Technology change rarely fails because people don’t understand what’s being asked of them.
It fails because teams are already at capacity and new systems, tools and processes are layered on without changing the conditions people are working in.
Across technology change management programs in Australia from ERP implementations to workforce systems and digital tools this pattern shows up again and again.
The issue isn’t resistance. It’s capacity.
The problem with “change readiness”
Many organisations assess readiness by asking:
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Have people been trained?
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Have we communicated enough?
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Do leaders understand the change?
But these questions overlook the most important one:
What else are people already carrying?
In real workplaces, teams are:
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Delivering BAU under pressure
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Absorbing multiple initiatives at once
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Responding to constant priority shifts
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Managing fatigue, uncertainty and overload
Technology change doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. It arrives on top of everything else.
Capability isn’t the issue, capacity is
Most technology programs invest heavily in capability:
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Training programs
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Learning platforms
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Process documentation
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Help desks and user guides
All of this matters but none of it creates capacity.
When capacity is stretched, even highly capable people:
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Revert to old systems because they’re faster
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Create workarounds to meet deadlines
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Disengage from change activities
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Feel frustrated rather than supported
This isn’t failure. It’s a rational response to overload.
Why digital transformation amplifies pressure
Technology change usually brings more than a new system.
It introduces:
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New ways of making decisions
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New data expectations
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New accountabilities
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New measures of performance
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New ways of working together
For frontline and operational teams, this pressure is even greater. There is less flexibility, less time to step away, and less tolerance for disruption.
Without a capacity-aware approach, digital transformation change becomes something people have to survive — not something that helps them do their jobs better.
What effective technology change management looks like
At Enable Change Partners, we approach organisational change in Australia with a clear understanding of capacity.
That means:
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Looking at cumulative change, not isolated initiatives
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Helping leaders make real trade-offs
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Designing change that fits inside day-to-day work
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Normalising fatigue and uncertainty
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Supporting teams through the messy middle not just go-live
Technology change becomes sustainable when organisations stop asking “Are people ready?” and start asking:
“What are we asking people to carry?”
Learn more about our Technology-Enabled Change Management approach.