Are Your Change Management Efforts Reaching All Employees?

As organizations continue adapting to new technologies, market pressures, and evolving business models, one truth remains: successful transformation depends on the people experiencing it. Yet despite growing investments in change enablement, innovation tools, and performance improvement initiatives, not all employees are equally supported through the process.

In May 2025, the Perceptyx Center for Workforce Transformation surveyed over 3,000 full- and part-time employees across the United States to explore how people experience change and innovation in their organizations. The results reveal a clear divide. While executives tend to report strong support and involvement, individual contributors are notably less likely to feel encouraged, heard, or positively impacted by change. This imbalance has real consequences for engagement, innovation, and retention.

This blog explores how the gap plays out and what organizations can do to close it.

Support for Change is Not Evenly Distributed

One of the clearest findings from the panel is that support for navigating change increases with job level. When asked if they feel supported in their efforts to adapt to change, just 60% of individual contributors agreed. That number rose to 72% for managers and 81% for executives.

The same pattern emerged for perceptions of leadership. While 77% of executives believe that senior leaders guide their organization through change effectively, just 49% of individual contributors said the same.

These differences aren't just cosmetic; they connect directly to how people feel about their organization. Among employees who feel supported when adapting to change:

• 66% are fully engaged (vs. just 8% of those who do not feel supported)
• 87% say they are proud to work at their organization (vs. 29%)
• 82% would recommend it as a great place to work (vs. 20%)
• 80% say they intend to stay for at least the next 12 months (vs. 34%)

These patterns show that support during times of transition doesn’t just ease disruption; it strengthens loyalty and engagement.

Innovation Opportunities Are Skewed Toward the Top

Innovation is often positioned as everyone’s responsibility, but employees at lower levels don’t always experience it that way. When asked if they feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things:

• 56% of individual contributors agreed
• Compared to 73% of managers and 82% of executives

The more senior the role, the more likely respondents were to say that change efforts had improved outcomes or increased effectiveness. For example:

• 60% of individual contributors said a recent change in how their team works led to better outcomes for customers, compared to 78% of executives
• 57% of individual contributors said a recent process change made work more efficient, compared to 80% of executives

This suggests that frontline employees may not be seeing or benefiting from the same types of improvements as those in leadership roles. And if innovation efforts don’t resonate with those closest to the work and customers, long-term progress can stall.

Perceptions of Leadership and Involvement Diverge

Only 42% of individual contributors said their manager regularly identifies career growth opportunities for them, compared to 64% of managers. This signals a broader disconnect between what leaders may believe is happening and how it’s experienced further down.

Even when continuous improvement is positioned as a priority, the impact varies based on perception. Among employees who — regardless of job level — said improvement is a top or high priority for their team:

• 74% feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things (vs. 31% of those who say improvement is a low or non-existent priority)
• 75% feel supported adapting to change (vs. 30%)
• 67% say senior leaders guide change effectively (vs. 23%)

In short, messaging alone isn’t enough. Continuous improvement must be consistently reinforced through systems, recognition, and follow-through.

What Should Organizations Do Next?

To lead successful, inclusive change, organizations need to rethink how support and innovation show up across job levels. The following actions can help close the divide:

1. Audit change support and innovation access by job level.
   Track whether frontline and mid-level employees receive the same exposure to resources, feedback loops, and development opportunities as leaders.
   
   
2. Equip managers to coach through change.
   Managers have a unique role in translating strategic change into day-to-day behaviors. Invest in their ability to facilitate team conversations, surface roadblocks, and connect change to individual impact.
   
   
3. Prioritize visibility and implementation of employee ideas.
   When employees see their suggestions acted upon, it builds trust and motivation. Make ideation part of the process, not a side note. Point-in-time surveys can also provide valuable insight into how employees are perceiving the immediate impact of organizational changes, while crowdsourcing can allow employees to co-create solutions to organizational challenges.
   
   
4. Treat improvement as a shared responsibility.
   Ensure that continuous improvement isn't just a top-down initiative. Include employees at all levels in post-mortems, retrospectives, and pilots. Celebrating wins associated with changes or improvements at all levels can also help foster a culture of shared responsibility.
   
   
5. Communicate the 'why' and the outcomes.
   People are more likely to adopt change when they understand its purpose and see its benefits. Use storytelling to show how change improves work — not just results.

Ready to assess and improve change readiness across your organization? Download our comprehensive Transformation & Change guidebook for in-depth strategies on building change capability at every level. The guidebook includes proven frameworks for equipping managers, measuring change effectiveness, and ensuring all employees feel supported through transformation.

To see how Perceptyx can help you identify and address job-level gaps in change readiness, schedule a demo with our team. Our platform provides the data and insights you need to build more inclusive, effective change strategies. To stay apprised of future insights on employee experience and organizational transformation, subscribe to our blog.