Why is it that most organizational changes feel like pushing a boulder uphill, only for it to roll back down the moment we stop shoving? 

We're constantly told that change is the only constant, yet McKinsey reports that 70% of transformation efforts fail. If you knew a medical procedure had a 70% failure rate, you wouldn't do it – so why do we accept these odds in our businesses?

The problem isn't that your people are difficult; it's that we're designing changes for robots, not humans. 

In this article, I'll bridge the gap between industrial psychology and customer success to show you how to work with human biology rather than against it. You'll discover how to minimize the "threat response" in your team, why dopamine is your best friend in a transition, and how to build systems that turn new behaviors into permanent habits.

The compounding effect of modern change

Think back over your last year. How many "waves" of change have you personally navigated? While a Gallup study found that 63% of people report at least one significant change in the past year, the reality for most of us is much higher. 

We aren't just dealing with one thing; we're dealing with structural shifts, new technology, rotating team members, and evolving priorities all at once.

This creates a compounding effect. When we stack change after change, it doesn't just add up; it multiplies the stress on our systems. 

Organizations often go into these transitions with high expectations, dreaming of beautiful outcomes and motivated customers. But the reality is usually subpar. We're consistently underperforming because we don't account for the human cost of this compounding pressure.