We typically talk about change management in the context of projects, focusing on getting from point A to B. The nature of that journey, however, depends on a broader context: the organization’s culture of change resiliency – or lack thereof.

Sound fluffy? It’s not.

The underlying level of change resiliency can be the difference between wading through some shallow, clear pond water and trudging through a deep, murky bog. You’re moving forward in both cases, but one is going to be a lot harder. If you know which you’re stepping into, you can prepare accordingly – can you manage barefoot, or do you need some waders?

Put otherwise: an identical change project in two organizations with different levels of change resiliency requires two different change strategies. To be clear, change management is always necessary – and helps maintain a change resilient culture – but the robustness of approach or even specific tactics may vary depending on the baseline change resiliency.

So, how do you know if your culture is resilient to change? Consider:

Leadership. Resilient organizations have leaders who can effectively set a vision and communicate change rationales. They acknowledge the challenges and demonstrate why the growing pains will pay off for the organization and individual employees – and they coach their middle management to do the same.

Employee Engagement & Culture. Organizations with high employee engagement tend to be more resilient. This means transparency, collaboration, and continual learning as foundational principles in workplace interactions. These foundational behaviors can create a higher degree of comfort navigating the uncertainty inherent in change.

Risk Management. Robust risk management practices mean that an organization can anticipate and proactively address issues before they require major change. This ensures that changes are intentional to drive the mission forward – not just reactions to the latest fire. This reduces change fatigue and builds trust that the organization minimizes unnecessary change.

Historical Success. A strong track record of successful changes that delivered on promised results builds trust. Employees believe that the organization knows how to navigate the liminal space of change – and the challenges of that period will result in the promised benefits.

If you don’t have a strong culture of change resiliency yet, that’s ok. Like any skill, this is a muscle built over time. Start with a realistic assessment of your organizational change resiliency today. Then, plot a tactical path to build up that capacity. Seeing the impact on your change projects will take time, but project by project, the skepticism around change will decrease. You’ll always need change management for smooth adoptions, but with a change resilient culture, you’ll be able to use a lighter touch – instead of struggling through the bog, you’ll stride through a pond.