Avoiding Change Fatigue: How Experimentation Fuels Organizational Growth
Design Thinking. Jobs To Be Done. OKRs. Agile. Minimum Viable Products. DevOps. DevSecOps. TDD. BDD. Value Stream Mapping. Privacy. Move Faster. Get Bigger. Scale. Eliminate Waste. Diversity and Inclusion. Scrum. Kanban. Scrumban. Project to Product.
There’s always something new coming at your organization—new frameworks, methodologies, and industry trends. While these innovations are valuable, they can also lead to change fatigue if not managed effectively. With so many moving pieces, how do you maintain focus and momentum without burning out your teams?
The answer: Experiment.
The Power of Experimentation
Instead of implementing every new trend at once, take a structured approach. Start with a vision. Where do you want to be six months to a year from now? Then, apply the scientific method to systematically test what works for your organization.
How to Experiment Like a Scientist
Think back to your grade school science experiments. The process is simple yet powerful:
1. Start with a Vision
Define what success looks like. For example, you might want to become a responsive organization that delivers value to customers twice as frequently.
2. Ask a Question
Identify the obstacles preventing you from achieving your vision. If teams are slow to deliver, ask: Why aren’t teams shipping features faster?
3. Research
Explore how other organizations have tackled similar challenges. What frameworks, processes, or structural changes have enabled them to improve?
4. Form a Hypothesis
Use an If…Then statement to structure your experiment. Example: If we implement Agile methodologies across our teams, then we will see a 30% improvement in delivery speed.
5. Test the Hypothesis
Run the experiment within a defined timeframe (ideally a quarter). Set clear metrics for success and checkpoints to evaluate progress. If one team delivers faster, your hypothesis is supported. If there’s no improvement, refine or abandon the experiment.
6. Analyze the Data
Many organizations make the mistake of constantly implementing the next big thing without analyzing results. Pause and assess. If the teams didn’t go faster, why? Were there unexpected dependencies? Did product leaders struggle to communicate with teams? Did the teams effectively inspect and adapt?
7. Draw Conclusions and Iterate
Every experiment provides valuable insights—even if the results don’t align with the original hypothesis. If dependencies prevented Agile from speeding up delivery, the next experiment might focus on reducing bottlenecks. Share discoveries with the organization, especially with the teams running the experiments.
Keeping Your Organization Focused
Just as you maintain a backlog of work, maintain a backlog of experiments.
Keep experiments time-bound (a quarter or less) to avoid stagnation.
Prevent leadership “itchiness” to chase the next trend by involving them in gathering data from teams running the experiment.
Encourage teams to learn from failures rather than viewing them as setbacks. Every experiment brings you closer to your vision.
Why This Approach Works
Transforming an organization isn’t about boiling the ocean—it’s about iterating with intention. By using a structured experimentation approach, you:
✅ Reduce resistance to change.
✅ Keep teams engaged in meaningful progress.
✅ Avoid wasted time and resources on ineffective initiatives.
✅ Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Embracing this mindset keeps your organization moving forward with clarity, focus, and momentum.
How is your organization approaching change? Have you tried structured experiments to drive transformation? Drop a comment and share your experience!