The Hidden Cost of Efficiency-At-All-Costs Transformations
Breaking the Machine:
Our groundbreaking research reveals why efficiency-at-all-costs transformations are destroying value, not creating it.
The human factor isn't just important—it's the dominant variable in the transformation equation.
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Our new research on government employees through early 2025 shows that when efficiency initiatives ignore human psychology, they create measurable chaos that reduces productivity by 17%. The detrimental human impact overrides operational benefits by 2:1, illustrating that psychological security is the dominant variable in the transformation equation.
Key Findings:
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The Human Impact Outweighs Efficiency 2:1 Our research shows that when transformation ignores human psychology, the detrimental impact overrides operational benefits by a factor of 2:1. The insecurity factor has nearly twice the impact of the efficiency factor.
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Productivity Plummets 17% When Security Is Threatened Organizations focusing solely on operational efficiency while ignoring psychological security saw a 17% decrease in productivity—erasing all intended efficiency gains.
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"Move Fast and Break Things" Doesn't Work for Long-Term Missions Approaches that disregard the mission-driven nature of organizations with long-term goals create psychological chaos that undermines the very performance they aim to improve.
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The Real Impact of Organizational Chaos:
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51% of employees report workplace chaos following rapid efficiency initiatives
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21% increase in workplace anxiety when job security is threatened
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Only 12% saw any actual improvement in productivity
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1 in 3 employees say the upheaval prevented them from doing their jobs effectively
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Nearly 1 in 2 believe their leaders protect themselves over their people
Go beyond the headlines—uncover the real impact of efficiency initiatives.
Download our latest in-depth analysis, including full methodology, detailed findings, and three actionable strategies to lead transformation without compromising productivity.