Managers Are the Frontline of Change. Are We Equipping Them?

Part 1 of 2 (the psychological lens)

Change does not become real in the boardroom. It becomes real when a manager sits with a team and tries to explain what is changing, why it matters, and what it means for the people in the room.

That is where the strategy starts to meet real life.

A new direction may be clear on paper. The business case may make sense. The timeline may look reasonable. Yet when the message reaches the team, the questions become much more personal. People start wondering what it means for their role, their workload, their future, their relationships, and their ability to succeed.

Some questions are asked in the meeting. Many are not.

After the meeting, people talk to the colleagues they trust. They test the message. They try to understand whether this is another temporary initiative or whether something deeper is changing. They look at their manager and listen not only to the words, but also to the tone, the confidence, the hesitation, and the level of care.

This is why managers carry so much of the people side of change.

The research confirms the pressure without needing to overstate it. Gartner’s 2025 HR priorities research found that leader and manager development remains the top HR priority for HR leaders. In the same research, three-quarters of surveyed HR leaders said managers are overwhelmed by the growth of their responsibilities, and 69% agreed that leaders and managers are not equipped to lead change. Gartner also reported that 73% of HR leaders said employees are fatigued from change, while 74% said managers are not equipped to lead change.

That lands very close to what we see in organizations. Managers are not only being asked to manage tasks. They are asked to translate strategy, answer personal questions, maintain trust, deal with resistance, communicate uncertainty, and keep people moving when the ground keeps shifting.

Prosci’s work on change management also points to the same reality. People managers still have their normal operational responsibilities, but during change they also become communicators, liaisons, advocates, resistance managers, and coaches. Prosci also notes that managers need to answer the personal-impact questions people ask during change, such as why the change is happening and how it affects them.

This is often where the gap appears. Many managers were promoted because they were reliable, technically strong, committed, or good at getting work done. Those are valuable qualities. But leading people through change asks for something more. It asks the manager to read the room, understand different reactions, adjust communication, give feedback, handle tension, and keep building trust while the pressure is rising.

DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025 adds another helpful warning light. Drawing from more than 10,000 leaders and over 2,000 HR professionals across more than 50 countries and 24 industry sectors, DDI found that trust in immediate managers had dropped to 29%. Leaders also identified setting strategy and managing change as their two greatest skill gaps.

So, this is not just about having another leadership program. It is about equipping managers for the daily human moments where change either gains traction or gets stuck.

This is where Everything DiSC Management becomes very practical.

“Everything DiSC Management” helps managers understand themselves, their direct reports, and their own managers through the DiSC model. The profile focuses on a manager’s DiSC Management style, directing and delegating, motivating and developing others, and working with their own manager. It is designed to help managers adapt their style to the needs of the people they manage.

That is important because people do not all respond to change in the same way.

In the same team, one person may feel energized by a fast-moving change, while another becomes concerned that people are moving before they understand the implications. One person may appreciate freedom and flexibility, while another feels safer when the next steps are explained carefully. One person may want the big picture, while another needs enough detail to trust the direction.

A manager may feel, “I explained this clearly.” But clarity is not only about what was said. It is also about how the message landed with different people, what they needed in that moment, and what they still could not yet say out loud.

“Everything DiSC Management” gives managers a simple and respectful language for noticing these differences. It helps them become more aware of their own default approach and the way that approach may help or hinder others. The Everything DiSC Management sample report says that understanding yourself better is the first step to becoming more effective with employees and your manager. It also says that learning about other people’s DiSC styles helps managers understand their priorities and how those priorities may differ from their own.

That kind of awareness is crucial during change.

A fast-moving manager can bring energy, urgency, and momentum. Those are needed in many change situations. Yet that same pace may leave some people unclear about what is expected.

A relational manager can create warmth and connection, which helps people feel supported. Yet that same manager may delay hard feedback because they do not want to damage the relationship. A steady manager may bring calm when the team is unsettled. Yet if the moment calls for more direct action, that steadiness may be experienced as hesitation. A careful manager may protect quality and reduce risk, but may also wait too long to communicate because more information is still coming.

The point is not that one style is better than another. The point is that every style brings gifts and possible overuse. During change, managers need to know both.

Directing and delegating is a good example. During stable times, unclear expectations may be inconvenient. During change, they quickly become a source of confusion. The Everything DiSC Management sample report reminds managers that directing and delegating is more complex than handing off an assignment, because different employees respond well to different kinds of instruction and feedback

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Motivation works in a similar way. A manager cannot simply decide that the team will now be motivated. The Everything DiSC Management sample report says managers cannot motivate people directly, but they can create an environment where it is easier for people to find their own natural motivation.

That is a helpful way to think about the manager’s role during change. We are not asking managers to become entertainers, therapists, or change magicians. We are asking them to become more aware of the environment they create. Do people have enough clarity? Do they feel heard? Do they understand what is expected? Do they have the right amount of freedom or support? Is the manager adapting, or simply communicating in the way that feels natural to them?

Gallup’s manager-development research supports the value of investing here. Gallup says employees experience organizational culture most directly through their managers, and that managers who receive training in coaching and people development see up to 18% higher engagement among their teams and a 20% to 28% boost in other manager performance measures.

Wiley’s newer Everything DiSC Worksmart experience on Catalyst also fits this moment. It is designed for managers and applies DiSC to daily management situations, including constructive feedback, conflict, empowerment, helping the team navigate change, and motivating direct reports. It also gives managers action plans they can apply to everyday management challenges.

At KnowledgeWorkx, we see a clear opportunity to help organizations equip managers for the people side of change through this psychological lens. Everything DiSC Management helps managers understand themselves and their people in a practical, non-threatening way. It gives them language for the conversations they are already having and the conversations they may be avoiding.

A practical journey could be delivered over two days in person, or virtually through six sessions of two hours each. The experience would start with the manager’s own DiSC Management style and then move into the real challenges managers face during change: directing and delegating with more clarity, motivating different people, giving constructive feedback, managing conflict, empowering the team, and working more effectively with their own manager and peers. Catalyst can then become the place managers return to as they keep applying the learning in real situations.

But in today’s world, this is only the first lens.

Many teams are intercultural, regional, global, hybrid, multi-generational, multilingual, or shaped by many different cultural experiences. In those teams, people do not only respond to change as psychological human beings. They also interpret change as cultural human beings.

That is where the second article will take us.

Everything DiSC Management gives managers a practical psychological lens for leading the people side of change. In a world where change is constant, and where managers often stand closest to the real human impact of that change, that is a very good place to start.

Talk to us and let’s equip your managers to navigate change better!

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Over the last 20 years, KnowledgeWorkx has developed solutions that are global, locally relevant, holistic, and practical. Our innovative approach delivers more accurate analysis, which results in integrated and more effective solutions. Our solutions create a progressive and natural connection between national, personal, team, and organizational culture.

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