More than three quarters of transformation projects in sales and marketing are not successfully completed and three quarters, an Emergn survey has revealed.
According to Emergn’s survey with Censuswide, 50% of employees in the industry have considered leaving their jobs because of transformation fatigue, the exhaustion and frustration felt after multiple unsuccessful transformations have taken place in their workplace.
With sales and marketing being sectors that require constant updates, upskilling and digital transformations to keep up with the newest and most effective B2B tools and strategies, employees are faced with the challenge of integrating these changes despite a lack of standardised procedures.
Although employees recognise the need for change, they feel unhappy with the way it’s executed. Three-fifths report cases of burnout from the additional work created by the constant change in programmes that often do not achieve their desired results.
Disconnected leadership, poor communication, and insufficient learning programs are key contributors to transformation fatigue. Half of employees say that leadership failures, particularly bosses who are out of touch with the concerns of their workers, contribute to transformation failures. Poor communication also means employees are unsure of overall objectives, with a quarter feeling completely uninformed about the reasons behind transformations.
The survey also finds that the most well-known consultancy firms on transformation programs are failing the companies they advise. Of the 51% of respondents who reported working with three of the biggest consultancies, 87% felt they had a negative impact or were no help at all. Only 13% reported that they were more help than hindrance. Customer feedback also indicated frustration with cookie-cutter solutions from big consultancies that don’t create lasting transformation.
“What you have is big consultancy armies with briefcases; they walk into organisations and confidently try to get them to fit into a pre-designed transformation strategy mold.” said Emergn CEO Alex Adamopoulos. “But what organisations need is a solution that works in their context – they need to own their transformation. The sheer volume of transformation fatigue shows that defaulting to the big consultancy solution simply isn’t working.”
However, in spite of the challenges, 70% of employees recognise the importance of effective transformations to remain competitive. Emergn’s survey shows that the core issue behind transformation fatigue is the execution, rather than the changes themselves.
Employees understand that being able to implement and embrace change is not just a necessity but a strategic advantage in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, but learning how to manage the fatigue it can bring is an essential skill.
Emergn’s latest thought paper reveals how to make overcoming transformation fatigue your unfair competitive advantage. The right approach, leadership, and systems will help combat fatigue and help maintain momentum for change initiatives, empowering you to go from ‘fatigue to fit’.
