Transformation fatigue vs progress momentum

TL;DR

Change is constant, but people are tired. Public sector leaders don’t need more transformation plans; they need new habits that build momentum. This piece explores how continuous feedback, AI insights and short 12-week Sprints help turn disruption into lasting progress.

Why the future of change needs new habits

Across Scotland’s public sector, transformation has become the new normal.  New systems. New structures. New expectations.

But while the pace of change keeps accelerating, people’s capacity to absorb it hasn’t. The result? Transformation fatigue.

Leaders know they need to move fast but employees are tired of top-down rollouts that happen to them, not with them.

So how do we shift from fatigue to forward motion?

1. Progress isn’t just about plans – it’s about people

Every major change depends on how people feel about it.
If they’re not involved, not informed, or not sure their feedback matters, progress stalls.

The organisations that are getting future-fit are the ones replacing one-off surveys with continuous, two-way conversations so leaders always know what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next.

2. Listening once a year isn’t leadership

Traditional feedback cycles are too slow for the pace of disruption. By the time survey results land, priorities have shifted and momentum is lost.

What employees want isn’t another form, it’s visible follow-through. Quick feedback loops that show, “You said this, we did that.”

That’s what turns listening into leadership.

3. Momentum needs structure not another initiative

Transformation doesn’t have to take years. At Trickle, we help organisations run focused 12-week Sprints, short, structured bursts of progress guided by employee feedback and real-time AI insights.

It’s how public-sector teams are tackling issues like wellbeing, hybrid working, onboarding and digital transformation and seeing tangible results within a single quarter.

4. The future of change is collaborative

The public sector’s greatest strength has always been its people. Tools like Trickle help those people collaborate faster, surface issues earlier, and deliver improvements together.

The future of change isn’t about more transformation plans, it’s about new habits that turn listening into action and action into progress.

That’s the conversation we’re looking forward to continuing with HR and OD leaders from across Scotland at this year’s SPDS Conference in St Andrews, where the theme Fit for the Future Together couldn’t be more timely. Come and say hi at our stand if you are there!