Announce Unpopular Changes: Research-Backed Steps

Announcing Organizational Change Is Never Easy
One former boss of mine had a blunt way of putting it: “The only person who likes change is a wet baby!” And he wasn’t wrong. Organizational change often disrupts the familiar, challenging the status quo, and naturally triggers concern, unease, or outright resistance to change. But what happens when you must introduce a change you know will be unpopular? How you announce unpopular changes can make all the difference between backlash and buy-in.

An Example: The Challenges that Come with the Need to Announce Unpopular Changes
The workplace changes forced by COVID provide a perfect example. Some shifts (e.g., remote work flexibility) were welcomed with enthusiasm. Others, however, are met with sighs, eye rolls, or even quiet rebellion. Leaders are still facing decisions about how, when, and if employees should return to the office. One CEO shared that only 5% of their highly collaborative workforce was willing to come back, despite the clear advantages of in-person collaboration.

3 Steps to Announce Unpopular Changes

Few leaders can avoid change; most must navigate change thoughtfully. The ability to announce and manage unpopular changes with clarity, empathy, and strategic foresight distinguishes high performing teams from those that falter.

1. Take a Strategic Communications Approach
   When rolling out unpopular changes, the key is to approach change communication strategically, not reactively. Transparency and honesty are essential — but they must be balanced with empathy. Employees need to understand the “why” behind the change, not just the logistics. Explain the reasoning, the vision for a better future state, and the potential consequences of inaction. People are far more receptive when they see the rationale clearly tied to the organization’s strategy and future success.
   
   
2. Get the Timing Right
   Equally important is timing. Delivering change messages too abruptly can spark fear and rumor, while dragging them out can create uncertainty and speculation. A layered approach reduces anxiety and helps employees process the change incrementally rather than feeling blindsided. Ideally, leaders should plan their change communications in stages:
   
   
   • Honestly introducing the context for change
   • Proactively addressing concerns
   • Clearly providing practical guidance for implementation
   • If possible, delay the actual start of change (see below research for why)
     
3. Actively Listen
   Two-way dialogue and constructive debate are critical when introducing unpopular change. Encourage questions, address fears honestly, and acknowledge the difficulty of the transition. Employees are more likely to engage constructively if they feel heard and respected, even when the news isn’t what they hoped for.

What the Latest Research Says about Delaying Unwelcome Changes at Work?
Change management consulting experts, backed by change management simulation data, supported by insights from microlearning experts, indicates a surprisingly effective approach: announce the change relatively quickly — but then intentionally delay its implementation.

This strategy gives employees time to process the news, ask questions, and mentally prepare for the transition. By separating the announcement from the execution, leaders reduce shock and resistance, while creating space to build understanding, buy-in, and even small early champions of the change.

Why Delay Implementation?
Change that happens later is less threatening. Behavioral psychologists call this phenomenon “future lock-in.” People are much more willing to accept a change that affects them negatively if it happens in the future.

Two Change Announcement Experiments

• Higher Gas Prices
  A Harvard study explored public support for higher gas prices as a means to improve the environment. When participants were told the price increase would take effect immediately, only 26 percent supported it. But when the same increase was scheduled for a few years in the future, support jumped to 41 percent — demonstrating that timing can significantly influence acceptance of unpopular measures.
  
  
• More Charitable Donations
  In a study conducted by an economist at the Stockholm School of Economics, over 1,000 regular monthly donors were asked if they would increase their contributions. Half were told to raise their donation immediately, while the other half were given a one-month delay before the increase would take effect.
  
  The results were striking. Those granted the delay were not only more likely to agree to the increase, but they also gave, on average, 32% more than those asked to act immediately — highlighting how timing can significantly influence willingness to adopt change.
  
  

Explaining Future Lock-In: Costs vs. Benefits
Why does delaying change make it more acceptable? Psychologists explain that people evaluate near-future and distant-future events differently, which shapes how they perceive costs and benefits.

When considering immediate changes, individuals tend to focus on the costs — disruption, inconvenience, or loss. For instance, someone told to start a diet today often fixates on giving up favorite foods. In contrast, when thinking about changes in the more distant future, people are more likely to focus on the benefits — like looking and feeling better for a high school reunion months from now.

Applied to the workplace, the effect is clear. If you announce that employees must stop working from home immediately, their attention will likely center on the downsides: adjusting routines, daily commutes, and loss of flexibility. But if you announce the change now with a start date several months out, employees are more likely to see the upside: increased collaboration, faster decision-making, and more opportunities for growth and promotion.

The principle holds true for customers as well. Delaying the implementation of changes allows them to perceive the benefits more clearly and accept the rationale behind the shift,

The Bottom Line
Urgency will always arise, and some changes demand immediate action. But whenever you have the flexibility, announcing unpopular changes while delaying their implementation significantly increases the likelihood of stakeholder buy-in. Giving people time to process the change allows them to shift focus from the costs to the benefits — turning change resistance into change acceptance.

To learn more about how to improve organizational change efforts, download 5 Science-Backed Ways to Get Change Leadership Right

by Tristam Brown: CEO

Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.