with professionals before and after the COVID-19 pandemic suggests the latter. Employees' pre-existing unmet needs shaped how they interpreted and responded to disruptive change. This means that to support employees effectively, managers must understand what needs were already unfulfilled before the disruption occurred. Our research points to three types of unmet needs:
People have a fundamental need to connect. Yet, work often makes this difficult — especially for geographically distributed or culturally diverse teams. For example, we interviewed an IT professional who even before the disruption grappled with addressing communication problems and misunderstandings in her distributed team. In another case, an HR executive in Europe frequently traveled to her company's Japanese headquarters but still felt disconnected. Her usual way of building relationships didn't resonate with her Japanese colleagues, leaving her feeling isolated.
People want to feel good about themselves and their work. But work can produce ambivalence — especially when there's a mismatch between self-perception and how others perceive one's role. A fundraising professional felt passionate about her organization's mission yet discouraged by others' negative views of asking for money. Similarly, an entrepreneur juggling a cosmetics startup and a consulting firm struggled with identity conflict because others still viewed her solely as a consultant.
Where and how we work matters. Several professionals we interviewed before the disruption wanted more mobility — such as international assignments or more travel — but found themselves stuck. One consultant, frustrated by serving only domestic clients, hoped to move abroad. Others wanted greater flexibility in where they worked. All faced a gap between their aspirations and their actual work conditions.
How, then, can managers effectively support employees through radical change — especially when the roots of their struggles may lie not just in the change itself, but in deeper, pre-existing unmet needs? Here is our four-step process for turning potentially threatening change into an opportunity for deeper engagement:
1. Assess the change impact
Start by mapping employees' unmet needs. Are they craving stronger connections? More meaningful work? Greater flexibility? Use one-on-one conversations or anonymous surveys to uncover these needs in advance. By identifying these needs beforehand, you'll learn whether a change is likely to be perceived positively or negatively.
In our study, those with unmet relational needs often viewed the pandemic positively — as a shared experience that helped strengthen relationships. The previously isolated HR executive found that remote work brought her closer to colleagues. Virtual check-ins created common ground that deepened connection more effectively than her previous in-person visits had.
But for employees with unmet physical needs, the disruption felt threatening. The consultant who wanted to work internationally felt increasingly trapped when travel halted. This contrast shows how the same event can feel empowering to one person and limiting to another.
2. Reframe the change
Once you understand what employees need, help them see how the change might fulfill those needs. For instance, encourage employees to share experiences and support one another, which also addresses their relational needs.
Managers can also help meet psychological needs. Through coaching or job redesign, professionals may come to see how their work positively impacts others. The fundraiser whose job had previously felt undervalued experienced a shift during the pandemic: her role became vital in securing resources, transforming how both she and others viewed her work.
3. Adjust and personalize the change
Where possible, shape the change around employees' needs. Many professionals in our study found renewed work meaning when given time for reflection during the disruption. This helped them view the experience as an opportunity rather than a threat. The entrepreneur who had felt torn between her cosmetics company and her consultancy gained clarity after the disruption. She realized that consulting allowed her to serve others, which gave her work new meaning and resolved her identity conflict.
Managers can support this process by slowing the pace of change or giving employees opportunities to connect with new beneficiaries of their work. Managers can also address employees' physical needs during change implementation. For example, job rotations and cross-functional projects can help employees see the value in new roles or structures.
4. Explain with candor and compassion
Sometimes, a change simply can't satisfy pre-existing needs. In that case, explain candidly and compassionately why change adoption is necessary while listening to employees' concerns. For example, when a company decided to change its working language from Spanish to English, it hired three language specialists and scheduled weekly lessons. The language specialists observed meetings and conducted workshops. While they were hired to support language learning, the specialists emerged as catalysts for converting negative emotions into positive behavioral change. They offered a compassionate ear and gave employees a safe space to process their concerns. Yet, their constant presence helped maintain urgency of the change process.
Especially when the change is temporary or its outcomes unpredictable, having honest conversations with your employees can help them suspend negative judgements and avoid adverse workplace behaviors. Managers could also work with employees to find alternative ways to meet their needs as the change is implemented.
Workplace disruptions are here to stay. But if managers recognize and respond to the unmet needs that exist before change hits, they can transform change management from a defensive reaction into a proactive opportunity — for both engagement and resilience.
By B. Sebastian Reiche and Maïlys M. George of the Managing People in Organizations Department of IESE Business School.