Heavy workloads and botched digital initiatives are causing ‘transformation fatigue’ – and enterprises risk losing top talent if they don’t change their ways

Businesses are at risk of losing their top talent in the wake of failed or botched digital transformation projects, according to new research.

In a recent survey by Emergn, researchers warned that while 82% of IT leaders say digital transformation is “essential for survival” many workers leading the charge on projects are being burned

50% of respondents reported experiencing “transformation fatigue” due to lengthy overhaul processes and tight deadlines.. Meanwhile, 44% said the frequency of change is too high and adds more pressure.

All told, 45% said they’ve suffered from burnout as a result of ongoing internal changes, while 36% said they would consider quitting due to constant upheaval.

Alex Adamopoulos, CEO of Emergn, said the survey highlights the intense pressure placed on employees during transformation programs, warning that many are “mistaking activity for progress”.

“Transformation isn’t supposed to break people,” he said. “It’s supposed to build capacity. But right now, we’re seeing the opposite.”

“This is no longer just a leadership issue – it’s a business model problem.”

Notably, with the advent of generative AI nearly three years ago, the enterprise scramble to adopt new tools is also adding insult to injury for overstretched teams, Emergn found.

The company noted that AI projects are “making things worse” in terms of burnout, with more than half (55%) of respondents noting that AI initiatives are accelerating transformation fatigue.

“Organizations are pushing hard to adopt new technologies without building the human readiness to sustain them,” Adamopoulos said. “This isn’t digital transformation – it’s digital exhaustion.

Digital transformation confusion is rampant

A key factor behind botched projects is a lack of clarity or concrete planning, Emergn noted. Indeed, many enterprises make the mistake of “charging into change without bringing their people along” and creating confusion across the workforce.

Nearly one-third (31%) said they feel uninformed about transformation goals, for example. This marks an increase compared to last year, highlighting a lack of improvement in terms of clarity from leadership.

Elsewhere, 42% said they received “insufficient training” during transformation projects, preventing them from maximizing the use of new tools or solutions.

Delivering a successful digital transformation project has been a key issue for IT leaders for several years now. Research from Gartner last year found that fewer than half of digital initiatives hit outcome targets.

The consultancy’s findings align closely with those from Emergn, noting that the issue lies in ownership of digital transformation projects, with many businesses unclear on roles and responsibilities when embarking on a change program.

Those who have a clear cut strategy and targets, dubbed as “digital vanguards” by Gartner, naturally have far more success.

"This digital vanguard distinguishes themselves from the rest of CIOs and CxOs because they co-own digital delivery," Raf Gelders, VP of research at Gartner, said at the time.

"CIOs and CxOs are equally responsible, accountable, and involved in delivering the digital solutions their enterprises need. This is a radical departure from the traditional paradigm of IT delivery and business project sponsorship that predominates in most enterprises."

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