Manager support arrives late in workplace transformation

Thirty-two per cent of UK respondents said managers received support only once transformation was under way, problems had emerged or managers had asked for help.

CoachHub surveyed 200 UK senior transformation, business and people leaders as part of its research into how organisations deliver and sustain transformation.

Managers are the point at which transformation strategy has to become different day-to-day work. In UK transformations that were sustained, 75% had managers translating strategy into practical team actions, compared with 51% where change faded. The figures show an association between manager behaviour and sustained change, rather than establishing that one caused the other.

Matti Niebelschütz, co-founder and CEO of CoachHub, said: ‘Change has to pass through people. It moves from senior intent to management interpretation, from management interpretation to team priorities and from team priorities to everyday behaviour.’

Coaching people through change was the weakest of nine manager skills measured in the UK research. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents reported that managers lacked confidence in this area.

Among UK transformations that employees had successfully adopted, nearly one in four subsequently failed to last, according to CoachHub’s analysis. CoachHub told Learning News that 36 UK respondents fell into this group.

Managers asked to interpret strategy, respond to employee concerns, prioritise workloads and turn organisational goals into team actions need those capabilities before delivery is already under pressure.

One-to-one coaching was provided in 11% of UK transformation programmes.

Across the global sample, the widest differences between the organisations CoachHub classified as transformation leaders and laggards were in behaviours including adapting plans from team feedback, helping teams prioritise additional workload, listening to employee concerns and translating transformation goals into practical team actions.

Coleman Parkes Research conducted the study for CoachHub in May and June 2026. It surveyed 800 senior decision-makers across the UK, Germany, France, the US, Canada, Switzerland and Austria. Twenty-five per cent were transformation leaders, 63% were line-of-business or functional delivery leaders and 12% were HR or L&D leaders.

Separate research from Ciphr among 500 UK managers points to wider pressure on people managers. Nearly a third said their workload was unmanageable most or all of the time, while 20% said management and leadership training should be more of a priority and the same proportion wanted more effective support from leadership.

Claire Hawes, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, said: ‘Managers are often being asked to achieve more with less budget and resources. They need to support their team’s development and wellbeing, while being accountable for their performance and productivity.’

Managers are being asked to translate organisational change while handling existing workload and people-management pressures. Developing their capability after implementation has begun leaves that support too late. Manager development needs to start before the change reaches the team.

Managers and transformation

• 32% of UK organisations provided manager support only once implementation was under way, problems had emerged or managers requested help
• 75% vs 51% had managers translating strategy into practical team actions in transformations that lasted compared with those that faded
• 29% reported managers were not confident coaching people through change
• 11% of UK transformation programmes provided one-to-one coaching
• 31% of managers surveyed separately by Ciphr said their workload was unmanageable most or all of the time
• 20% think management and leadership training should be more of a priority

Sources: CoachHub, 200 UK senior transformation, business and people leaders, part of an 800-person seven-market study conducted by Coleman Parkes Research. Ciphr, 500 UK managers with people-management responsibilities.

Links

CoachHub report: People Powered Change: Make Change Stick
Ciphr report: Positive but under pressure: how managers really feel about their jobs